Body Burden — The Pollution in Newborns

[Guest guest]

Body Burden — The Pollution in Newborns

JoAnn Guest

Oct 02, 2005 11:42 PDT

 

 

Body Burden — The Pollution in Newborns

 

http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php

A benchmark investigation of industrial chemicals, pollutants and

pesticides in umbilical cord blood

Environmental Working Group, July 14, 2005

 

 

 

Summary. In the month leading up to a baby's birth, the umbilical

cord

pulses with the equivalent of at least 300 quarts of blood each day,

pumped back and forth from the nutrient- and oxygen-rich placenta to

the

rapidly growing child cradled in a sac of amniotic fluid. This cord

is a

lifeline between mother and baby, bearing nutrients that sustain

life

and propel growth.

 

Not long ago scientists thought that the placenta shielded cord

blood —

and the developing baby — from most chemicals and pollutants in the

environment. But now we know that at this critical time when organs,

vessels, membranes and systems are knit together from single cells

to

finished form in a span of weeks, the umbilical cord carries not

only

the building blocks of life, but also a steady stream of industrial

chemicals, pollutants and pesticides that cross the placenta as

readily

as residues from cigarettes and alcohol. This is the human " body

burden "

— the pollution in people that permeates everyone in the world,

including babies in the womb.

 

In a study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in

collaboration with Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories

found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in

umbilical

cord blood from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004 in

U.S.

hospitals. Tests revealed a total of 287 chemicals in the group. The

umbilical cord blood of these 10 children, collected by Red Cross

after

the cord was cut, harbored pesticides, consumer product ingredients,

and

wastes from burning coal, gasoline, and garbage.

 

This study represents the first reported cord blood tests for 261 of

the

targeted chemicals and the first reported detections in cord blood

for

209 compounds. Among them are eight perfluorochemicals used as stain

and

oil repellants in fast food packaging, clothes and textiles —

including

the Teflon chemical PFOA, recently characterized as a likely human

carcinogen by the EPA's Science Advisory Board — dozens of widely

used

brominated flame retardants and their toxic by-products; and

numerous

pesticides.

 

Of the 287 chemicals we detected in umbilical cord blood, we know

that

180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain

and

nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development

in

animal tests. The dangers of pre- or post-natal exposure to this

complex

mixture of carcinogens, developmental toxins and neurotoxins have

never

been studied.

 

 

 

 

Chemicals and pollutants detected in human umbilical cord blood

Mercury (Hg) - tested for 1, found 1

Pollutant from coal-fired power plants, mercury-containing products,

and

certain industrial processes. Accumulates in seafood. Harms brain

development and function.

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - tested for 18, found 9

Pollutants from burning gasoline and garbage. Linked to cancer.

Accumulates in food chain.

Polybrominated dibenzodioxins and furans (PBDD/F) - tested for 12,

found 7

Contaminants in brominated flame retardants. Pollutants and

byproducts

from plastic production and incineration. Accumulate in food chain.

Toxic to developing endocrine (hormone) system

Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) - tested for 12, found 9

Active ingredients or breakdown products of Teflon, Scotchgard,

fabric

and carpet protectors, food wrap coatings. Global contaminants.

Accumulate in the environment and the food chain. Linked to cancer,

birth defects, and more.

Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and furans (PBCD/F) - tested for 17,

found 11

Pollutants, by-products of PVC production, industrial bleaching, and

incineration. Cause cancer in humans. Persist for decades in the

environment. Very toxic to developing endocrine (hormone) system.

Organochlorine pesticides (OCs) - tested for 28, found 21

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.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) - tested for 46, found 32

Flame retardant in furniture foam, computers, and televisions.

Accumulates in the food chain and human tissues. Adversely affects

brain

development and the thyroid.

Polychlorinated Naphthalenes (PCNs) - tested for 70, found 50

Wood preservatives, varnishes, machine lubricating oils, waste

incineration. Common PCB contaminant. Contaminate the food chain.

Cause

liver and kidney damage.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - tested for 209, found 147

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.

 

 

Source: Chemical analyses of 10 umbilical cord blood samples were

conducted by AXYS Analytical Services (Sydney, BC) and Flett

Research

Ltd. (Winnipeg, MB).

 

 

 

 

 

Chemical exposures in the womb or during infancy can be dramatically

more harmful than exposures later in life. Substantial scientific

evidence demonstrates that children face amplified risks from their

body

burden of pollution; the findings are particularly strong for many

of

the chemicals found in this study, including mercury, PCBs and

dioxins.

Children's vulnerability derives from both rapid development and

incomplete defense systems:

 

A developing child's chemical exposures are greater pound-for-pound

than

those of adults.

An immature, porous blood-brain barrier allows greater chemical

exposures to the developing brain.

Children have lower levels of some chemical-binding proteins,

allowing

more of a chemical to reach " target organs. "

A baby's organs and systems are rapidly developing, and thus are

often

more vulnerable to damage from chemical exposure.

Systems that detoxify and excrete industrial chemicals are not fully

developed.

