Chapter 7: Conclusions and Recommendations

An alarming number of toxic chemicals are measurable in Oregonians. This study detected 19 of the 29 chemicals tested for in ten volunteers, including mercury, PCBs, six PFCs, four organophosphate pesticides, six phthalates, and bisphenol A. With the exception of pesticides and bisphenol A, both of which last in the body only a short time, every chemical class tested for was detected in all of the participants. What is particularly unsettling is that we have no clear answers as to why these chemicals were found in all of our participants or why levels of some chemicals are higher than others. Most disturbing, we know these chemicals can pose a threat to human health, but we need more information about their toxic effects on our bodies today and in the future.

Despite these uncertainties based on the findings discussed in this report and similar studies, we can make a few conclusions:

1. Toxic chemicals from consumer products, food, and industrial pollution contaminate our bodies. All six of the chemical groups tested for were detected in the bodies of the Oregon participants. Every person tested had at least nine and as many as 16 toxic chemicals in his or her body. While some of these toxic chemicals come from contaminated soil, air, and water, many of the pollutants also come from food, everyday household dust, and from direct contact with products such as personal care items, plastic products, consumer electronics, and stain-resistant furniture. This represents a partial snapshot of what chemicals might be found in all Oregonians.
2. The toxic chemicals in our bodies are cause for concern because they can lead to health problems. While more needs to be learned about the health effects of chemicals in humans, review of the latest scientific research demonstrates that there is increasing evidence that these chemicals harm the health of adults, children, and in particular, unborn children.
3. State and federal regulations have failed to prevent the use of harmful chemicals in consumer products, manufacturing processes, and food production. The primary current federal law regulating chemicals is the notoriously weak Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). We do not have sufficient safety data for the vast majority of chemicals in use today. Under TSCA, the EPA cannot require data assessing the health and safety of a chemical prior to its use in products with which we have daily contact. If the EPA does identify risks associated with the use of a particular chemical, TSCA mandates that economic costs to industry be weighed and efforts utilized to minimize any unreasonable costs to industry. Additionally, TSCA requires certainty of harm before actions can be taken to prevent harm to the public’s health. Even when the EPA has information on a chemical’s potential health effects, the agency cannot share it publicly or with state agencies, because TSCA has deemed that this information is confidential business information. TSCA has not been updated for nearly 30 years—longer than any other major environmental or public health statute. At the state level, Oregon also currently lacks the regulatory structure needed to prevent toxic chemicals from polluting our food, consumer products, household goods, and people. As this study clearly demonstrates, this current system of chemical regulation is not working.
   

Recommendations

Oregon is known for being an environmental leader. The presence of toxic chemicals in our environment threatens to tarnish this image and endangers the health of all Oregonians, especially our children. Oregon is a key state in achieving comprehensive chemicals policy reform, which could eventually lead to stronger national standards. Oregon has been on the forefront of innovative toxic reduction policies in the past, including legislative adoption of:

• the first standards for cleaner wood stoves in the 1980s;
• the first law requiring state agencies to minimize pesticide use in the 1990s;
• the first law phasing out installation of mercury thermostats as part of the Mercury Reduction Act of 2001; and
• one of the first states to laws banning some toxic flame retardants in 2005.
  

Legislation passed in 2007 provides additional tools to reduce toxic exposures in Oregon. These policies include:

• Establishment of a Willamette basin water quality toxics monitoring program that will: (1) build a web-based tool for public access to information about water toxics data; (2) monitor the river to identify priority toxics to be reduced; and (3) develop action plans to reduce targeted toxics. The purpose of this program is to not just monitor for the presence of toxics, but to determine which pose the most significant risk to human or wildlife health.
• Senate Bill 737 requiring Oregon DEQ to develop a list of priority bioaccumulative toxics that have a documented effect on human health, wildlife, and aquatic life and to report to the Oregon Legislature by June 2010 on the sources of these toxics and the current reduction and control methods in place. Additionally, this legislation requires Oregon’s 52 largest municipal wastewater treatment plants to develop plans to reduce the identified priority toxics.
• 2007-09 funding for Oregon DEQ air toxics monitors in Salem/Albany and Medford, joining the existing air toxics monitors in Portland. This budgetary package also provides funding for the development of an air toxics reduction plan for Portland.
  

