When researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine conducted their groundbreaking 'biomonitoring' study to determine human exposure to synthetic chemicals, the results were alarming. The nine otherwise healthy individuals they tested carried an average of 91 industrial compounds and other pollutants inside their bodies.
Of the more than 150 chemicals that researchers found, 76 were known carcinogens, and 79 have been linked to birth defects or other developmental disorders. We cannot allow these dangerous contamination levels to continue.
While the Mount Sinai results are disturbing, they should not be surprising. About 82,000 synthetic chemicals can be found in the consumer products we bring into our homes. Most probably pose no serious threat to human health, but some do. Unfortunately, we cannot always tell the difference. The EPA estimates that fewer than 10 percent of the most commonly used chemicals have been tested for their potential health impact.
Even when chemicals are tested, the results are hardly conclusive. Most testing is performed on animals and may not tell us much about what a substance will do to humans. Researchers also tend to test for acute dangers that appear immediately, not the lingering threats that evolve from low exposure rates over long periods of time.
Scientific uncertainty aside, all experts agree that children, especially babies, face the greatest risk from chemical exposure. Kids' small bodies and underdeveloped immune systems have a more difficult time filtering out pollutants than those of older individuals. Small children also spend more time near the ground where dust and heavy chemicals can gather, and they frequently put objects in their mouths to chew. Toxins that build up in the body during these critical development years can continue to affect a person for the rest of his or her life.
Advances in "green chemistry" have made many dangerous chemicals unnecessary. It is now a matter of phasing the toxins out and the clean alternatives in. The federal government is the only body with the resources and technical capacity to monitor such a large number of substances. So far, though, Congress has done nothing but drag its feet.
Washington won't wake up unless local governments take the lead, and that is exactly what they have begun to do. Last fall, California became the first state to ban a class of chemicals known as phthalates from all children's products. Phthalates, commonly used to soften plastics and attach fragrance to skin cells, have been linked to a variety of developmental and reproductive disorders, including early puberty in girls and genital abnormalities in boys. In the coming months at least five additional states are expected to introduce toxin-related legislation.
Minnesota has been a participant in this state-level action. Last year, we led the nation by banning the use of mercury in cosmetics such as eyeliner and mascara. But we cannot afford to stop there.
State Sen. Sandy Rummel, DFL-White Bear Lake, and Rep. Karen Clark, DFL-St. Paul, have authored a bill known as the Safe Baby Products Act that would phase out phthalates and another chemical called bisphenol-A from all products targeted at children under age 3. Bisphenol-A, which can be found in the plastics used in most baby bottles, mimics the hormone estrogen and has been linked with a variety of cancers and reproductive disorders.
The measures called for by the Safe Baby Products Act reflect a growing consensus that includes business, civic and government leaders. Within the past two months, city councils in both Minneapolis and Northfield have voted their unanimous support for the bill, and the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners is considering a similar resolution. Responding to consumer concerns and anticipating state action, major retailers including Wal-Mart and Toys 'R' Us have also begun to phase out toxins such as phthalates in favor of safe, cost-effective alternatives.
We would not take kids for a drive without a car seat or on a bike ride without a helmet. We should apply these same standards to products for children. Minnesota legislators should support the Safe Baby Products Act and take an important, if preliminary, step forward for public health.
Thom Boik is a junior in political science and environmental studies at Macalester College in St. Paul. He chairs the Macalester chapter of the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group. His e-mail address is tboik@macalester.edu.The Pioneer Press
