Test shows pollutants in kids' blood, urine

[\/\/illy]

[color:blue]Test shows pollutants in kids' blood, urine

Last Updated Thu, 01 Jun 2006 13:14:29 EDT

CBC News

Toxic chemicals such as stain repellents, flame retardants, lead and PCBs are showing up in the bodies of Canadians as young as 10, a new study suggests.

The group Environmental Defence tested the blood and urine of six adults and seven children. The families lived in Vancouver, Toronto, Sarnia, Montreal and Quispamsis, N.B.

Many of the chemicals found are neurotoxins, hormone disrupters or are associated with cancer.

In some cases, the children had higher levels of contaminants than their parents, the group said in its report, "Polluted Children, Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in Canadian Families," released Thursday.

"Our children are being poisoned every day by toxic chemicals that surround them at home, school and play," said Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence in a release.

Adults showed higher levels of older chemicals such as DDT and PCBs that are no longer in use.

But children tended to test higher for newer chemicals such as brominated flame retardants (PBDEs) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used in stain repellents and non-stick coatings.

The finding of fewer banned chemicals in children suggest bans can work, though the effects of the chemical can linger for years, the report said.

Vivian Maraghi, a study volunteer from Montreal, said she was astounded to find she had 36 industrial chemicals in her body.

"But when I saw the toxic chemicals in my son's body, I was angry. Our children deserve better protection."

The group is calling on the federal government to:

• Establish timelines to eliminate toxic chemicals, starting with PBDEs and PFCs.
  
• Make industry accountable for its chemicals.
  
• Regulate chemicals in consumer products.
  
• Reduce pollution in the Great Lakes Basin.
  

A spokesperson for Health Canada said the department would launch a national study next year to check the levels of toxic chemicals in our bodies.

[Pablo Sanchez]

Its really disgusting how so many household products are full of shit that can give your kids and you cancer.

Companies should at the very least be forced to warnings on their products. But they would never do that because who would buy a box of laundry detergent that had chemicals that cause cancer as an ingredient.

[Basher]

13 people tested in a Country of 30 million. As someone with a science background, that is a pretty terrible sample.

[mattm]

That's what I was thinking too. They need to test many more people if they want to be taken seriously. I have a strong feeling, though, that most people they test will have the chemicals (based on the assumption that they didn't take the initial candidates from areas guaranteed to be heavily polluted).

[Basher]

Yeah, but this "study" on its own cannot be taken seriiously.

[guigsy]

i heard something about the chemicals in swiffer wet jets being bad for animals, if they go trottin' along a freshly cleaned floor, then clean their paws or whatever later, something in there fucks up their liver. a dog died or something. be careful.

[Pablo Sanchez]

Without doing a formal study. I'd be willing to bet that proctor and gamble don't give a fuck about your health.

[Im going home Donny]

Without doing a formal study. I'd be willing to bet that proctor and gamble don't give a fuck about your health.

agreed and double agreed.

[Birdy]

i'm with you matt.. the more they test, the scarier the results!

what's even scarier is that people who have the brains to realize what they are consuming/using are laden with harmful chemicals, continue to consume/use them!! it's like they don't care.

i was reading an article some time ago about teenage pregnancy rates being on the decline in north america and how a group of agencies were contributing the decline to educational programs like abstinence campaigns, etc., etc... but the article compared it to research done in other countries in Europe, where no such programs were implemented. Studies found that, rather, the decline in teenage pregnancies was due to teenagers with lower fertility rates due to chemical intake.. f'ing scary shit.

i'm to the point now where i clean with vinegar and water and try to buy as much produce locally, as at least I know where it's coming from.

[ollie]

what's even scarier is that people who have the brains to realize what they are consuming/using are laden with harmful chemicals, continue to consume/use them!! it's like they don't care.

Nothing to add. I just find this really funny in light of some our own proclivities.

[d_rawk]

Agreed that with a sample of 13, the data isn't really useful yet. Trouble is, who is going to fund the larger study? The groups with the money tend to be the groups disinterested in the results. If Health Canada has promised to do a more comprehensive study next year, I hope that we hold them to it.

There was a similar flare up last year, although I don't remember the exact details ... it dealt primarily with adults and the findings were pretty disturbing. But again, it was a small sample group. (and I'm not thinking of the Greenpeace metals study, which was so fatally flawed it made me want to pull my hair out. I'm sure their intentions were good).

