Executive Summary
Oregonians are polluted with many hazardous industrial chemicals according to a new study conducted by the Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) and the Oregon Collaborative for Health and the Environment (CHE-OR). In 2007, ten Oregon women and men volunteered to have their bodies tested in a study of chemical pollution in Oregonians. These Oregonians represent a diverse group of people from rural and urban areas throughout the state. Unfortunately, one thing they probably share with all Oregonians is the unwelcome presence of toxic chemicals in their bodies.
Key findings:
- Toxic chemicals from consumer products, food, and industrial pollution contaminate our bodies. The people tested in this study had at least 9 and as many as 16 toxic chemicals in his or her body. Of the 29 chemicals tested, a total of 19 were detected in the ten volunteers, including 6 perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs,) 6 phthalates, mercury, 4 organophosphate pesticide metabolites, bisphenol A, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). 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.
- The toxic chemicals in our bodies are cause for concern because they can lead to health problems. The latest scientific research provides increasing evidence that toxic chemicals harm the health of adults, children, and developing fetuses. Children and fetuses are of particular concern because chemical exposures at critical points in child development can cause irreversible, often subtle, damage. Although no children or pregnant women were included in our study, it is reasonable to assume that their bodies are exposed to the same chemicals.
- Every participant was contaminated with phthalates, an endocrine disrupting chemical found in a variety of everyday consumer products. Recent scientific studies in humans have linked low-level phthalate exposure to reduced sperm count, feminization of male genitals, and premature delivery. Study participant Jeff VonAllman, a Portland firefighter, had levels of the phthalate DEHP that were more than 16 times the national median levels.
- Although PCBs were banned in the 1970s, they were detected in the blood of all ten volunteers, including one born in the early 1980s. PCBs from everyday exposures have been associated with learning deficits.
- Every participant had mercury in his or her blood. While none of the participants had mercury exposures above the Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘safe’ levels, all but one of our participants had blood mercury levels higher than the national median. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is of particular concern for young children and the developing fetus.
- PFOA, a chemical of the PFC class, is a likely human carcinogen and was detected in every one of our participants.
The hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A was found in 80% of the participants. Don Sampson and Participant 009 had bisphenol A levels that were higher than 90% of people that have been tested in national biomonitoring studies. Studies on laboratory animals have shown that at very low doses bisphenol A can lead to a number of adverse health effects including reduced sperm count, impaired immune system functioning, and increases in prostate tumor proliferation.
State and federal regulations have failed to prevent the use of harmful chemicals in consumer products, manufacturing processes, and food production. Current federal law does not require testing for harmful effects to humans or the environment before chemicals are allowed to be used in products or for manufacturing. Once chemicals are in use, it is extremely difficult for the EPA to restrict them, because they must balance costs incurred to manufacturers with the impacts to human health and the environment. At the state level, Oregon lacks the regulatory structure needed to prevent toxic chemicals from polluting our food, consumer products, household goods, and people.
Recognizing that the safety system for industrial chemicals is broken, the Oregon Environmental Council and CHE-OR strongly recommend that a comprehensive safer chemicals policy be developed and adopted by our government to accomplish the following:
- Close the safety gap by developing and implementing plans aimed at phasing out the most harmful chemicals in favor of safer alternatives, searching for safer substitutes for all chemicals shown to be hazardous, and requiring that all industrial chemicals are tested for health and safety hazards, especially for children and other vulnerable populations;
- Close the data gap by requiring companies to inform consumers about what toxic chemicals are in the products they use and requiring manufacturers to provide data on the health and safety of all chemicals; and
- Close the technology gap by investing in state-based green chemistry research and development enabling Oregon to become a leader in the development of safer alternatives.
