Toxin study gets attention By KEILA SZPALLER Missoulian http://www.billi

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Toxin study gets attention

 

By KEILA SZPALLER

Missoulian

 

http://www.billings gazette.net/ articles/ 2007/09/02/ news/state/ 32-

toxin. txt

MISSOULA - A report produced by a Missoula nonprofit about toxins in

common household products is making national headlines.

 

The environmental health and social justice organization Women's

Voices for the Earth released a study earlier this summer called

" Household Hazards. " It describes links between chemicals in all-

purpose cleaners and certain health conditions, such as asthma and

birth defects.

 

At least 500 people have since signed a WVE petition asking

manufacturers to label cleaners with ingredients, and some 10,000

people have downloaded the study from the organization' s Web site.

 

The report has garnered interest from researchers, and media such as

National Public Radio, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Seattle

Post-Intelligencer have reported its findings. '); aCampaigns = new

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" It's been pretty amazing, " Alexandra Gorman, WVE director of science

and research, said of the national response.

 

In the report, Gorman is careful to say the findings are not

conclusive and require more research.

 

But the presence of the chemicals in people's daily lives is more

pervasive than previously thought. The substances can harm a woman's

chance to have a healthy baby, hurt an asthmatic child, lower a man's

sperm count, and even damage fish and tadpoles, according to the

report. All kinds of products, such as air fresheners, glass cleaners

and detergents, have the potentially harmful ingredients.

 

" In the United Kingdom, a study of pregnant women showed a link

between the use of air fresheners and aerosol sprays and an increase

in headaches and depression in the mothers, as well as ear infections

and diarrhea in their babies, " says the report, which cites peer-

reviewed journals, national health care organizations and

international research centers.

 

Phthalates, carriers for fragrances in cleaners, are linked to

reduced sperm counts in adult men and increased asthma in children,

according to the report.

 

Some chemicals are known to harm people in occupational settings.

Monoethanolamine, or MEA, can trigger asthma in cleaning workers. The

same is true for chemical disinfectants called ammonium quaternary

compounds.

 

Researchers don't know if those chemicals can hurt people cleaning

their homes, but the study points out the risks associated with

substances found in bottles under the kitchen sink.

 

Common glass cleaners can have harmful chemicals, too. Solvents

called glycol ethers, for example, are linked to reduced fertility

and low birth weight in exposed mice. APEs, or alkyl phenol

ethoxylates, can harm fish and change tadpoles. APEs are often found

in rivers and streams, as well as in household dust.

 

The study lists the names of household products that use chemicals

linked to reproductive harm and asthma. It also gives tips to

consumers, such as buying only from companies that list all product

ingredients on their packaging.

 

WVE's Erin Thompson said the next step is putting pressure at the

national level.

 

" We think companies are going to respond by hearing from consumers, "

said Thompson, regional campaigns coordinator.

 

The organization' s public outreach on household hazards is one of

its largest undertakings.

 

Published on Sunday, September 02, 2007.

Last modified on 9/2/2007 at 1:31 am