Birdy, I'm with you. Vinegar for cleaning all the way! My roomates tease me about it sometimes, but whatever.

[ollie]

What do y'all wash with vinegar and how do you do it?

[d_rawk]

Everything. Bathtub, sinks, countertops, faucets, floors, dishcloths, etc.., etc.. Just mix it in a bit of warm water.

I won't eat white distilled vinegar, but I'll clean the shit out of things with it. And it's dirty cheap, too.

(^-- yet I'll smoke a pack a day and drink myself silly. Go figure.)

[Birdy]

friggin' everything ollie... vinegar and water.. it's best as a windex type deal.. cleans mirrors, windows, countertops, bathrooms, stainless.. and instead of using paper towels when you're cleaning, opt for newspaper instead.. way less streakage and you can recycle when you're done.

[Birdy]

(^-- yet I'll smoke a pack a day and drink myself silly. Go figure.)

hah! well, at least you know how to prioritize!

[Im going home Donny]

http://www.greenpeace.ca/e/resource/green/ingredients.php

Edited June 1, 2006 by Guest

[Birdy]

thanks howler.

i swear by eucalyptus oil. i use it non-stop. a little of that stuff in the bath when you're sick with a cold is awesome.

[Im going home Donny]

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/Products/Toxics/

[paisley]

[color:purple]could've sworn its less polluted today than it was in the seventies...

only makes sense as children and old people are more susceptible to their environment... the numbers of kids being born with severe chemical sensitivity problems are growing too

a lot of company scrutiny nowadays is thanks to a situation where mercury levels in the rivers poisoned huge numbers of people in Japan in the 50's... gave them a horrible condition that acted a lot like autism, severe non-stop involuntary spasms... couldn't even feed themselves... the company responsible spent millions trying to avoid admitting responsibility (supposably were even whackin people who made too much noise about it)

unfortunately money generally outweighs health in the courts until there's a travesty

Mercury Rising: A Clear and Present Danger (1974)

[d_rawk]

Gotta scramble so don't have the time to look up the links, but there was a blanket caution released last year or the year before that Ontario's fresh lakes were so heavily contaminated with mercury and other metals that it was advised to *not* eat caught fish from them anymore. There were actually about two or three specific companies (most of them no longer in operation, IIRC) that were responsible through deliberate illegal dumping of industrial by-product waste into the water systems. We do not do a good enough job disseminating this information.

Also, Health Canada has taken the position for awhile now that pregnant women and children should not eat Tuna, swordfish, etc.. Ever. (well, actually, I think that they ultimately conceeded that once a month might be ok). Personally, I won't eat any seafood except sardines (which I don't particularly care for, but I think beneficial) and the occasional shrimp.

[Im going home Donny]

yuppers...mercury is a real bad one.

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/vaccines/thimerosal_autism.html

[Pablo Sanchez]

mercury levels in the rivers poisoned huge numbers of people in Japan in the 50's... gave them a horrible condition that acted a lot like autism,

Doesn't it seem odd that here in 21st century North America doctors are still vaccinating babies with vaccinations with mercury in them.

[Pablo Sanchez]

Howler,

beat me to it.

[Im going home Donny]

...only because your wife (thankgoodness) reminded me of information I vaguely learned way back in Nelson...and sent me towards the information.

Her timing couldn't have been better! (forever gratefull as my attitude was getting lazy hazy)

now I'm even considering being very choosey about which vaccines to give my doggy.

...of coarse this all said....when I'm partying the things I ingest....well...

Edited June 1, 2006 by Guest

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

...of coarse this all said....when I'm partying the things I ingest....well...

Just don't say tobacco - anything else, well, I'll just take that study that were up here earlier at face value .

I remember learning as a kid that the triangle around Toronto/Hamilton/Kitchener was about the worst place to live in in Ontario for toxic nastiness (I grew up in KW). That probably wouldn't unnerve me too much, were it not for the fact that my folks' cottage is up near Bancroft, and the lake on the edge of an old uranium mine.

Funny how we as a species seem so adept at pulling stuff out of the ground and processing it in just such a way as to make it as deadly as possible for us and everything else. What other animal could hope for such a distinction?