Homes Full of Toxins

Canada and the World

Current Events with a Canadian Perspective

Last update

19 November 2010

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Household Products

Contain Thousands of Poisons

The writers of a new book say

our bodies are sponges that soak up

harmful chemicals that are in

the products that surround us

In 2006, four Canadian politicians volunteered to be tested for toxins that might be in their bodies. The tests were carried out by Environmental Defence and the volunteers’ bodies contained 61 of the 103 chemicals tested for. All of them had close to 50 percent of the toxins in their systems.

According to the study, “Many of the chemicals detected in the politicians are associated with adverse health effects. In total, 54 carcinogens, 37 hormone disruptors, 16 respiratory toxins, 54 reproductive/developmental toxins, and 33 neurotoxins were detected in the study volunteers.”

General Public at Risk from Toxins

Now, along comes a book that says the general public is just as polluted as politicians. Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie are a couple of environmental activists; their book’s title is more or less self explanatory Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects our Health.

In their book, they write that, “Pollution is now so pervasive that it’s become a marinade in which we all bathe every day.” Pointing out that in the course of normal morning’s bathing routine the average woman will apply 126 chemicals from 12 different products to her face, body, and hair.

Everyday Activities Cause Exposure to Poisons

As part of the research for their book the two authors ran a three-day experiment in a Toronto condominium that involved just doing things ordinary people do: showering, drinking coffee out of polycarbonate cups, eating tuna sandwiches, heating meals in microwaveable plastic containers. Their blood and urine samples were checked before and after their test.

In an interview with Globe and Mail writer Zosia Bielski (May 21, 2009) Rick Smith recounted some of the startling results: “Just through the use of a few well-known, brand-name shampoos, aftershaves, and shaving gels, I was able to raise my phthalate levels by 22 times. Just eating out of plastic warmed up in the microwave, I raised my bisphenol A [BPA] by almost eight times.”

Meanwhile, Bruce Lourie, who ate tuna seven times in the three-day period saw the mercury level in his body triple.

Untested Chemicals Surround Public

In the United Kingdom, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) has issued a warning. In its 2003 report, “Chemicals in Products”, it said about 30,000 chemicals used in the European Union have never been comprehensively tested for any risks to people and ecosystems.

The head of RCEP is Professor Sir Tom Blundell; he told BBC News: “Given our understanding of the way chemicals interact with the environment, you could say we are running a gigantic experiment with humans and all other living things as the subject.”

Sir Tom added that at the current rate of testing it would take about 50 years to fully evaluate the backlog of chemicals. The BBC reported that: “The RCEP suggests instead a system that would give all 30,000 chemicals a quick check within three years.

“It would assess their toxicity, how long they lasted in the environment before being broken down, and their tendency to accumulate in the bodies of animals.”

The chemicals could then be given a “low,” “medium,” or “high” risk designation. The general public would then have vastly more information about the products they buy and consume every day.

Image credit

Joe Sullivan

Sources

“Trove of Toxins Found in Four Politicians.” CanWest News Service, January 4, 2007.

“Slow Death by Rubber Ducky.” Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, Knopf Canada, 2009.

“Look out ‘Cause this Stuff is Toxic.” Zosia Bielski, Globe and Mail, May 21, 2009.

Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, 24th Report, 2003.

“ ‘Unacceptable Risk’ of Chemical Disaster.” Alex Kirby, BBC News, June 26, 2003

“Good Riddance to BPA.” Calgary Herald, August 20, 2010.

“Canada Takes Lead in Declaring Plastic Compound Toxic.” Martin Mittelstaedt, Globe and Mail, October 14, 2010.

Updated October 2010

“For many of these synthetic chemicals, the effect on children or a developing fetus can occur with parts per billion or parts per trillion. Quantity isn't really the issue. It's the particular kinds of chemicals and the way they can affect our genetic development.”

Bruce Lourie, Globe and Mail, May 21, 2009

BISPHENOL A

DECLARED TOXIC

In August 2010, Health Canada announced that 91% of the Canadian population has trace amounts of bisphenol A (BPA) in their bodies.

Then, on October 13, 2010 Martin Mittelstaedt reported in The Globe and Mail: “Canada has become the first jurisdiction in the world to declare the everyday plastic-making compound bisphenol A to be toxic, an action that, while hailed by environmentalists, is shining a spotlight on the major use of the chemical in nearly all food and beverage cans sold in the country.”

The chemical is used to harden plastic and, says The Calgary Herald, “The chemical is an endocrine disrupter that mimics the female hormone estrogen.”

Younger people can carry heavier amounts of BPA in their systems but the newspaper quotes Dr. John Giesy, a leading Canadian toxicologist "I don't think we should alarm the public that there's a huge problem there. I don't think there is."

However, BPA was considered sufficiently problematical to ban its use in baby bottles in 2008.

Health Canada

Bisphenol A

Linda