Unfortunately, these current programs and policies are focused on monitoring or cleaning-up toxic chemicals after they are already polluting our air, water, and land. And they don’t even begin to address the toxic chemicals in consumer products and in our food supply.

To effectively prevent pollution in Oregonians before it causes harm (instead of spending time and money to remove toxic chemicals once they are in our environment), our leaders need to enact comprehensive safer chemicals policy at the state level to ensure that only the safest chemicals are used in consumer products and manufacturing processes. These policies need to close the gaps in our broken chemical system to ensure chemical safety, provide useful data, and promote innovative technology. Together, these reforms can provide an alternative to our toxic-dependent economy through the promotion and development of safer alternatives, while at the same time creating a system to quickly remove the most serious threats from our environment. Specifically, we call for the following policies to be implemented:

Require that complete information be provided on chemical ingredients and their toxicity.
The burden to prove that chemicals are safe before they are allowed on the market will fall to producers and manufacturers. Chemical safety data will be made available to the public and regulators. This data must take into account impacts on vulnerable populations. Due to the size of this information management task, Oregon should support the development of an interstate clearinghouse for chemical ingredients.

Categorize chemicals into levels of concern.The public, businesses, workers and consumers will have the tools to distinguish among chemicals. A chemical categorization system will identify safer chemicals, chemicals to avoid, and chemicals that lack adequate safety data.

Manage chemicals based on hazards and substitute those of highest concern with safer alternatives Oregon will use criteria to identify chemicals of concern and have the authority to restrict certain chemical uses.

State agencies will have the authority to identify, collect data on, and mandate the replacement of chemicals of highest concern.

Establish policies, practices, and incentives that move Oregon toward safer alternatives

• Invest in and build in-state institutional alternatives research capacity
• Promote least-toxic and biobased procurement policies for state, local, and municipal governments and other large institutions such as hospitals, universities, and schools
• Ensure that all communities can participate in new green economy by creating incentives for investment
• Create tax incentives for and provide technical assistance to firms working toward safer alternatives
• Increase and direct research and economic development dollars to promote safer alternatives, particularly in key sectors ripe for alternatives
  

Ensure that workers and impacted communities are protected Oregon will address both concerns around loss of jobs from a transition to safer chemicals and whether alternatives are indeed safer. This means incorporating policies that support a just transition to cleaner, safer jobs. Oregon will ensure that chemicals of concern to environmental justice communities are prioritized.

Provide adequate funding and enforcement Oregon needs to create the funding and enforcement mechanisms necessary to successfully implement chemical policy reform. Despite the new policies funded in 2007, OREGON DEQ and other state agencies are severely under-funded. Resources for technical assistance and program implementation are essential to ensuring a level playing field for businesses.

These reforms will not happen over night, but it is imperative that we begin the process now to ensure a healthier environment for future generations. Making these changes will require leadership from the Governor, the Oregon Legislature, the Departments of Environmental Quality, Human Services, and Agriculture, and Oregon industry, business leaders, and local governments. It is clear from this study that it is time to take bold, innovative steps to establish a common-sense chemical regulatory system so that we can move from today’s pollution in people to a system that is designed to protect the health of all Oregonians. We need to work towards a state where the health of all Oregonians is protected from, not polluted with, environmental toxins.

What Action Can Individuals Take?

In addition to supporting chemical policy reform, Oregonians can take immediate action to protect their family’s health. Oregonians can take personal action to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals by using safer products from homes and businesses. Low-cost solutions can help reduce toxic exposure until our broken chemical safety system is fixed by policy makers; for example, eating fish low in mercury, choosing organic produce, and avoiding personal care products containing phthalates and other toxic chemicals. For specific resources to help you choose safer products and smarter practices that reduce chemical exposure, the Kids and Health section of this site.