MAINE VOICES Toxic chemicals inside us are a nightmare we can end
Hazardous substances found in Mainers should arouse government to remove the health threats.
July 22, 2007
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nancy Ross, an associate professor of environmental policy at Unity College, is on the steering committee of the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine (www.clean andhealthyme.org).
— Toxic chemicals lurk within innocent people. This isn't the
tagline of a horror movie or summer science fiction.
It's "Body of Evidence," an analysis by the Alliance for a Clean
and Healthy Maine of pollution in the bodies of 13 Mainers who
generously consented to publicize the results.
The 71 chemicals the study measured don't come from terrorist
poisonings or toxic spills. Much worse. They're in everyday
household products and in our food, air and water.
Phthalates in perfume and baby toys: Phthalates are used to
soften plastics, including baby toys. They also permeate
personal care products, labeled as "fragrance" in perfume, hair
spray, deodorant, nail polish and soap. Minute levels of
phthalates have been statistically linked to sperm damage in
men and genital changes in fetuses.
"Body of Evidence" found that frequent perfume users Vi
Raymond of Winthrop, Hannah Pingree of North Haven and
Paulette Dingley of Auburn had twice the national median level
of phthalates.
Brominated flame retardants in dust: These retardants, called
PBDEs, are added to TV and other electronic casings and to
upholstery, curtains and other fabrics. From there they leach
into air, food and household dust -- and into people and
wildlife. Studies in lab animals show harm to memory, learning
and behavior from low levels of PBDEs.
Lauralee Raymond, Vi's daughter, also from Winthrop, and Bette
Kettell of Durham had total PBDE levels above the median found
in 62 women from California and Indiana.
Mercury in fish: Mercury comes in products like fluorescent
bulbs and thermostats, but most mercury in Maine arrives
airborne from coal-fired power plants. It's washed into streams
and lakes and builds in the food chain -- with exposures
highest for people who eat lots of fish such as tuna.
Mercury hurts brains, particularly developing brains of fetuses
and children. Even at low levels, exposure in the womb leads to
deficits in memory, attention and motor control.
Pingree, Lauralee Raymond and Elise Roux of Windham, all of
childbearing age and frequent eaters of fish high on the food
chain, had mercury levels twice the national median.
WHAT TO DO?
In the environmental policy classes I teach, the first question
students ask when we look at toxics in everyday products is
"How can I lower my risk?"
It's a teachable moment. Sure, you can search the Internet for
deodorant without phthalates and stop eating big fish, but how
do you avoid household dust?
After reflection, students usually argue for an approach known
as the precautionary principle: We don't know for sure the
effects of toxic chemicals in our bodies. But we do know that
what we don't know can hurt us. And we shouldn't have to live in
a world any more dangerous than it has to be.
Maine families have thousands of chemicals to worry about aside
from those sampled in "Body of Evidence" -- chemicals whose
effects on human health are suspect or unknown. The solution
to toxic chemicals in our bodies and our children's bodies isn't
careful consumption. This is the time and place for government
action to protect us.
FEDERAL FAILURE, STATE PROMISE
Unfortunately, the federal regulatory system treats chemicals as
innocent until proven guilty. In 30 years, only six chemicals have
been banned of the 80,000 in use in homes and workplaces.
Only 10 percent have been tested for safety.
If the feds can't do it, you may ask, how can the states?
Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said the states are
laboratories of democracy. That was good advice 75 years ago
and it's good policy today.
California requires labeling of carcinogens. Washington State has
phase-out plans for chemicals with long lives in the environment
and humans.
Maine's record on toxic-chemical reduction to date is good.
We've banned many products containing mercury, lead and
arsenic. A new law requires safer alternatives to PBDEs. A
Governor's Task Force on Safer Chemicals will make
recommendations this fall on a comprehensive chemical policy.
Your support of a solution can make it happen. Call on your
state legislators (federal, too):
To require safety of all chemicals;
To require full health and safety information for all chemicals;
To support research and development of safer alternatives.
These policies will not only end our toxic nightmare but provide
incentives for a "green chemistry" marketplace to flourish.