Chemicals found in parents, kids

[Guest guest]

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pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly & c=Article & cid=114918901

2951 & call_pageid=991479973472

Toxic tally alarms family

Chemicals found in parents, kids

Watchdog group conducted study

Jun. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM

NANCY J. WHITE

LIFE WRITER

Ada Dowler-Cohen, age 10, wasn't shocked when she saw the list of

poisonous substances in her body: 18 carcinogens, 14 chemicals that

disrupt hormones, 19 that affect reproduction and development and 9

toxic to the brain and nervous system.

Rather, the girl was angry.

" There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since 1977, "

says the Toronto Grade 5 student. " How fair is that? "

Blood and urine samples showed that Ada, an avid swimmer, badminton

player and music lover, was carrying around traces of nine types of

PCBs, the highly toxic chemicals banned nearly 30 years ago, as well

as substances used in pesticides, flame retardants, stain repellents

and fuel additives.

" I'm dismayed at the extent of heavy metals that showed up in her, "

says the girl's mother, Barri Cohen. " And I'm even more dismayed that

she has higher levels than I do in some chemicals. "

Ada and her mother are part of a study, Polluted Children, Toxic

Nation, released yesterday by Environmental Defence. The Toronto

watchdog group had five Canadian families — six adults and seven

children — tested for 68 toxic chemicals. On average, they found 32

of

the chemicals in each parent and 23 in each child.

While the parents tended to have more exposures and higher

concentrations of the chemicals, the youngsters as a group were more

polluted with several chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid

(PFOA). It's the chemical used in non-stick coatings on cookware and

as a stain repellent on clothing, carpets and upholstery. It's a

suspected carcinogen.

The children also showed a higher median concentration for the group

of chemicals widely used as flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl

ethers (PBDEs). They're commonly used in mattresses, upholstered

furniture, computer and television casings and have been found in

breast milk and house dust. In animal studies, they caused liver

tumours, interfered with hormone function and affected behaviour.

Some

researchers wonder if they are linked to attention deficit

disorders.

" The bottom line, " says Rick , executive director of

Environmental Defence, " we are poisoning our children. "

This method of sampling human tissues and fluids, known as

biomonitoring, is being used increasingly by environmental groups and

governments to get a sense of the chemicals our bodies are absorbing

through air, water, food, soil and consumer products. Next year

Health

Canada will start its first large-scale biomonitoring testing on

about

5,000 volunteers, some as young as 6.

Environmental Defence published its first Toxic Nation study last

year, testing 11 adults for 88 harmful chemicals. This year's

follow-up study focused on families, the youngest children age 10,

and

was done at expert labs in Quebec and British Columbia at a cost of

$2,000 per person.

The Canadian Chemical Producers' Association points out that not all

biomonitoring studies are equal, that some are comprehensive while

others are carried out primarily for advocacy purposes and may be

less

robust.

With relatively small numbers of volunteers, Environmental Defence

studies are intended to illustrate that a serious problem exists, not

offer a full diagnosis, explains .

---------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------

`There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since 1977.

How

fair is that?'

Ada Dowler-Cohen, 10

---------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------

While traces of chemicals can be detected in the volunteers, no one

knows exactly what it means to human health. People's

susceptibilities

differ depending on their genetic make-up. And people are exposed to

thousands of various chemicals at different concentrations and at

different times in their lives.

" It's so incredibly complicated, I'm not sure we'll ever get there, "

says Miriam Diamond, a University of Toronto professor in the

geography department who specializes in environmental science. " But

we

shouldn't wait. We should act in a precautionary way. "

Children tend to be more vulnerable to chemical exposure because

they're still developing and growing, says Diamond. They also take in

proportionally more pollutants than adults. Per kilogram of body

weight, they eat more, drink more, breathe more.

