Danger in the air: Children are the subjects of an

[Guest guest]

> Erin M <apmmom

> Sat, 17 Jul 2004 00:14:43 -0700 (PDT)

> Danger in the air:

> Children are the subjects of an

>

> From another group...

>

>

> Danger in the air: Children are the subjects of an

> uncontrolled industrial emissions experiment,

> experts fear

>

> (This is pretty scary considering our area has one

> of the most polluted

> air

> qualities in the nation! But for us, it's a double

> whammy because of

> the

> high level of pesticides/herbicides in our

> environment too. Lynne)

>

> Danger in the air: Children are the subjects of an

> uncontrolled

> industrial

> emissions experiment, experts fear

>

> Charlie Fidelman

> CanWest News Service

>

> Tuesday, July 13, 2004

>

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/search/story.html?id=fde73124-c1

> 73-47d7-8a43-3991112c0beb & page=1

>

> MONTREAL - An increase in childhood cancers,

> diseases, birth defects,

> lower

> intelligence, and learning and behavioural problems

> could be linked to

> industry emissions of thousands of chemicals in

> North America,

> according to

> a draft report by the Commission for Environmental

> Co-operation.

>

> But the report on these links -- which have been

> cited for years --

> does not

> say what specifically puts children at higher risk.

>

> After tracking annual industry emissions in Canada,

> Mexico and the

> United

> States, the report by the Montreal-based

> organization is clear about

> increased risk of disease from pollution in air,

> water and soil, but

> warns

> that such data are only part of the picture.

>

> The report does not draw a direct cause-and-effect

> link, but the

> commission

> was not trying to protect the industry, said

> pediatrician Lynn Goldman,

> lead

> author of the 90-page draft of A Special Report on

> Toxic Chemicals and

> Children's Health in North America.

>

> " We just put the facts out there, " said Dr. Goldman,

> a professor of

> environmental health sciences at Johns Hopkins

> Bloomberg School of

> Public

> Health in Baltimore.

>

> It is next to impossible, for example, to determine

> whether children

> living

> next to a hazardous-waste management plant are being

> exposed to

> pollutants

> from that site or other sources, she said. " We have

> this great

> [industry

> emission] data, but they don't have a way of

> connecting that with

> levels of

> exposure in children's bodies, " Dr. Goldman said.

>

> For example, an independent study in the United

> States found pesticide

> residues in blood and urine of children who did not

> live in polluted

> areas.

> And experts differ on issues such as cancer trends,

> she said.

>

> " The public should know that although we know

> children are at risk, we

> don't

> really know what's in the environment and what it's

> doing to them, " she

> said. " The report raises more questions than

> answers. "

>

> Lead, mercury, PCBs and dioxins are known

> carcinogens, developmental

> toxins

> and neurotoxins, said Kathy Cooper, senior

> researcher for the Canadian

> Environmental Law Association, which contributed to

> the report.

>

> Although these are now heavily regulated or banned

> outright, they are

> still

> among the top pollutants. And there are many new

> chemicals -- about

> 33,000

> substances in commercial use -- of unknown toxicity,

> she said.

>

> " Most have not been evaluated for their effect on

> children, " Ms. Cooper

> said.

>

> The situation is similar for pesticides. About 70%

> of pesticides that

> got

> government approval decades ago are now slated for

> retesting by looking

> at

> exposure and children, she said.

>

> The most troubling " toxic trespassers " are the

> persistent chemicals

> that

> accumulate in the food chain. Persistent chemicals

> do not easily break

> down

> in the environment.Small amounts at the wrong moment

> can lead to

> lifelong

> disorders. Even low levels of lead and mercury can

> stunt brain

> development

> in a fetus or young infant.

>

> Society is conducting a vast, uncontrolled

> experiment, experts warn,

> and

> children are the experimental subjects.

>

> For example, wood decks, fences and playgrounds are

> often made with

> wood

> treated with arsenic -- a known neurotoxin.

>

> According to Canadian Institute of Child Health

> statistics, cancer in

> Canadian children under age 15 increased by 25%

> during the past 25

> years.

> And about 12% of children have asthma -- related to

> air pollution.

>

> A further 29% of children under age 11 have learning

> or behavioural

> problems.

>

> The commission's draft report tracked public data on

> pollutants that

> are

> released into air, water and soil -- based on

> industry-provided

> information

> required by governments in Canada, the United States

> and Mexico.

>

> The report suggests the data tends to underestimate

> the actual load of

> chemicals in the environment. That is simply the

> " tip of the iceberg, "

> it

> warns.

>

> While it only looked at industry sources, children

> are also exposed to

> all

> sorts of things in their own homes. For example,

> fire-retardant

> chemicals

> (which are similar to PCBs) can be found in

> everything from televisions

> to

> baby pyjamas, and are now turning up in breast milk.

>

> Children are particularly sensitive because of their

> size and activity

> levels. Their developing kidneys and livers are less

> capable of

> breaking

> down toxins.

>

> The report clearly states that exposure to toxic

> chemicals contributes

> to

> increases in such childhood diseases as asthma,

> leukemia, brain cancer,

> birth defects and learning, behavioural and

> developmental disabilities.

>

> The Canadian Chemical Producers' Association --

> which represents more

> than

> 70 chemical manufacturers accounting for more than

> 90% of chemical

> manufacturing operations in Canada -- has said the

> report is flawed.

> They

> did not return calls.

>

> But other groups preparing a response to the draft

> version are

> applauding

> the call for more research, education and better

> regulatory policies.

>

> The commission is assembling a panel of scientists

> to polish the report

> for

> a year-end release, Vic Shantora, head of the CEC's

> pollution and

> health

> program, said.

>

> " We're trying to get best information ... and how it

> impacts on

> children's

> health and bring that to the public's attention, "

> Mr. Shantora said.

>

> (The Gazette)

>

> © National Post 2004

>