The study had two primary goals. Firstly, to find if there is any difference between the amounts of chemicals between generations and, secondly, to uncover any threat to the health of children. Each member of all the families supplied samples of blood and urine, which were tested for 68 toxic chemicals.

The Findings

Of the 68 toxic chemicals tested for, 46 were found in the individuals participating. Even children as young as 10 years old were found to have several of these toxic substances in their systems. On average, the study reported that “32 chemicals were detected in each parent volunteer, and 23 chemicals were detected in each child volunteer.”

The toxins found often have more than one negative health effect on the human body. For example, pesticides, which are commonly used and can be found on virtually all of the fruits and vegetables we eat, are undisputedly known to cause cancer (carcinogens), to be toxic to our mental functions (neurotoxins), to disrupt our body’s hormone activity (hormone disruptors), to disturb our lungs and breathing (respiratory toxins) and to negatively affect the reproductive and developmental abilities of our body (reproductive/developmental toxins).

In total, the substances found in the volunteers were 38 carcinogens, 19 neurotoxins, 23 hormone disruptors, 12 respiratory toxins and 38 reproductive/developmental toxins.

Although dangerous toxins like PCBs and DDT were banned before the child volunteers in the study were born, these chemicals were detected in all of the children and all of the parents. The child volunteers did show generally lower numbers and concentrations of PCBs and pesticides than their parents. This proves that when the government bans a toxic chemical, the population’s toxic load decreases.

There were also instances where the children were more contaminated than their parents by chemicals which are still in use.

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something has to change

These startling figures and discoveries can sometimes be confusing and may not always convey a clear message. The bottom line is that industrial chemicals, which are known to be poisonous to our bodies in different ways, are pervasive in our lives and in our bodies. It is a real problem that we can no longer ignore. Part two of this series will analyze an average daily routine, and examine possible sources of contamination in our lives.

For more information, visit www.environmentaldefence.ca