The good news from the study, according to , is that the

children

had much lower levels of banned substances, such as PCBs and DDT,

than

their parents. " It's a clear indication that when government does

act,

the levels of poison do decrease over time. "

The bad news is that they show up in kids at all. It points to the

need for government to act quickly to ban other harmful chemicals,

says . " The longer we wait, the more generations of children

will

be affected. "

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act is up for review this year.

Environmental Defence wants to see it amended to make industry more

accountable for the safety of its chemicals and to include an

immediate ban on the most dangerous ones with timelines for the

elimination of other toxic substances.

Pointing to toxin reduction laws in many American states and in

Europe, says Canada is falling behind. " Unless the federal

government acts, Canada risks becoming the market of last resort for

poisonous products that are illegal to sell in other parts of the

world. "

A proposal from Health Canada and Environment Canada to ban six of

the

seven groups of PBDEs is currently being considered by the new

government in Ottawa. " We expect a decision fairly soon, " says

Glover, director general of the safe environment program at Health

Canada.

The Toxic Nation volunteers are left trying to figure out how to

reduce exposures in their lives. Cohen, a documentary filmmaker in

her

early 40s, was shocked to learn she had above-normal levels of

cadmium, a carcinogen associated with cigarettes, even though she

smokes rarely. She also had the greatest levels of mercury among all

the study participants. She intends to cut down on her frequent

consumption of fish, some species of which have high levels of the

heavy metal.

Her daughter, Ada, showed an above-normal level of manganese, a

suspected toxin to the respiratory, reproductive and nervous systems

that's used in fuel additives. Cohen wonders if that result has

something to do with the school bus that her daughter rides for about

an hour every weekday.

Cohen also plans to buy more organic foods and resist the convenience

of fast foods. Ada had a higher concentration than her mother of

PFOA,

which is often used in candy-bar and fast-food wrappers and microwave

popcorn bags.

Rummaging through her cupboard, Cohen examines the individually

wrapped cereal and yogurt bars and bags of pita chips that would

often

go in Ada's lunch and wonders about the packaging. " It's all so

pervasive, " she says. " I'm not sure where to even begin. "

[Guest guest]

God bless you Ilena, and may you and the truth prevail in your lawsuits! I am ever so thankful for your bravery in confronting these evil men in a court of law, where we know sometimes the truth is not allowed to be known. May God guide your lawyers, and may He convict the judges to act righteously. "Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be equally outraged by silence." – Henri Frederic Amiel Thank you for using your voice in a way that will bless and protect unknown thousands upon thousands of people. Patty colibrimama <colibrimama@...> wrote: Because of my situation of being SLAPP sued by the so-called 'quackbusters' ... it maddens me even more

that Barrett continues to have articles distributed claiming MCS doesn't really exist and that those wonderful physicians and scientists should have their licenses revoked. (So far, I have prevailed against 2 of the 3 plaintiffs ... www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/quackbustersvsilena.htm0Unlicensed industry backers like Barrett attempt to destroy the lives of these doctors ... via medical boards and Smear Campaigns.One of these fine doctors, Sinaiko, finally prevailed after years and years and years of defending himself against legal attacks ... the smear campaigns on the internet continue against him.www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/sinaiko.htmI'm going to be travelling and working on my defense in my lawsuit so won't be posting much for a little while.May God bless Patty and her loving, strong, firm hand with this important board.Love and healing to you

all.Ilenawww.BreastImplantAwareness.org> > http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?> pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly & c=Article & cid=114918901> 2951 & call_pageid=991479973472> > > Toxic tally alarms family> Chemicals found in parents, kids> > Watchdog group conducted

study> Jun. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM> NANCY J. WHITE> LIFE WRITER> > > Ada Dowler-Cohen, age 10, wasn't shocked when she saw the list of> poisonous substances in her body: 18 carcinogens, 14 chemicals that> disrupt hormones, 19 that affect reproduction and development and 9> toxic to the brain and nervous system. > > Rather, the girl was angry. > > "There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since 1977,"> says the Toronto Grade 5 student. "How fair is that?"> > Blood and urine samples showed that Ada, an avid swimmer, badminton> player and music lover, was carrying around traces of nine types of> PCBs, the highly toxic chemicals banned nearly 30 years ago, as well> as substances used in pesticides, flame retardants, stain repellents> and fuel additives. > > "I'm dismayed at the extent of heavy metals that

