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Body Burden: Chemicals in Our Bodies

Recently I became aware of the following studies that indicate how important healthy home and work environments are:

Environmental Working Group
In a study led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, in collaboration with the Environmental Working Group and Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 91 industrial compounds, pollutants, and other chemicals in the blood and urine of nine volunteers, with a total of 167 chemicals found in the group. Like most of us, the people tested do not work with chemicals on the job and do not live near an industrial facility.

Scientists refer to this contamination as a person’s body burden. Of the 167 chemicals found, 76 cause cancer in humans or animals, 94 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 79 cause birth defects or abnormal development. The dangers of exposure to these chemicals in combination has never been studied.

Common contaminants found in the EWG study:

PCBs — Industrial insulators and lubricants. Banned in the U.S. in 1976. Persist for decades in the environment. Accumulate up the food chain, to man. Cause cancer and nervous system problems.

Dioxins — Pollutants, by-products of PVC production, industrial bleaching, and incineration. Cause cancer in man. Persist for decades in the environment. Very toxic to developing endocrine (hormone) system.

Furans — Pollutants, by-products of plastics production, industrial bleaching and incineration. Expected to cause cancer in man. Persist for decades in the environment. Very toxic to developing endocrine (hormone) system.

Metals — Lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium — Cause lowered IQ, developmental delays, behavioral disorders and cancer at doses found in the environment. For lead, most exposures are from lead paint. For mercury, most exposures are from canned tuna. For arsenic, most exposures are from arsenic (CCA) treated lumber and contaminated drinking water. For cadmium, sources of exposure include pigments and bakeware.

Organochlorine insecticides. DDT, chlordane and other pesticides. Largely banned in the U.S. Persist for decades in the environment. Accumulate up the food chain, to man. Cause cancer and numerous reproductive effects.

Organophosphate insecticide metabolites — Breakdown products of chlorpyrifos, malathion and others. Potent nervous system toxicants. Most common source of exposure is residues in food. Recently banned for indoor uses.

Phthalates — Plasticizers. Cause birth defects of male reproductive organs. Found in a wide range of cosmetic and personal care products. Some phthalates recently banned in Europe.

Volatile and Semi-volatile organic chemicals. — Industrial solvents and gasoline ingredients like xylene and ethyl benzene. Toxic to nervous system, some heavily used SVOCs (benzene) cause cancer.

CDC - Second National Report on Human
Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
Centers for Disease Control
The Report is the second in a series of publications that provide an ongoing assessment of the exposure of the U.S. population to environmental chemicals using biomonitoring. Biomonitoring is the assessment of human exposure to chemicals by measuring the chemicals or their metabolites in human specimens such as blood or urine.

Note on the above studies (from EWG Web site):

The two studies, while similar in principle – posing the question of what toxic chemicals can be found in the human body – differ greatly in structure. Both studies tested for certain classes of chemicals such as PCBs, furans, dioxins, organophosphate pesticide metabolites, organochlorine pesticides and metabolites, heavy metals, and phthalates. In addition, EWG tested for and found dozens of other semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds that are found in common consumer products. A list currently posted on EWG's website displays this overlap, and EWG's entire bodyburden report is also featured on the organization's website.

PBS
The chemical revolution of the past 50 years has altered nearly every aspect of our lives. Many of the products we rely upon every day – from plastic bags to computers – would not exist without synthetic chemicals. Most of us believe the chemicals in consumer products have been tested and approved by some government agency. In fact, until they are proven harmful, most chemicals are presumed safe.

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