Pollutants 'in children's blood'
07 Oct
2004
Researchers tested blood to see if chemicals were present
Environmental campaigners are warning potentially dangerous
chemicals are present in children's blood.
A study of seven UK families by the World Wildlife Fund and
the Co-operative Bank found children were worse affected
than their grandparents.
The WWF says the chemicals, such as Organochlorine
pesticides, should be phased out to protect children.
But some scientists say the fact a chemical is present does
not necessarily mean it is dangerous.
The world is composed of 'chemicals' and that many of the
most hazardous are natural
Medical Research Council's Institute for Environment and
Health spokesman
Researchers carried out blood tests on 33 people aged from
nine to 88, to see if any of 104 man-made chemicals were
present.
Of the chemicals analysed, 80 were detected. Children were
found to have 75 chemicals in their blood, 75 were found in
parents and 56 in grandmothers.
Eighty-two percent of the people tested had at least one
perfluorinated chemical in their blood.
DEHP - which is present in many plastics - was found in over
three-quarters of the volunteers, including children.
It has been suggested the chemical could disrupt hormone
levels.
Chemicals, such as PCBs and DDE - a breakdown product of the
banned insecticide DDT - were found in everyone, despite
being banned in the UK at least a decade before the children
were born, but on average the older generations had higher
concentrations.
Some of the children were also found to have higher
concentrations of newer chemicals, such as brominated
flame-retardants - used in everyday products such as
furniture and TVs, and perfluorinated chemicals - used in
the manufacture of non-stick pans, than older generations.
'Opportunity'
The researchers say their findings suggest all British
children are likely to be contaminated with hazardous
chemicals.
Justin Woolford, WWF Chemicals and Health Campaign Director,
said: "These results are extremely worrying because of the
unknown long-term health effects of the majority of
industrial chemicals people are exposed to.
"The contamination of three generations of UK families,
including children as young as nine, with hazardous man-made
chemicals clearly illustrates that industry and government
have failed to control these chemicals."
The WWF says proposed EU chemicals legislation, known as
Reach, currently being considered by member states for
consideration, provides a "once in a generation opportunity"
to bring in controls for these substances.
But a spokesman for the Medical Research Council's Institute
for Environment and Health in Leicester told BBC News
Online: "The world is composed of 'chemicals' and many of
the most hazardous are natural."
He added that the presence of 'older' chemicals such as DDT
in all age groups was not surprising as they were
"ubiquitous throughout the globe and very persistent" -
which was why they were banned.
He said: "At first sight it is rather worrying that 'new'
chemicals such as the brominated flame retardants are
occurring at higher levels in the children.
"But we would need to see the rest of the data to assess the
actual difference in levels and whether this is
statistically and biologically significant."
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