Poisons among us
By RAVI DYKEMA
In this issue of Nexus we re-visit a fringe theory we have covered
before: Bad chemicals that can really hurt you and your offspring are
seeping into your body all the time. (See “Toxic
Warrior” on page 14). As you will learn from my interview
with Mark Schapiro, the debate still rages as to whether the volume
of bad chemicals in our bodies is significant, e.g. enough to harm us,
or so tiny as to be benign. Read on and I will share some of the arguments
on both sides.
But first, is this theory really “fringe,” as I assert?
You may think the evidence is overwhelmingly on the side of more regulations
and restrictions on manufacturers and food producers and processors.
As you will read in our interview with Mr. Schapiro, U.S. regulators
such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) interpret the scientific
evidence differently. They say, in essence, “The benefits of using
these chemicals outweigh the risks to our health and to the environment.”
Moreover, the argument says, “stricter regulation would seriously
hurt business owners and their employees without imparting significant
benefits to other people.” In other words, cheaper and more abundant
food is worth the miniscule risk posed by pesticide residues; sexy hair
color is worth the tiny risk posed by dark hair dye, inexpensive cars
are worth the insignificant risk posed by glue vapors (that “new
car” smell), etc.
Another take on the scientific evidence is that since we don’t
know what dose of chemical A is safe, we can’t risk throwing hundreds
of workers at Acme Toys Inc. out of work by regulating or banning it.
Many chemistry vs.safety questions involve such complexities. All of
the “bad” chemicals I refer to above provide
some benefit to people, because it is people who choose the products
containing them (albeit, in many cases, not knowing they carry a health
risk). An old argument I had with my mother was about preservatives
in food. She would rather take a small risk with preservatives than
suffer poisoning from rancid food, as was common, she says, in days
of yore.
Should such arguments allay many people’s concern that they and
their children are being slowly poisoned? One internet source claims
that in the past 50 years more than 75,000 chemicals have been introduced
into the environment (www.non-toxic.info/Health_Statistics.htm).
The site further states that according to the National Research Council,
no toxic information is available for more than 80% of the chemicals
in everyday-use products.
“Our Nation’s chemical safety system has failed,”
writes Sharyle Patton, a coordinator of a research project conducted
by a coalition of public interest groups (www.isitinus.org/project.php).
Researchers tested blood and urine samples from 35 people from seven
states. They found three classes of toxic chemicals, Phthalates, Bisphenol
A and Polybrominated Diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in every person. And the
levels of these chemicals in their bodies were near or above the levels
linked to health impacts in laboratory
animals.
“This report (above paragraph) provides further evidence that
broadly, our chemical policies are not working,” writes Congressman
Albert R Wynn in an online statement at www.net.org/health. Wynn (D-MD)
is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials.
“It makes more sense to monitor, and thus, prevent toxins from
penetrating our bodies.”
Senator James Jeffords, (I-VT) stated before the US Senate on July 13,
2005, as he introduced the Kid Safe Chemicals Act, “Synthetic
chemicals play an integral role in the US economy and in enhancing our
quality of life. Yet--like most Americans--I assumed basic safeguards
were in place to ensure that chemicals widely used in household products
were first determined to be safe. Sadly, this assumption is false.”
The act died without a hearing, but its sponsors plan to reintroduce
it soon.
So what can you do, other than vote responsibly? Buy local and organic,
shop at health food stores, use more glass and less plastic in your
kitchen, and only buy cosmetics and other household products that list
ingredients on their labels.
And keep looking for news on chemical exposures and educating yourself.
This story is bigger than global warming, I think, but it hasn’t
heated up yet.
