Body Burden
I read a CNN online report today about a California family who participated in a study to measure industrial chemicals in their bodies and found out their children had chemical exposure levels up to seven times those of their parents.
In this family, the 18-month-old boy "had two to three times the level of flame retardants in his body that's been known to cause thyroid dysfunction in lab rats," the father said.
The technology to test flame retardants and other industrial chemicals are less than 10 years old.
The article states:
"Environmentalists call it 'body burden' testing, an allusion to the chemical 'burden,' or legacy of toxins, running through our bloodstream. Scientists refer to this testing as 'biomonitoring.'
Most Americans haven't heard of body burden testing, but it's a hot topic among environmentalists and public health experts who warn that the industrial chemicals we come into contact with every day are accumulating in our bodies and endangering our health in ways we have yet to understand."
The thought of chemicals creeping into our children's bloodstream and settling in their organs is frightening. This may be, however, one of the inconvenient truths about our environment that we really need to know.
California adopted legislation to create a statewide body burden testing program last year. Considering the amount of industrial pollution we have in New Jersey and our high cancer rates, this may be something our state should consider as well.
Here's the link:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/22/body.burden/index.html#cnnSTCText
In this family, the 18-month-old boy "had two to three times the level of flame retardants in his body that's been known to cause thyroid dysfunction in lab rats," the father said.
The technology to test flame retardants and other industrial chemicals are less than 10 years old.
The article states:
"Environmentalists call it 'body burden' testing, an allusion to the chemical 'burden,' or legacy of toxins, running through our bloodstream. Scientists refer to this testing as 'biomonitoring.'
Most Americans haven't heard of body burden testing, but it's a hot topic among environmentalists and public health experts who warn that the industrial chemicals we come into contact with every day are accumulating in our bodies and endangering our health in ways we have yet to understand."
The thought of chemicals creeping into our children's bloodstream and settling in their organs is frightening. This may be, however, one of the inconvenient truths about our environment that we really need to know.
California adopted legislation to create a statewide body burden testing program last year. Considering the amount of industrial pollution we have in New Jersey and our high cancer rates, this may be something our state should consider as well.
Here's the link:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/22/body.burden/index.html#cnnSTCText
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