Pressure on chemical companies from legislators is mounting on the issue
of toxic chemicals in hundreds of consumer products. Senator Frank
Lautenberg has introduced the Safer Chemicals Act, a bill that would
require chemical makers to prove their substances are safe before they
are approved for use. Although one might expect this requirement to be
the current standard, this is not the case.
HBCD - The newest player in toxic chemicals
In
a recent study of best-selling grocery store products, researchers
discovered that almost 50 percent of the sampled peanut butter and deli
meats, as well as turkey, fish, beef and other fatty foods, contained
hints of a flame retardant normally utilized in the foam insulation of
building walls.
You're probably wondering how a chemical used in
building insulation makes its way onto our grocery shelves. Experts
propose that HBCDs (hexabromocyclododecane) make their way into the food
chain through the air, water and soil.
Arlene Blum, executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute,
suggested "They could migrate out of products into dust and end up in
sewage sludge. The chemical may then end up in the marine food supply,
or the sewage sludge could get put on fields, where it will inevitably
contaminate crops and livestock." Essentially, these chemicals cannot be
used in any circumstance without the risk of contaminating food
sources.
The specific flame retardant, HBCD, is just the newest
in a series of synthetic chemicals that investigators are detecting in
popular foods. The EPA reported that the flame retardant is
"highly toxic" to marine life and can interfere with the role of human
hormones and reproduction. Once in the human body, these fat bonding
chemicals will bind to human fat, where they can exist for years.
History repeats itself
Frequency
of particular childhood cancers, learning disabilities and reproductive
issues are emerging at frightful rates. These flame retardants are very
similar to banned PCBs, which have been connected to diseases and
health risks including cancer, asthma, lower IQ and diabetes, among
others. Studies demonstrate as much as 5 percent of childhood cancers,
10 percent of neurobehavioral conditions and 30 percent of childhood
asthma cases are related to unsafe chemicals. It's only commonsense to
anticipate certain flame retardants such as HBCDs to have similar health
risks. It seems that everything we have learned about PCBs has been
neglected and now the same mistakes are being made with flame
retardants.
Aggressive industry lobbyists
The
companies that produce these dangerous chemicals are determined to keep
cashing in on them, while lying about their health impacts and
exaggerating their effectiveness. They go as far as setting up bogus
"citizen groups" to promote their agenda. They even hired a prominent
Seattle physical, Dr. David Heimbach, who traveled from state to state
persuading legislators with a made up story about a baby who died
because of a lack of flame retardants in her crib.
One of the so
called citizen groups, Citizens for Fire Safety, is pushing for laws
requiring fire retardants in furniture. The group describes itself as "a
coalition of fire professionals, educators, community activists, burn
centers, doctors, fire departments and industry leaders." However, a
closer look at the Citizens for Fire Safety reveals only three members,
which also happen to be the three leading companies that manufacture
flame retardants: Albemarle Corporation, ICL Industrial Products and
Chemtura Corporation.
Misplaced trust and lack of oversight
Outdated law has required the EPA
to verify a mere 200 of the 80,000 chemicals in its inventory. Experts
have been trying for years, without success, to get congress to change
the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, which currently awaits a Senate
vote. State laws are starting to making a make changes on this issue,
but federal reform is desperately needed.
Most Americans trust
that what they buy in grocery stores has gone through some sort of
testing or approval process, verifying its safety for commercial use.
It's that misplaced trust that chemical manufacturers rely on. Americans
need to take action by telling their senators to support the Safer
Chemicals Act and other similar bills that will permanently remove these
highly toxic chemicals from our society.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.baltimoresun.com
http://www.cnn.com
http://www.saferchemicals.org/safe-chemicals-act/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
http://www.nytimes.com
About the author:
John Mckiernan is a health and fitness writer. He is the owner of Supplement Helper where he writes about supplements, health, fitness and more. He also manages CNA Info,
a small blog that is aimed at answering questions for those interested
in becoming nursing assistants. All articles are contributed by Fallon C
Clark, California registered CNA.
