Jan/Feb 2008

editorial

 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.