13 pesticides in body of average American

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13 pesticides in body of average American

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By MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT

ENVIRONMENT REPORTER

Friday, May 21, 2004 - Page A17

 

A comprehensive survey of more than 1,300 Americans has found traces of

weed- and bug-killers in the bodies of everyone tested, leading

environmentalists in both Canada and the United States to call for far

tighter controls on pesticides.

 

The survey, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, found that the body of the average American contained 13 of

these chemicals.

 

A surprising finding was that 99 per cent of Americans, including virtually

all children born in recent years, had DDT residues. The use of the

insecticide has been subject to controls and outright bans since the late

1960s, and its presence indicates how persistent it is in the general

environment.

 

More than half of those tested also had residues of 2,4-D. The lawn

herbicide is controversial in Canada, where its use has been targeted by

dozens of municipal bans on the cosmetic use of herbicides.

 

The finding of widespread pesticide exposure suggests that, despite the

trend to the increased consumption of organic food and intense regulation

of the pesticide industry, the U.S. public is routinely coming into contact

with these substances through the environment and food.

 

" The fact that Americans are carrying a mixture of toxic pesticides

suggests a dramatic failure of government efforts in the U.S. to protect

public health and safety, " contended Andrea Peart, a spokesperson for the

Sierra Club of Canada.

 

Health authorities in Canada have done no comparable survey on the amount

of pesticides in Canadians. A spokeswoman for Health Canada, Catherine

Saunders, says the agency relies on the U.S. data to estimate what

Canadians may have in their bodies.

 

She said Health Canada is currently proposing to have some pesticide

measurements done as part of a Statistics Canada survey on the health of

Canadians, but that research won't be available until 2006-2007.

 

Without detailed studies, there is no way of knowing if Canadians are as

heavily contaminated as Americans, or have lower amounts of pesticides in

their bodies. " I think the logical question . . . is are we going to find

these same results in Canada? " said Ms. Peart.

 

The levels of pesticides found in Americans were generally small. The DDT

residues were detected in parts per billion, with the highest readings in

women. Women generally have more fatty tissue than men and DDT is stored in

fat.

 

But environmentalists have raised concerns that some residues exceed safety

standards. Pesticide Action Network North America analyzed the U.S.

exposure data and determined that for two insecticides -- chlorpyrifos and

methyl parathion -- exposures exceeded acceptable thresholds, in one case,

by more than four times the amount recommended for children.

 

Canadian health authorities believe Canadians may have smaller amounts of

the two compounds in their bodies.

 

Health Canada has been concerned by chlorpyrifos exposure in children, and

banned residential uses of the insecticide in 2001 for this reason,

according to Chris Krepski, a spokesman for Health Canada's Pest Management

Regulatory Agency. However, the pesticide is still in widespread use on

food crops.

 

Chlorpyrifos is in a class of pesticides known as organophosphates, over

which there is considerable concern about potential health effects.

Organophosphates disrupt nerve impulses and some research suggests they may

harm brain development.

 

Although the PMRA has banned the use of the product around homes, Canadians

could still have exposures because chlorpyrifos can be used on 30 crops,

including wheat, peaches and strawberries. The crop list in Canada is

generally the same as in the United States.

 

Methyl parathion is used heavily in the United States to kill insects on

cotton crops, but is not licensed for use in Canada.

 

Danger within

 

A recent study of over 1,300 Americans found widespread evidence of

pesticides in their systems. Below are some pesticides and the percentage

of those tested in whom they were found.

 

TCP or chlorpyrifos

 

Licensed for agricultural use in Canada, but was recently banned for use

around homes: 93%

 

2,4-D

 

Active ingredient in most lawn herbicides; subject to bans in many Canadian

municipalities: 55%

 

DDE

 

A breakdown product of DDT; persists in people's bodies despite having been

banned for decades: 99%