" I have learned it is virtually impossible to avoid exposure. We drink
organic milk, which is crazy expensive, but it still goes through plastic
tubing (in the production process)," said Mr. Fishbein, who is 47 and in
good health."


http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/...LIFE/711170356

Study shows that toxins from everyday products leach into human system

By PAMELA MAREAN
Standard-Times correspondent
November 17, 2007 6:00 AM
The frightening reality that toxic chemicals are building up in his body has
been confirmed for Dartmouth resident Jerry Fishbein. He is not alone,
according to the results of a national bio-monitoring study released last
week.

"My scores are not outrageously high, but in laboratory studies on animals,
harm has been done at levels lower than this," said Mr. Fishbein.

He was one of 35 average citizens from across the nation tested for toxins
earlier this year. Scientists say the same harmful chemicals are likely to
be building up in the rest of us, too - as a side-effect of using
commonplace consumer products.

"We knew that these chemicals were in everyday products. That's why we
tested for them. But, to the extent that they are in every single
participant's body is remarkable," said Elizabeth Saunders of Clean Water
Action in Boston.

Clean Water Action is part of a nationwide coalition of non-profits that set
out to prove that just by going about everyday routines the average person
accumulates a "body burden" of three specific toxins manufacturers use in
consumer products even though safe alternatives exist. Still, Ms. Saunders
said they had not expected the contamination to be so copious.

"On a conference call with others in the study, one person said, 'You can't
shop your way out of this.' I have learned it is virtually impossible to
avoid exposure. We drink organic milk, which is crazy expensive, but it
still goes through plastic tubing (in the production process)," said Mr.
Fishbein, who is 47 and in good health.

Mr. Fishbein is one of five people in Massachusetts who had his blood and
urine tested last spring. The same number of participants was selected from
each of six other states (Minnesota, Connecticut, New York, Illinois,
Michigan, and Alaska) as a small, hopefully representative sample of the
U.S. population. None of the participants worked in settings where they were
likely to have any unusual chemical exposures, yet all of them turned out to
be polluted.

The test subjects represent a diverse group in terms of age, race and
vocation, said Liese Jones, a national spokesperson for Clean Water Action.

"It's not a statistical type of sampling, but we want to be able to tell the
story," she said at the time the tests were first undertaken.

In Massachusetts, the four others tested include a lawyer in Boston, a
clergyman in Framingham, a state representative in Amherst and a youth
outreach worker in Malden.

Mr. Fishbein, who is vice president of the Service Employees International
Union 1199, said of his results, "I guess I'm not surprised that toxins
found in everyday products have found their way into my body. Lots of people
seem to assume it's happening, they just aren't aware to what extent. With
this kind of research and data, I'm hopeful that we can raise awareness."

The three toxic substances measured we phthalates, commonly used in
cosmetics and plastics; polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), used as
flame retardants for clothing, furniture and electronics; and bisphenol-A,
used in plastic baby and water bottles and as a liner in tin cans.

The study found four kinds of phthalates and seven different PBDEs in Mr.
Fishbein's body, as well as bisphenol-A in his blood and urine.

Though the health ramifications of these chemicals have been explored in
animals, they have not been scientifically pinned down in humans. Some of
the chemicals have been linked to cancers and reproductive disorders, asthma
and learning disabilities.

"I shampoo my hair. I sit on my sofa. I drink tap water that goes through
processing and plastic pipes, I eat out of cans. There is a breakdown (in
the responsibility of the) folks who are responsible for keeping me safe and
my kids safe," Mr. Fishbein said.

All of the study's participants who submitted urine samples had bisphenol-A
in their urine and more than half had it in their blood. The levels found in
the blood and urine are within the range shown to cause adverse health
effects in laboratory animal studies, according to the study's Web site "Is
It In Us?" (www.isitinus.org).

Four of the five participants with measurable levels of phthalate were found
to have contamination that exceeded 95 percent of all the people nationwide
whom the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have examined.

All of the study's participants had accumulated some level of PBDEs in their
bodies.

While the advocates behind this study may not be surprised at what Ms.
Saunders called the "general concept" that contaminates build up in our
bodies, she said that the public may be shocked.

"Most people don't have any idea that they could be getting toxic chemicals
from a shower curtain, personal hygiene products, the computer or food cans.
No one thinks they can be contaminated by something like that," she said.

The good news, she said, is that these study results come at a time when
legislation called the "Safer Alternatives Bill" has passed through the
Massachusetts Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and
Agriculture and is headed for a vote in the Senate.

New Bedford's Coalition for Social Justice is rallying support for that
legislation and offering itself as a resource for information about the
dangers of chemicals in consumer products and what to choose instead.
"Mothers even pass on chemicals to their unborn babies through the womb,"
said the Coalition's Debbie Fastino.

"It's an unnatural amount of chemicals that people are carrying around. For
us, (the lead-contaminated toy recall) was a breakthrough. (Before) people
would look at you like you're a left-wing kook trying to shut down
businesses," she said.

In article ,
"CWatters" wrote:


snip

Hmm! dreadful stuff this modern civilization. Much better
to live in a cave and only eat hand-killed wild animals.

"John McMillan" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"CWatters" wrote:


snip

Hmm! dreadful stuff this modern civilization. Much better
to live in a cave and only eat hand-killed wild animals.

I liked the bit about him being in good health.