showed up in her,"> says the girl's mother, Barri Cohen. "And I'm even more dismayed that> she has higher levels than I do in some chemicals."> > Ada and her mother are part of a study, Polluted Children, Toxic> Nation, released yesterday by Environmental Defence. The Toronto> watchdog group had five Canadian families — six adults and seven> children — tested for 68 toxic chemicals. On average, they found 32 > of> the chemicals in each parent and 23 in each child.> > While the parents tended to have more exposures and higher> concentrations of the chemicals, the youngsters as a group were more> polluted with several chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid> (PFOA). It's the chemical used in non-stick coatings on cookware and> as a stain repellent on clothing, carpets and upholstery. It's a> suspected carcinogen.> > The children

also showed a higher median concentration for the group> of chemicals widely used as flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl> ethers (PBDEs). They're commonly used in mattresses, upholstered> furniture, computer and television casings and have been found in> breast milk and house dust. In animal studies, they caused liver> tumours, interfered with hormone function and affected behaviour. > Some> researchers wonder if they are linked to attention deficit > disorders. > > "The bottom line," says Rick , executive director of> Environmental Defence, "we are poisoning our children."> > This method of sampling human tissues and fluids, known as> biomonitoring, is being used increasingly by environmental groups and> governments to get a sense of the chemicals our bodies are absorbing> through air, water, food, soil and consumer products. Next year

> Health> Canada will start its first large-scale biomonitoring testing on > about> 5,000 volunteers, some as young as 6. > > Environmental Defence published its first Toxic Nation study last> year, testing 11 adults for 88 harmful chemicals. This year's> follow-up study focused on families, the youngest children age 10, > and> was done at expert labs in Quebec and British Columbia at a cost of> $2,000 per person. > > The Canadian Chemical Producers' Association points out that not all> biomonitoring studies are equal, that some are comprehensive while> others are carried out primarily for advocacy purposes and may be > less> robust. > > With relatively small numbers of volunteers, Environmental Defence> studies are intended to illustrate that a serious problem exists, not> offer a full diagnosis, explains .

> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------> -----------> `There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since 1977. > How> fair is that?'> > Ada Dowler-Cohen, 10> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------> -----------> > > While traces of chemicals can be detected in the volunteers, no one> knows exactly what it means to human health. People's > susceptibilities> differ depending on their genetic make-up. And people are exposed to> thousands of various chemicals at different concentrations and at> different times in their lives.> > "It's so incredibly complicated, I'm not sure we'll ever get there,"> says Miriam Diamond, a University of Toronto professor in the> geography department who specializes in environmental

science. "But > we> shouldn't wait. We should act in a precautionary way." > > Children tend to be more vulnerable to chemical exposure because> they're still developing and growing, says Diamond. They also take in> proportionally more pollutants than adults. Per kilogram of body> weight, they eat more, drink more, breathe more. > > The good news from the study, according to , is that the > children> had much lower levels of banned substances, such as PCBs and DDT, > than> their parents. "It's a clear indication that when government does > act,> the levels of poison do decrease over time."> > The bad news is that they show up in kids at all. It points to the> need for government to act quickly to ban other harmful chemicals,> says . "The longer we wait, the more generations of children > will> be

affected."> > The Canadian Environmental Protection Act is up for review this year.> Environmental Defence wants to see it amended to make industry more> accountable for the safety of its chemicals and to include an> immediate ban on the most dangerous ones with timelines for the> elimination of other toxic substances.> > Pointing to toxin reduction laws in many American states and in> Europe, says Canada is falling behind. "Unless the federal> government acts, Canada risks becoming the market of last resort for> poisonous products that are illegal to sell in other parts of the> world."> > A proposal from Health Canada and Environment Canada to ban six of > the> seven groups of PBDEs is currently being considered by the new> government in Ottawa. "We expect a decision fairly soon," says > Glover, director general of the safe

environment program at Health> Canada. > > The Toxic Nation volunteers are left trying to figure out how to> reduce exposures in their lives. Cohen, a documentary filmmaker in > her> early 40s, was shocked to learn she had above-normal levels of> cadmium, a carcinogen associated with cigarettes, even though she> smokes rarely. She also had the greatest levels of mercury among all> the study participants. She intends to cut down on her frequent> consumption of fish, some species of which have high levels of the> heavy metal.> > Her daughter, Ada, showed an above-normal level of manganese, a> suspected toxin to the respiratory, reproductive and nervous systems> that's used in fuel additives. Cohen wonders if that result has> something to do with the school bus that her daughter rides for about> an hour every weekday. > > Cohen also

plans to buy more organic foods and resist the convenience> of fast foods. Ada had a higher concentration than her mother of > PFOA,> which is often used in candy-bar and fast-food wrappers and microwave> popcorn bags. > > Rummaging through her cupboard, Cohen examines the individually> wrapped cereal and yogurt bars and bags of pita chips that would > often> go in Ada's lunch and wonders about the packaging. "It's all so> pervasive," she says. "I'm not sure where to even begin."> > > > > > > > > Opinions expressed are NOT meant to take the place of advice given by licensed health care professionals. Consult your physician or licensed health care professional before commencing any medical treatment. > > "Do not let either the medical authorities or the politicians mislead you. Find out what the facts are,

and make your own decisions about how to live a happy life and how to work for a better world." - Linus ing, two-time Nobel Prize Winner (1954, Chemistry; 1963, Peace)> > See our photos website! Enter "implants" for access at this link:> http://.shutterfly.com/action/> >

[Guest guest]

LOL ... Barrett's 'publishers' reads this board and Lany's and

attempts to create problems whenever possible.

Here, one of them, the ever so credible, Credulous aka

Nanaweedkiller, just posted about this thread on the newsgroup ...

http://groups.google.co.cr/group/alt.support.breast-

implant/msg/a1ec67fe21a9f4dc?dmode=source & hl=en

It's a bit daunting having this team follow me around ... cyberly

and via private detectives ...

May God and all of our angels continue to bless and protect Patty

and everyone on this wonderful board and everyone bringing awareness

to the many and very real dangers of breast implants.

www.BreastImplantAwareness.org

www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/patty.html

www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/lea.html

www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/shari.htm

www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/karen.htm

> >

> > http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?

> >

>

pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly & c=Article & cid=114918901

> > 2951 & call_pageid=991479973472

> >

> >

> > Toxic tally alarms family

> > Chemicals found in parents, kids

> >

> > Watchdog group conducted study

> > Jun. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM

> > NANCY J. WHITE

> > LIFE WRITER

> >

> >

> > Ada Dowler-Cohen, age 10, wasn't shocked when she saw the list of

> > poisonous substances in her body: 18 carcinogens, 14 chemicals

that

> > disrupt hormones, 19 that affect reproduction and development

and 9

> > toxic to the brain and nervous system.

> >

> > Rather, the girl was angry.

> >

> > " There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since

1977, "

> > says the Toronto Grade 5 student. " How fair is that? "

> >

> > Blood and urine samples showed that Ada, an avid swimmer,

badminton

> > player and music lover, was carrying around traces of nine types

of

> > PCBs, the highly toxic chemicals banned nearly 30 years ago, as

> well

> > as substances used in pesticides, flame retardants, stain

> repellents

> > and fuel additives.

> >

> > " I'm dismayed at the extent of heavy metals that showed up in

her, "

> > says the girl's mother, Barri Cohen. " And I'm even more dismayed

> that

> > she has higher levels than I do in some chemicals. "

> >

> > Ada and her mother are part of a study, Polluted Children, Toxic

> > Nation, released yesterday by Environmental Defence. The Toronto

> > watchdog group had five Canadian families — six adults and seven

> > children — tested for 68 toxic chemicals. On average, they found

> 32

> > of

> > the chemicals in each parent and 23 in each child.

> >

> > While the parents tended to have more exposures and higher

> > concentrations of the chemicals, the youngsters as a group were

> more

> > polluted with several chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid

> > (PFOA). It's the chemical used in non-stick coatings on cookware

> and

> > as a stain repellent on clothing, carpets and upholstery. It's a

> > suspected carcinogen.

> >

> > The children also showed a higher median concentration for the

> group

> > of chemicals widely used as flame retardants, polybrominated

> diphenyl

> > ethers (PBDEs). They're commonly used in mattresses, upholstered

> > furniture, computer and television casings and have been found in

> > breast milk and house dust. In animal studies, they caused liver

> > tumours, interfered with hormone function and affected

behaviour.

> > Some

> > researchers wonder if they are linked to attention deficit

> > disorders.

> >

> > " The bottom line, " says Rick , executive director of

> > Environmental Defence, " we are poisoning our children. "

> >

> > This method of sampling human tissues and fluids, known as

> > biomonitoring, is being used increasingly by environmental

groups

> and

> > governments to get a sense of the chemicals our bodies are

> absorbing

> > through air, water, food, soil and consumer products. Next year

> > Health

> > Canada will start its first large-scale biomonitoring testing on

> > about

> > 5,000 volunteers, some as young as 6.

> >

> > Environmental Defence published its first Toxic Nation study last

> > year, testing 11 adults for 88 harmful chemicals. This year's

> > follow-up study focused on families, the youngest children age

10,

> > and

> > was done at expert labs in Quebec and British Columbia at a cost

of

> > $2,000 per person.

> >

> > The Canadian Chemical Producers' Association points out that not

> all

> > biomonitoring studies are equal, that some are comprehensive

while

> > others are carried out primarily for advocacy purposes and may

be

> > less

> > robust.

> >

> > With relatively small numbers of volunteers, Environmental

Defence

> > studies are intended to illustrate that a serious problem

exists,

> not

> > offer a full diagnosis, explains .

> >

> >

> > -----------------------------------------------------------------

--

> --

> > -----------

> > `There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since

1977.

> > How

> > fair is that?'

> >

> > Ada Dowler-Cohen, 10

> >

> > -----------------------------------------------------------------

--

> --

> > -----------

> >

> >

> > While traces of chemicals can be detected in the volunteers, no

one

> > knows exactly what it means to human health. People's

> > susceptibilities

> > differ depending on their genetic make-up. And people are

exposed

> to

> > thousands of various chemicals at different concentrations and at

> > different times in their lives.

> >

> > " It's so incredibly complicated, I'm not sure we'll ever get

> there, "

> > says Miriam Diamond, a University of Toronto professor in the

> > geography department who specializes in environmental

> science. " But

> > we

> > shouldn't wait. We should act in a precautionary way. "

> >

> > Children tend to be more vulnerable to chemical exposure because

> > they're still developing and growing, says Diamond. They also

take

> in

> > proportionally more pollutants than adults. Per kilogram of body

> > weight, they eat more, drink more, breathe more.

> >

> > The good news from the study, according to , is that the

> > children

> > had much lower levels of banned substances, such as PCBs and

DDT,

> > than

> > their parents. " It's a clear indication that when government

does

> > act,

> > the levels of poison do decrease over time. "

> >

> > The bad news is that they show up in kids at all. It points to

the

> > need for government to act quickly to ban other harmful

chemicals,

> > says . " The longer we wait, the more generations of

children

> > will

> > be affected. "

> >

> > The Canadian Environmental Protection Act is up for review this

> year.

> > Environmental Defence wants to see it amended to make industry

more

> > accountable for the safety of its chemicals and to include an

> > immediate ban on the most dangerous ones with timelines for the

> > elimination of other toxic substances.

> >

> > Pointing to toxin reduction laws in many American states and in

> > Europe, says Canada is falling behind. " Unless the federal

> > government acts, Canada risks becoming the market of last resort

> for

> > poisonous products that are illegal to sell in other parts of the

> > world. "

> >

> > A proposal from Health Canada and Environment Canada to ban six

of

> > the

> > seven groups of PBDEs is currently being considered by the new

> > government in Ottawa. " We expect a decision fairly soon, " says

> > Glover, director general of the safe environment program at

Health

> > Canada.

> >

> > The Toxic Nation volunteers are left trying to figure out how to

> > reduce exposures in their lives. Cohen, a documentary filmmaker

in

> > her

> > early 40s, was shocked to learn she had above-normal levels of

> > cadmium, a carcinogen associated with cigarettes, even though she

> > smokes rarely. She also had the greatest levels of mercury among

> all

> > the study participants. She intends to cut down on her frequent

> > consumption of fish, some species of which have high levels of

the

> > heavy metal.

> >

> > Her daughter, Ada, showed an above-normal level of manganese, a

> > suspected toxin to the respiratory, reproductive and nervous

> systems

> > that's used in fuel additives. Cohen wonders if that result has

> > something to do with the school bus that her daughter rides for

> about

> > an hour every weekday.

> >

> > Cohen also plans to buy more organic foods and resist the

> convenience

> > of fast foods. Ada had a higher concentration than her mother of

> > PFOA,

> > which is often used in candy-bar and fast-food wrappers and

> microwave

> > popcorn bags.

> >

> > Rummaging through her cupboard, Cohen examines the individually

> > wrapped cereal and yogurt bars and bags of pita chips that would

> > often

> > go in Ada's lunch and wonders about the packaging. " It's all so

> > pervasive, " she says. " I'm not sure where to even begin. "

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Opinions expressed are NOT meant to take the place of advice

given

> by licensed health care professionals. Consult your physician or

> licensed health care professional before commencing any medical

> treatment.

> >

> > " Do not let either the medical authorities or the politicians

> mislead you. Find out what the facts are, and make your own

> decisions about how to live a happy life and how to work for a

> better world. " - Linus ing, two-time Nobel Prize Winner (1954,

> Chemistry; 1963, Peace)

> >

> > See our photos website! Enter " implants " for access at this link:

> > http://.shutterfly.com/action/

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

--- I say a big AMEN to that!! My prayers are with you, Ilena and

hope to meet you one day and give you a BIG hug!

Love, peace & healing to you,

Sunny

In , Tricia Trish <glory2glory1401@...>

wrote:

>

> God bless you Ilena, and may you and the truth prevail in your

lawsuits!

>

> I am ever so thankful for your bravery in confronting these evil

men in a court of law, where we know sometimes the truth is not

allowed to be known. May God guide your lawyers, and may He convict

the judges to act righteously.

>

> " Truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be equally

outraged by silence. " – Henri Frederic Amiel

>

> Thank you for using your voice in a way that will bless and

protect unknown thousands upon thousands of people.

> Patty

>

> colibrimama <colibrimama@...> wrote:

> Because of my situation of being SLAPP sued by the so-

> called 'quackbusters' ... it maddens me even more that Barrett

> continues to have articles distributed claiming MCS doesn't really

> exist and that those wonderful physicians and scientists should

have

> their licenses revoked. (So far, I have prevailed against 2 of the

3

> plaintiffs ...

> www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/quackbustersvsilena.htm0

>

> Unlicensed industry backers like Barrett attempt to destroy the

> lives of these doctors ... via medical boards and Smear Campaigns.

>

> One of these fine doctors, Sinaiko, finally prevailed after

> years and years and years of defending himself against legal

> attacks ... the smear campaigns on the internet continue against

him.

>

> www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/sinaiko.htm

>

> I'm going to be travelling and working on my defense in my lawsuit

> so won't be posting much for a little while.

>

> May God bless Patty and her loving, strong, firm hand with this

> important board.

>

> Love and healing to you all.

>

> Ilena

> www.BreastImplantAwareness.org

>

>

> >

> > http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?

> >

>

pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly & c=Article & cid=114918901

> > 2951 & call_pageid=991479973472

> >

> >

> > Toxic tally alarms family

> > Chemicals found in parents, kids

> >

> > Watchdog group conducted study

> > Jun. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM

> > NANCY J. WHITE

> > LIFE WRITER

> >

> >

> > Ada Dowler-Cohen, age 10, wasn't shocked when she saw the list of

> > poisonous substances in her body: 18 carcinogens, 14 chemicals

that

> > disrupt hormones, 19 that affect reproduction and development and

9

> > toxic to the brain and nervous system.

> >

> > Rather, the girl was angry.

> >

> > " There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since

1977, "

> > says the Toronto Grade 5 student. " How fair is that? "

> >

> > Blood and urine samples showed that Ada, an avid swimmer,

badminton

> > player and music lover, was carrying around traces of nine types

of

> > PCBs, the highly toxic chemicals banned nearly 30 years ago, as

> well

> > as substances used in pesticides, flame retardants, stain

> repellents

> > and fuel additives.

> >

> > " I'm dismayed at the extent of heavy metals that showed up in

her, "

> > says the girl's mother, Barri Cohen. " And I'm even more dismayed

> that

> > she has higher levels than I do in some chemicals. "

> >

> > Ada and her mother are part of a study, Polluted Children, Toxic

> > Nation, released yesterday by Environmental Defence. The Toronto

> > watchdog group had five Canadian families — six adults and seven

> > children — tested for 68 toxic chemicals. On average, they found

> 32

> > of

> > the chemicals in each parent and 23 in each child.

> >

> > While the parents tended to have more exposures and higher

> > concentrations of the chemicals, the youngsters as a group were

> more

> > polluted with several chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid

> > (PFOA). It's the chemical used in non-stick coatings on cookware

> and

> > as a stain repellent on clothing, carpets and upholstery. It's a

> > suspected carcinogen.

> >

> > The children also showed a higher median concentration for the

> group

> > of chemicals widely used as flame retardants, polybrominated

> diphenyl

> > ethers (PBDEs). They're commonly used in mattresses, upholstered

> > furniture, computer and television casings and have been found in

> > breast milk and house dust. In animal studies, they caused liver

> > tumours, interfered with hormone function and affected behaviour.

> > Some

> > researchers wonder if they are linked to attention deficit

> > disorders.

> >

> > " The bottom line, " says Rick , executive director of

> > Environmental Defence, " we are poisoning our children. "

> >

> > This method of sampling human tissues and fluids, known as

> > biomonitoring, is being used increasingly by environmental groups

> and

> > governments to get a sense of the chemicals our bodies are

> absorbing

> > through air, water, food, soil and consumer products. Next year

> > Health

> > Canada will start its first large-scale biomonitoring testing on

> > about

> > 5,000 volunteers, some as young as 6.

> >

> > Environmental Defence published its first Toxic Nation study last

> > year, testing 11 adults for 88 harmful chemicals. This year's

> > follow-up study focused on families, the youngest children age

10,

> > and

> > was done at expert labs in Quebec and British Columbia at a cost

of

> > $2,000 per person.

> >

> > The Canadian Chemical Producers' Association points out that not

> all

> > biomonitoring studies are equal, that some are comprehensive while

> > others are carried out primarily for advocacy purposes and may be

> > less

> > robust.

> >

> > With relatively small numbers of volunteers, Environmental Defence

> > studies are intended to illustrate that a serious problem exists,

> not

> > offer a full diagnosis, explains .

> >

> >

> > ------------------------------------------------------------------

-

> --

> > -----------

> > `There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since

1977.

> > How

> > fair is that?'

> >

> > Ada Dowler-Cohen, 10

> >

> > ------------------------------------------------------------------

-

> --

> > -----------

> >

> >

> > While traces of chemicals can be detected in the volunteers, no

one

> > knows exactly what it means to human health. People's

> > susceptibilities

> > differ depending on their genetic make-up. And people are exposed

> to

> > thousands of various chemicals at different concentrations and at

> > different times in their lives.

> >

> > " It's so incredibly complicated, I'm not sure we'll ever get

> there, "

> > says Miriam Diamond, a University of Toronto professor in the

> > geography department who specializes in environmental

> science. " But

> > we

> > shouldn't wait. We should act in a precautionary way. "

> >

> > Children tend to be more vulnerable to chemical exposure because

> > they're still developing and growing, says Diamond. They also

take

> in

> > proportionally more pollutants than adults. Per kilogram of body

> > weight, they eat more, drink more, breathe more.

> >

> > The good news from the study, according to , is that the

> > children

> > had much lower levels of banned substances, such as PCBs and DDT,

> > than

> > their parents. " It's a clear indication that when government does

> > act,

> > the levels of poison do decrease over time. "

> >

> > The bad news is that they show up in kids at all. It points to the

> > need for government to act quickly to ban other harmful chemicals,

> > says . " The longer we wait, the more generations of children

> > will

> > be affected. "

> >

> > The Canadian Environmental Protection Act is up for review this

> year.

> > Environmental Defence wants to see it amended to make industry

more

> > accountable for the safety of its chemicals and to include an

> > immediate ban on the most dangerous ones with timelines for the

> > elimination of other toxic substances.

> >

> > Pointing to toxin reduction laws in many American states and in

> > Europe, says Canada is falling behind. " Unless the federal

> > government acts, Canada risks becoming the market of last resort

> for

> > poisonous products that are illegal to sell in other parts of the

> > world. "

> >

> > A proposal from Health Canada and Environment Canada to ban six

of

> > the

> > seven groups of PBDEs is currently being considered by the new

> > government in Ottawa. " We expect a decision fairly soon, " says

> > Glover, director general of the safe environment program at Health

> > Canada.

> >

> > The Toxic Nation volunteers are left trying to figure out how to

> > reduce exposures in their lives. Cohen, a documentary filmmaker

in

> > her

> > early 40s, was shocked to learn she had above-normal levels of

> > cadmium, a carcinogen associated with cigarettes, even though she

> > smokes rarely. She also had the greatest levels of mercury among

> all

> > the study participants. She intends to cut down on her frequent

> > consumption of fish, some species of which have high levels of the

> > heavy metal.

> >

> > Her daughter, Ada, showed an above-normal level of manganese, a

> > suspected toxin to the respiratory, reproductive and nervous

> systems

> > that's used in fuel additives. Cohen wonders if that result has

> > something to do with the school bus that her daughter rides for

> about

> > an hour every weekday.

> >

> > Cohen also plans to buy more organic foods and resist the

> convenience

> > of fast foods. Ada had a higher concentration than her mother of

> > PFOA,

> > which is often used in candy-bar and fast-food wrappers and

> microwave

> > popcorn bags.

> >

> > Rummaging through her cupboard, Cohen examines the individually

> > wrapped cereal and yogurt bars and bags of pita chips that would

> > often

> > go in Ada's lunch and wonders about the packaging. " It's all so

> > pervasive, " she says. " I'm not sure where to even begin. "

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Opinions expressed are NOT meant to take the place of advice

given

> by licensed health care professionals. Consult your physician or

> licensed health care professional before commencing any medical

> treatment.

> >

> > " Do not let either the medical authorities or the politicians

> mislead you. Find out what the facts are, and make your own

> decisions about how to live a happy life and how to work for a

> better world. " - Linus ing, two-time Nobel Prize Winner (1954,

> Chemistry; 1963, Peace)

> >

> > See our photos website! Enter " implants " for access at this link:

> > http://.shutterfly.com/action/

> >

> >