Children 'being born with toxins' articles

April 22, 2005

Children 'being born with toxins'

April 21, 2005

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ANTI-toxin activists today urged the federal government to better

protect the country's children from chemical threats and

contamination.

The National Toxic Network (NTN) marked Earth Day today with the plea

for more awareness about chemicals entering children's bodies.

NTN coordinator Dr nn (nn) Lloyd- said the World Health

Organisation (WHO) had estimated about three million children under

the age of five died every year as a result of environmental hazards.

" This is not limited to developing countries, " Dr Lloyd- said.

" All children, both in the developing and developed world, are

affected by exposure to hazardous chemicals.

" Since World War II, about 80,000 new synthetic chemicals have been

manufactured and released into the environment, with 1500 new

chemicals being introduced each year. "

She said the vast majority had not been adequately tested for their

impacts on human health let alone their impacts on children and the

developing foetus.

Children were exposed to hazardous chemicals through their toys, their

computers, through residues in their food, indoor and outdoor air

pollution and most importantly, through contaminated house dust, " Dr

Lloyd- said.

" Today, babies in Australia are born with synthetic chemicals already

present in their small bodies, " she said.

" A study from Townsville Hospital detected a range of toxic chemicals

in newborn's meconium (first bowel motion).

" Some of the chemicals are neurotoxins capable of impacting on a

child's health and development (and) others were well-known

carcinogens. "

Dr Lloyd- said recent studies had also shown Australian babies

take in up to 16 times the acceptable levels of dioxin in their first

nine months.

" On Earth Day 2005, the NTN is calling on the commonwealth government

to immediately take action on those persistent bioaccumulative toxic

chemicals found in our children, " she said.

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