Behind the dialogue
Superman and the Martians
Life on earth means exposure to chemicals and living in a chemical soup
• Analysing the subject
When body tissues (for example, blood, urine, breast milk or hair) are tested to learn more about people’s exposure to pollutants, the process is known as human biomonitoring. The information collected from the analysis may provide links with possible health effects and suggest options for policy measures to reduce exposure.
• Reference
Chemicals Health Monitor, www.chemicalshealthmonitor.org (Human Biomonitoring)
• What can you do yourself?
• DDT
is a pesticide that has been widely used as an insect-icide in agricultural production and malaria control. Its use is banned in all European Union countries. This is because DDT accumulates in our body. Even though it was banned decades ago, traces of it can still be found in humans today. When pregnant mothers are exposed to DDT, the baby in the womb may suffer from developmental disorders in future life.
• Reference
Maternal-child exposure via the placenta to environmental chemical substances" María José López Espinosa, from the Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine of the University of Granada (Universidad de Granada [http://www.ugr.es], May 15, 2007.
http://prensa.ugr.es/prensa/research/verNota/prensa.php?nota=377
http://www.epha.org/a/2524?var_recherche=DDT
• What can you do yourself?
• PBDE
are “flame-retardant” chemicals added to plastics and household furniture and used in televisions, computers and stereos to help prevent them catching fire. Exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) usually happens through inhaling the fumes, contact with house dust or via food. Scientists are concerned about the accumulation and persistent levels of PBDE found in human tissues. Some sub-types of PBDE are associated with cancer, thyroid problems and neuro-developmental toxicity.
• Reference
Maternal-child exposure via the placenta to environmental chemical substances" María José López Espinosa, from the Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine of the University of Granada (Universidad de Granada [http://www.ugr.es], May 15, 2007.
http://prensa.ugr.es/prensa/research/verNota/prensa.php?nota=377
http://www.epha.org/a/2524?var_recherche=DDT
• What can you do yourself?
• DEHP
is a chemical compound widely used to soften PVC plastic in consumer goods and some medical disposable devices. It can leach from the PVC and has been classified by the EU as toxic to repro-duction. Concerns focus on its potential to disrupt the human endocrine (hormone) system. The European Union has banned the use of DEHP and some other phthalates in PVC toys, and EU chemicals legislation known as REACH has put DEHP on a list of “substances of very high concern”. It may eventually be banned from the EU market.
• Reference
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) identifies DEHP as a CMR (Carcinogenic, Mutagenic and Reprotoxic) and a recent Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) evaluation has classified it as toxic to human reproduction. DEHP is included in the “Candidate List” for the European Union authorisation process. The supporting document is available at http://echa.europa.eu/chem_data/candidate_list_table_en.asp
• What can you do yourself?
• PCBs
were used widely as coolants and lubricants in electrical equipment, such as transformers and capacitors, until they were banned in Europe. PCBs are hazardous chemicals and persist and accumulate in our bodies. Humans may be exposed through eating certain fish that contain relatively high levels of PCBs. Chronic low-level exposure can cause liver damage, reproductive abnormalities, immune suppression, neurological and endocrine system disorders, retarded infant development, and stunted intellectual function. PCBs are found widely in human blood, fatty tissue and breast milk.
• Reference
WWF Detox fact sheet, Chain of Contamination: The Food Link (includes full scientific references)
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBS)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/fact_sheet___pcbs_food.pdf
• What can you do yourself?
• 70 non-natural substances
Irrespective of where we live or what we do, we are every day exposed to numerous man-made chemical substances that enter our blood and may accumulate in our bodies, where they could damage our health. In WWF’s Generation X campaign in 2005, samples from 39 European women volunteers were shown to contain a total of 73 man-made chemicals. The blood of each woman in the three-generational study contained organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), both of which are banned in Europe. Most blood samples contained at least one brominated flame retardant (BFR) and a “non-stick” perfluorinated chemical (PFC), such as PFOS or PFOA, which are mostly unregulated. Sixteen women had Triclosan in their blood, and the blood of nine women contained Bisphenol A.
• Reference
WWF Generation X report, European Family Biomonitoring Survey, available at http://assets.panda.org/downloads/generationsx.pdf
• What can you do yourself?
• Low sperm count
A common cause of male infertility is low sperm count. There are generally no predictable signs of low sperm count other than infertility. One of the causes for infertility is exposure to environmental pollutants.
• Reference
Chemicals Health Monitor
http://www.chemicalshealthmonitor.org (Infertility section has references in footnotes)
“Semen quality in relation to biomarkers of pesticides exposure” Swan et al, Environmental Health Perspectives 111: 1478-1484 (2003)
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1241650
Carlsen.E et Al. 1992. Evidence for decreasing quality of semen during the past 50 years. Brit.Med.J., 306 : 509-513.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1393072
• What can you do yourself? |