The longer future life span of a child compared to an adult allows

more

time for adverse effects to arise.

The 10 children in this study were chosen randomly, from among

2004's

summer season of live births from mothers in Red Cross' volunteer,

national cord blood collection program. They were not chosen because

their parents work in the chemical industry or because they were

known

to bear problems from chemical exposures in the womb. Nevertheless,

each

baby was born polluted with a broad array of contaminants.

 

U.S. industries manufacture and import approximately 75,000

chemicals,

3,000 of them at over a million pounds per year. Health officials do

not

know how many of these chemicals pollute fetal blood and what the

health

consequences of in utero exposures may be.

 

Had we tested for a broader array of chemicals, we would almost

certainly have detected far more than 287. But testing umbilical

cord

blood for industrial chemicals is technically challenging. Chemical

manufacturers are not required to divulge to the public or

government

health officials methods to detect their chemicals in humans. Few

labs

are equipped with the machines and expertise to run the tests or the

funding to develop the methods. Laboratories have yet to develop

methods

to test human tissues for the vast majority of chemicals on the

market,

and the few tests that labs are able to conduct are expensive.

Laboratory costs for the cord blood analyses reported here were

$10,000

per sample.

 

A developing baby depends on adults for protection, nutrition, and,

ultimately, survival. As a society we have a responsibility to

ensure

that babies do not enter this world pre-polluted, with 200

industrial

chemicals in their blood. Decades-old bans on a handful of chemicals

like PCBs, lead gas additives, DDT and other pesticides have led to

significant declines in people's blood levels of these pollutants.

But

good news like this is hard to find for other chemicals.

 

The Toxic Substances Control Act, the 1976 federal law meant to

ensure

the safety of commercial chemicals, essentially deemed 63,000

existing

chemicals " safe as used " the day the law was passed, through

mandated,

en masse approval for use with no safety scrutiny. It forces the

government to approve new chemicals within 90 days of a company's

application at an average pace of seven per day. It has not been

improved for nearly 30 years — longer than any other major

environmental

or public health statute — and does nothing to reduce or ensure the

safety of exposure to pollution in the womb.

 

Because the Toxic Substances Control Act fails to mandate safety

studies, the government has initiated a number of voluntary programs

to

gather more information about chemicals, most notably the high

production volume (HPV) chemical screening program. But these

efforts

have been largely ineffective at reducing human exposures to

chemicals.

They are no substitute for a clear statutory requirement to protect

children from the toxic effects of chemical exposure.

 

In light of the findings in this study and a substantial body of

supporting science on the toxicity of early life exposures to

industrial

chemicals, we strongly urge that federal laws and policies be

reformed

to ensure that children are protected from chemicals, and that to

the

maximum extent possible, exposures to industrial chemicals before

birth

be eliminated. The sooner society takes action, the sooner we can

reduce

or end pollution in the womb.

 

 

 

Tests show 287 industrial chemicals in 10 newborn babies

Pollutants include consumer product ingredients, banned industrial

chemicals and pesticides, and waste byproducts

 

Sources and uses of chemicals in newborn blood Chemical family name

Total number of chemicals found in 10 newborns (range in individual

babies)

Common consumer product chemicals

(and their breakdown products) 47 chemicals

(23 - 38)

Pesticides, actively used in U.S. Organochlorine pesticides (OCs) 7

chemicals

(2 - 6)

Stain and grease resistant coatings for food wrap, carpet, furniture

(Teflon, Scotchgard, Stainmaster...) Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) 8

chemicals

(4 - 8)

Fire retardants in TVs, computers, furniture Polybrominated diphenyl

ethers (PBDEs) 32 chemicals

(13 - 29)

Chemicals banned or severely restricted in the U.S.

(and their breakdown products) 212 chemicals

(111 - 185)

Pesticides, phased out of use in U.S. Organochlorine pesticides

(OCs) 14

chemicals

(7 - 14)

Stain and grease resistant coatings for food wrap, carpet, furniture

(pre-2000 Scotchgard) Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) 1 chemicals

(1 - 1)

Electrical insulators Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 147 chemicals

(65 - 134)

Broad use industrial chemicals - flame retardants, pesticides,

electrical insultators Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) 50

chemicals

(22 - 40)

Waste byproducts 28 chemicals

(6 - 21)

Garbage incineration and plastic production wastes Polychlorinated

and

Polybrominated dibenzo dioxins and furans (PCDD/F and PBDD/F) 18

chemicals

(5 - 13)

Car emissions and other fossil fuel combustion Polynuclear aromatic

hydrocarbons (PAHs) 10 chemicals

(1 - 10)

Power plants (coal burning) Methylmercury 1 chemicals

(1 - 1)

All chemicals found 287 chemicals

(154 - 231)

 

 

Source: Environmental Working Group analysis of tests of 10

umbilical

cord blood samples conducted by AXYS Analytical Services (Sydney,

BC)

and Flett Research Ltd. (Winnipeg, MB).

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets