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Child, Toxins & Health
Deborah Elaine Barrie
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 Jan.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
http://www.cape.ca/
http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript117_full.html
www.ewg.org
Guelph mercury story http://www.therecord.com/topstory_02112684549.html
http://www.caes.state.ct.us/FactSheetFiles/AnalyticalChemistry/fsAC001f.htm
Residues of Arsenic, Chromium, and Copper on and Near Playground
Structures Built of Wood Pressure -Treated with "CCA" Type
Preservatives Unpublished study by Dieter Riedel available by emailing
deborahbarrie@hotmail.com Unpublished study by Dr Dieter Riedel
http://www.edcanada.org
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