Toxic Chemicals Linked To Dust

[Guest guest]

TOXIC CHEMICALS LINKED TO DUST

 

By Scott Streater, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

 

A new study suggests that people are routinely exposed to

potentially harmful chemical flame retardants by ingesting household

dust laced with the toxic chemicals, a fact that concerns health

researchers who fear that children are at greatest risk.

 

The study, conducted by researchers at Boston University's School of

Public Health, is the first to link the presence in people of the

chemical flame retardants to exposure to common dust, which can be

inhaled in the air or ingested in food.

 

And because infants tend to crawl on the floor, where dust

accumulates, they are likely exposed to higher levels of the toxic

substances, which could place them at risk of developing neurological

problems, researchers say.

 

The flame retardants -- called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or

PBDEs -- have been in widespread use in the United States since the

1970s and are commonly found in carpet padding, television sets,

computer wire insulation, mattress stuffing, waterproof jackets and

many other products. The chemicals are added to products to help

prevent the spread of fire.

 

But studies have measured the flame retardants in virtually every

American tested, at levels that are the highest in the world.

 

A growing number of researchers suspect that PBDEs can cause

reproductive and neurological problems, disrupt hormonal balance and,

at high concentrations, increase the risk of cancer.

 

A Star-Telegram project last year found that chemical flame retardants

may be common in local residents' bodies.

 

What it means

 

The Boston University study raises further concerns about widespread

exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, and the possible

health effects.

 

What researchers found

 

Researchers tested the breast milk of 46 first-time mothers in the

Boston area. Though they only obtained dust samples from 11 of the

women's homes, they found a statistically significant link between the

levels of PBDEs found in the breast milk and in the dust collected in

their homes.

 

" I think what our work shows is that the indoor environment is a

significant source of exposure to PBDEs, " said Tom Webster, an

epidemiologist at Boston University who led the study.

 

How it got there

 

Webster said researchers aren't certain how the chemical flame

retardants get into the environment. He said he suspects that the

chemicals may turn into a gas and attach themselves to dust particles

as they waft through the air.

 

Local implications

 

A Star-Telegram project last year found the chemical flame retardants

in some local residents, too.

 

Working with Dr. Arnold Schecter, a public-health physician at the

University of Texas School of Public Health in Dallas, the Star-

Telegram paid to have blood samples from 12 Tarrant County residents

analyzed for 83 toxic chemicals, including 15 of the most commonly

used PBDEs. The analysis found low levels of 14 of the PBDEs in the

study participants.

 

The Star-Telegram analysis mirrored national studies indicating that

most Americans have these chemical flame retardants in their bodies.

 

What's next

 

Chemical manufacturers maintain that the flame retardants save lives

and that there's no definitive link between the PBDEs commonly

measured in people and health problems.

 

But some government and industry leaders are moving to phase them out.

 

The Legislature in Washington state is moving forward on a bill that

would ban the three most commonly used PBDEs. It would be the first

state to adopt such legislation, which could receive final approval as

early as this month.

 

U.S. manufacturers have agreed to voluntarily halt production of two

of the most toxic brominated flame retardants, but not the one in

widespread commercial use today. Many companies that sell products

containing PBDEs, including Ford, Dell and IBM, have found

alternatives.

 

The federal Environmental Protection Agency recently unveiled draft

risk assessments of four common PBDEs. The draft assessments were

conducted by a panel of scientists who are trying to establish a safe

level of daily exposure to PBDEs, above which health problems might

occur. The safe levels in the draft assessments are very low.

 

All four PBDEs being studied by the EPA were measured in the Tarrant

County residents who participated in the Star-Telegram project.

 

Should I be worried?

 

Some researchers fear that people are routinely exposed to PBDE levels

near the threshold where the EPA draft assessments suggest that health

problems could occur.

 

That's especially true of children, who crawl and put virtually

everything they touch into their mouths, said Heather Stapleton, an

environmental chemist at Duke University who has done extensive

research on the issue.

 

Staples compares PBDEs to lead. Many children with lead poisoning were

exposed to the toxic metal by ingesting contaminated dust.

 

" It almost seems like this [PBDEs] could be the next version of lead

coming through, " she said. " We don't know as much about the toxicity

of these compounds as we do of lead. But we definitely find very high

levels in indoor dust that are going to be an exposure route for

children. "

 

If that's true, and PBDEs are a health concern, that should be enough

to persuade regulators to demand alternatives to the PBDEs, Webster

said.

 

" Flame retardants are useful because stopping fires is good, " he said.

" But we probably want to have ones that are not toxic. "

 

For more information

 

For an overview of the Boston University study, go to:

pubs.acs.org//journals/esthag-

w/2007/jan/science/kb_pbde.html.

 

The study will be published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental

Science & Technology.

 

FACTS ABOUT PBDEs

 

What are polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)?

 

Synthetic chemicals that help prevent the spread of fire by impeding

the chemical reaction that causes it. PBDEs are commonly found in

polyurethane foam products, such as the padding in furniture, as well

as in textiles, television sets and computers. But they can also be

found in food and household dust. They have been measured in the

bodies of virtually every American who has been tested.

 

What are the possible health effects?

 

The main concern is that PBDEs build up in the body over a long time.

Data on how PBDEs affect people are scarce, and no one knows what

levels trigger health problems. But animal studies have shown that

PBDEs harm the nervous system and alter hormonal functions and the

development of reproductive organs. Industry officials say the levels

that have been measured in people and in the environment are too low

to cause problems.

 

SOURCES: Bromine Science and Environmental Forum, federal Agency for

Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

 

Regards

Caroline

http://alwaysnaturallygreat.com

[Guest guest]

Great article Caroline.

 

Yet another good reason to detoxify daily. We've moved beyond the

point of where a spring cleanse is enough. I remember years ago

they found dust on windows in Toronto containing pesticides that had

been banned for years in Canada but are coming up from Mexico.

 

Here's a quote from Our Toxic Nation in Alive magazine:

 

" There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since 1977.

How fair is that? " --Ada Dowler-Cohen, Toronto fifth-grade student.

That means this child (and millions more no doubt) are full of

toxins that have not even been actively around for 20 years!

 

What finally fixed my teenager of her 10 year long toxin-related

headaches (almost daily migraines) after about a dozen other

therapies was using liquid zeolite. It also got rid of my last

vestiges of brain fog. It's the most effective and easiest way to

detoxify and a heck of a lot cheaper than chelation which can damage

the kidneys.

 

Email me for the full story if interested.

 

Sharon Hoehner

www.detoxqueen.com.

 

, " Caroline "

<Alwaysnaturallygreat wrote:

>

> TOXIC CHEMICALS LINKED TO DUST

>

> By Scott Streater, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

>

> A new study suggests that people are routinely exposed to

> potentially harmful chemical flame retardants by ingesting

household

> dust laced with the toxic chemicals, a fact that concerns health

> researchers who fear that children are at greatest risk.