Pollution and babies

EARTHFUTURE.COM by Guy Dauncey

In 2003, as December turned to January, many young couples made love under their duvets, repeating the ancient ritual that ensures the continuation of the human race. Nine months later, I’m sure that the new parents were delighted with their newborn babies. In Sidney, BC and Winnipeg, Manitoba, scientists were analyzing the blood from 10 umbilical cords, which mothers had donated to the Red Cross’s cord blood collection program, commissioned by the Environmental Working Group, based in Washington DC and Oakland, California, for use in the treatment of leukemia, sickle cell anemia, and bone marrow failure.

The scientists were also looking for evidence of chemical contamination of the blood, and that is what they found. If these 10 randomly chosen cords are an example, the average newborn baby has 200 different industrial chemicals, pollutants and pesticides in his/her body at the moment of birth. Take a minute to digest that information. Two hundred chemicals and other pollutants, including mercury, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, furans, pesticides, and chemicals from flame retardants, PCBs, industrial lubricants, plastics, Teflon, Scotchgard, industrial bleaches, electrical insulators, coal-fired power plants, vehicle emissions, and wood preservatives. In total, the scientists found 287 industrial chemicals in the blood, an average of 200 chemicals per baby. These chemicals are all new to the human condition. During the millions of years it has taken our bodies to evolve, they have never had to deal with this reality before. The following statistics paint an alarming picture:

Childhood autism: 1,000 percent increase, early 1980s – 1998
Male birth defects: 200 percent increase in hypospadias, 1970 – 1993
Childhood asthma: 200 percent increase, 1982 – 1993
Acute lymphocytic leukemia: 62 percent increase in children, 1973 – 1999
Childhood brain cancer: 40 percent increase, 1973 – 1994
Premature birth: 23 percent increase, mid ‘80s – 2002
Infertility: 5-10 percent of all couples
Birth defects: 3-5 percent of all babies
Sperm count falling: 1 percent yearly decrease, 1934 – 1996

Is there a connection? Of the 287 chemicals detected, 180 are known to cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are known to be toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 are known to cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests. While all children are biologically fragile, the babe in the womb is the most fragile of all. The blood in the cord is simply a reflection of the blood pumped daily from the mother to her baby and back again, carrying those 200 chemicals. The answer gives real cause for concern because the majority of these chemicals have never been tested to determine how safe they are for anyone, let alone for babies or pregnant women. There are 75,000 industrial chemicals in use in the world today, and only 7,000 have undergone any kind of toxicity testing. Of the 3,000 high volume chemicals in daily use, only 7 percent have undergone the full range of toxicity tests. Of the 491 chemicals used by families and children, 75 percent are completely untested. Further, none of the chemicals has been tested in combination with other chemicals.

If you happen to be pregnant while reading this, don’t panic. Although the situation is bad, there are things you can do. We can take steps to eliminate toxins from our homes and gardens. The Labour Environmental Alliance Society, based in Vancouver’s Gastown, has published a must-read entitled CancerSmart Consumer Guide, which is available through www.leas.ca for $10, or $7 if you buy five or more copies. (For more information, call Mae Burrows at 604-669-1921.)

To avoid at least some of the chemicals, eat fewer processed foods and more organic produce. Never microwave food in a plastic container. Run your tap water through a filter. Eat less meat and dairy products that are high in fat. Reduce the number of cosmetics that you use. Avoid artificial fragrances and stain repellants. Choose non-toxic household cleaners. Avoid using gasoline-powered yard tools. Avoid breathing gasoline fumes. Don’t eat canned tuna. If you eat seafood, stick to wild salmon that is low in PCBs and mercury. Don’t use nail polish, which contains chemicals linked to birth defects. Avoid all cigarette smoke. Get rid of carpets that off-gas toxic chemicals.

On a collective level, we need to run a juggernaut of change through the bureaucrats and politicians who have allowed the chemical industry to get this far, putting all of our children in danger. This can’t continue. Change is coming.

Source: BodyBurden, The Pollution of Newborns. Environmental Working Group, July 2005. (Free download from www.ewg.org).

Guy Dauncey is president of the BC Sustainable Energy Association (www.bcsea.org) and author of Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change. He is currently co-authoring Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic.