Children and Toxins
Deborah Elaine Barrie, Published in Vitality magazine  


In a day and age where we increasingly seek a quick solution to our problems we find
ourselves confronted by the cost that we are really paying for convenience. Health and
environmental groups around the world are calling for bans and action on everything
from pesticides, phthalates in perfumes, arsenic and chromium in CCA pressure
treated wood to lead contamination in our homes. Medical groups such as the
Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment educate their members and
lobby for change. Their president, Dr Warren Bell, has expressed his concern that
doctors are not educated on the prevention and treatment of environmental illnesses
and diseases in our institutions of learning so therefore those effected have little
opportunity for treatment.

Scientists are conducting studies on the effects of these chemicals and presence in
the average person with alarming results. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) just
released a study showing 116 chemicals in the blood and urine of subjects, chemicals
stored in body fat were not taken into consideration and children showed the highest
levels of pesticides.

A special by Bill Moyers last year entitled Kids and Toxins dealt with many issues
including the damage done to the DNA of babies from the chemicals their mothers
breathed in while pregnant. Dr. Elizabeth A. Guillette, world renowned anthropologist,
with the University of Florida has documented alarming differences in the Yaqui Valley
Mexican children who have been exposed to pesticides compared to the children in
the foothills who do not face the same contamination. These changes include
premature breast formation and cognitive and motor difficulties.

The Environmental Working Group, one of many organizations working to seek a ban
on CCA pressure treated wood have recently released a study on toxins in the body as
well. They tested the blood and urine of nine people who did not work with chemicals or
live near industry for 210 pollutants and found traces of 167 of them. Since World War II
there has been a huge increase in chemicals, some 750,000 have been introduced.
Increases in many diseases have also risen since that time at alarming rates. In 1998,
nearly 800 kids in Ontario, younger than 6 were newly diagnosed with the neurological
disorder autism, a 53 per cent jump over the same period two years earlier, stated a
study released at Queen's Park by Michael Gravelle in March 2000.

Science magazine has reported that "As science progresses, large numbers of
epidemiological studies continue to find evidence that short-term and long-term
exposures to low concentrations of particles are associated with sizable numbers of
morbidity and mortality events in developed urban areas around the world."

Hilary Stead of the Guelph Mercury staff published an article quoting Patrick Kehoe as
stating that as owner of Halton lawn care company he sees first hand how pesticides
caused illness in those who worked in the industry and that he supported a ban.

On Feb. 7 2003 the Consumer Product Safety Commission released it's Health risk
assessment on the dangers of CCA treated wood to children. Among their findings
were that children had a 2 to 100 chance in one million of developing cancer from
playing on these structures. A one in a million risk is usually the cause for the
government to take notice. As the CPSC meets in March to decide on whether to seek
a total ban on CCA in playground equipment you might feel like sticking your head in
the sand. Not a good idea. The warnings of Dr.Dieter Riedel of Health Canada and Dr
David Stilwell of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station have been confirmed
once again by a cross Canada study of playgrounds released in January by
Environmental Defence Canada, the sand is full of arsenic.

References: The entire Center for Disease Control (CDC) report is online at
www.cdc.gov/exposurereport
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