Sludge Watch ==> Canada - new tests find poisons in children's blood, urine

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

Thursday » June 1 » 2006

New tests find poisons in children's blood, urine
Minister accepts challenge to have blood and urine tested for contamination

Dennis Bueckert
Canadian Press


Thursday, June 01, 2006



CREDIT: Canadian Press
Environment Minister Rona Ambrose has agreed to have her blood and urine 
tested for toxic contamination.

OTTAWA  -- Environment Minister Rona Ambrose has accepted a challenge from 
an environmental group to have her blood and urine tested for toxic 
contamination.

Ambrose agreed to be tested at the request of Toronto-based Environmental 
Defence, which has been raising alarms about contamination of Canadian 
children.

On Thursday, the group released results showing that the bodies of seven 
children tested are contaminated by a cocktail of toxic chemicals ranging 
from PCBs to flame retardants.

"The minister cares about that and that's why she's going to take up the 
challenge,'' Ryan Sparrow, a spokesman for Ambrose, said in an interview.

The study found an average of 23 known or suspected toxins -- including 
carcinogens, hormone disrupters and neurotoxins -- in the bodies of the 
children tested.

The researchers tested 13 individuals from five families, six adults and 
seven children. The families live in Vancouver, Toronto, Sarnia, Montreal 
and Quispamsis, N.B.

"Our children are being poisoned every day by toxic chemicals that surround 
them at home, school and play,'' said Rick Smith, executive director of 
Environmental Defence.

He said Ambrose will be tested using the same methodology, and results 
should be available in the fall. Health Minister Tony Clement and NDP Leader 
Jack Layton have also volunteered to be tested.

Smith said the study was intended to change the pollution issue from "a 
theoretical, abstract debate to a highly personal discussion of health,'' 
said Smith.

He said most environment ministers in Europe have been tested, and this has 
contributed to a strong push to control toxic chemicals.

The adults in the Canadian study were contaminated by 32 chemicals, and had 
higher concentrations of some products no longer in use, such as DDT and 
PCBs.

But the children had higher levels of newer chemicals such as brominated 
flame retardants (PBDEs) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used in stain 
repellents and non-stick coatings.

"It is common to expect adults to be more contaminated by harmful chemicals 
than children because they have had a longer time to accumulate chemicals in 
their bodies,'' says the report.

"The results of this study, however, show that this is not always the 
case.''

A decreased presence of banned chemicals in children is evidence that bans 
do work, says the report. But effects linger long after a chemical is 
removed from use -- DDT was banned years ago but can still be detected in 
children as young as 10.

Health Canada responded to the findings by promising a national study in 
which 5,000 people will be monitored for toxic contamination over a two year 
period from 2007 to 2009.

"The government of Canada takes very seriously the exposure of Canadians to 
environmental chemicals,'' said Health Canada spokeswoman Carolyn Sexauer.

She said children are at greater risk of contamination than adults because 
of their physical size, immature organs, physiology, behaviour, curiosity 
and lack of knowledge.

Vivian Maraghi, a study volunteer from Montreal, said she was astounded to 
learn she had 36 industrial chemicals in her body.

"But when I saw the toxic chemicals in my son's body, I was angry. Our 
children deserve better protection.''

Environmental Defence says Canada's regulation of toxic chemicals is weak 
and ineffective. However, similar levels of contamination have been found in 
the United States.

Many chemicals now on the market were never screened for health effects 
because they were introduced before awareness of the hazards of industrial 
pollution.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=5a0b5d15-7377-4493-91c4-8bbacb1dfa48&k=36387
...................................................


Toxic chemicals higher in children than adults
June 01, 2006 - 4:35 pm
By: Anne Winstanley







No matter where you live and what you eat, chances are you have toxic 
chemicals in you.

And if you have children, their concentration may be even higher.

Dr. Rick Smith, the Executive Director of Environmental Defence said the 
findings are shocking and he hopes it makes people angry.

"We tested for a family of chemicals that are used to make things like 
Teflon (and) Scotchguard. We found these things in very high levels in 
Canadian children, much higher than their parents," he said.

The study found an average of 23 known or suspected toxins, including 
carcinogens, in the children tested. In the adults, it found 32 chemicals.

On the positive side, Smith said they did find a decreased presence of 
banned chemicals in children, saying it's evidence that bans work.

He notes the effects linger for decades, and can still be detected in 
children as young as 10

http://www.680news.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20060601_163558_6340