CHEMICAL ATTRACTION

Why chemicals can and should be regulated for our health and that of future generations.

Sienna Scheid

The Chemical Makeup Breakdown

You are a reservoir of tens of chemicals. The slew of manmade trace substances in your body is as certain and undeniable as the hair growing from your scalp and the blood cells in your veins. You, and everyone on this planet, harbors synthetics within them. (Baker) This fact is as irrevocable as Newtons First Law. There is no escaping. None at all. We are born with chemicals already sloshing through our arteries and we will die with many more embedded in our tissues. We are absolutely sure of our chemical body burden. Now we must explore what that means for us. The question is not whether we can detoxify ourselves or even halt introduction of new substances. Chemicals have become pervasive in our environment. By this point it is futile to so much as attempt to remove ones self from this global chemical sink. Instead, the true question that must be asked is: are these chemicals toxic and if so, how do we protect ourselves? Chemicals have become increasingly popular throughout the twentieth century. They have infiltrated just about every object currently produced, from the vegetables in your fridge (not to mention the fridge itself) to the socks in your dresser (and, again, the dresser itself as well). (Chemical Factsheets) From Genetically Modified Organismss to fire retardants, pesticides to Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers, we are besieged with potentially mutagenic and carcinogenic substances. Whats more shocking is that most of these synthetics havent been tested. (Baker) So not only are we unknowingly bathed (literally) in chemicals, but we havent a clue what nearly any of them do to our bodies and, in the case of pregnant women, the fragile fetuses of soon-to-be children. And of the chemicals we do know about, the outlook isnt good. While there are certainly many harmless substances, there are also very dangerous toxins that we are exposed to daily. More importantly, we have no idea which chemicals are completely benign and which are potentially deadly. When this uncertainty is applied to the healthcare system we find a potential catastrophe looming on the horizon. It is evident that the toxic chemicals found in a variety of products are under-regulated and are known to cause severe damage to human health; they are creating a dynamic and dangerous future for healthcare.

Down to Business
The argument that chemicals are benign is hardly ever championed by an average citizen. For the most part the people of the United States remain blissfully unaware of the toxins in their eyeliner and leather wristwatches. Those that defend the harmlessness of chemicals are almost uniformly the chemical manufacturers themselves, as they should be, seeing that over 96 percent of all manufactured goods are directly touched by the business of chemistry, according to the American Chemistry Councils (ACC) website. Understandably, these companies are very interested in maintaining such a prolific industry. They maintain that the chemicals they produce are safe for public use. The ACC further insists that they have a public commitment to [their] role in the safe management of chemicals and articulates [their] pledge to make safety a core value in how [their] products are made, sold, delivered, used and disposed of. The support for chemical industries goes beyond their safety assertions. There is no denying that the chemical industry is a key player in global economics. Not only do they consume the most fossil fuels of any industry in
The green dots represent chemical manufacturing plants across the U.S. Below depicts trends. From left to right: 12,377 facilities to 13, 220 (+7%), 833,230 employees to 810,368 (-3%), $368 billion value of shipments to $555 billion (+51%). Image source: EPAs Chemical Manufacturing Report for
2008 Sector Performance.

the U.S., they are also major financial contributors. (Baker) In 2011 the industrys sales totaled $763 billion and upwards of 8,000 firms employed over 788,000 workers. (The Chemical Industry) Theres no doubt that regulation constricts business. In todays market they represent a sizable industry that is doing much to buoy a post-recession country. Whats more, the modern age would not be possible without synthetics. The chemical manufacturing company DuPont states that they use their deep expertise in material science to make a vital impact on virtually every major industry. Going back to the ACCs 96% claim, you can see that this is easily believable. We owe our entire world to chemicals. Theyve made nearly every advance that has occurred within the past century possible. As much as some might not like to admit it, we need the chemical industry apparently more than they need us.

Browse the websites of Dow or DuPont and youll find that they expertly divert your attention from the dangers of the products they manufacture. One of my favorite examples is DuPonts defense of Teflon: the common nonstick coating found most abundantly on cookware. They bust the myth of the dangerous Teflon by reminding consumers that it can contribute to a heart-healthy low-fat diet by letting you cook with little or no fat. What they dont tell you is that it is a perfluorochemical which has been linked to hormone disruption and liver problems. (Chemical Factsheets) They effectively skirt most issues and in some cases they dont even address them. Otherwise their main tactic seems to be dispelling worry by either heavily focusing on the undeniable benefits of the substance or citing studies which they themselves conducted. The chemical industry argues that heavy regulation will squash economic output. Firstly, theyve been allowed to run rampant under the dismally ineffective Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) which serves to protect the industry more than it does to regulate it. (Baker) Secondly, no major industry has been crushed by regulation even those that have a plethora of acts hanging over their heads. The industry would take a blow. Its inevitable. But any doubt as to the survival of DuPont and Dow can be quieted by a glance to the European continent. Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is the European Commissions version of a revamped TSCA. The program is working well, contrary to post-enactment fears. As always, in the face of restriction is birthed innovation. European chemical manufacturers must develop ingenuities in order to adapt to REACH. Rather than suffocate the industry, Europe is seeing progress and growth. (Miller and Spoolman) This approach also deals with our inseparable attachment to chemicals. New restrictions are in fact challenges in that they prod the industry to create imaginative alternatives in response. We may one day be able to nurse our addiction to chemicals without worrying if they are making us ill.

Chemical Body Burden

Approximately 80,000 chemicals are used today, with about 10,000 of those found in consumer products. (Baker) The Center for Disease Control and Preventions Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals released information on about tests conducted on 250 of these chemicals (that is 0.3125% of the chemicals on the market, in case you are interested). Basically, we know very little about these potential toxins. But there are some certainties which can be explored to give insight into a frightful future, especially if even a small percentage of these chemicals exhibit these behaviors.

The first problem encountered with chemicals is that a few have been identified as persistent organic compounds (POPs). Examples include the infamous DDT, PCB, flame retardants, and dioxins. (Miller and Spoolman) The problem with POPs is that they dont disappear, hence the term persistent. They will eventually biodegrade, but until that day they remain wafting through our atmosphere, water, food webs, and, by default, our bodies. Theyre known to be teratogens, mutagens, and carcinogens. (Chemical Factsheets) The second problem we face with chemicals (particularly POPs and heavy metals) is that they become biomagnified through the food chain. This means that they accumulate in the fatty tissues of various animals as said animal digests prey that has already ingested these toxins. (Miller and Spoolman) The toxins reach significant levels in the top consumers of the food chain, including us. We find them amassing in our own tissues. Because these chemicals are persistent we can expect them to settle inside us for quite a while, and likely until death. Finally, our most pressing problem is that these chemicals are still going unregulated, with the exception of a landmark few (including lead, mercury, and DDT). The responsibility of monitoring and regulating these toxins falls largely upon the shoulders of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Their main source of power comes from the TSCA. Unfortunately, the act was written to be ineffectual. In order for the EPA to ban any sort of chemical they must prove that the chemical is toxic enough to merit prohibition. (Baker) But the task of evaluating each substance becomes nearly impossible with thousands of chemicals being patented each year. The job then falls to the industry itself, which can hardly be relied to be anything but opaque.

Tackling Toxins
Not every chemical is a POP or can be bio-magnified. In fact, many dont exhibit either characteristic. The government has also succeeded in phasing out the worst of them. So when we can breathe easy, right? Cant we rest easy now that we know scrubbers are pulling out sulfur dioxide from coal-burning power plants and the painted eyes our childs Barbie dont contain lead. I wish I could tell you that detergent and oven cleaner only does what its advertised to do. It would be so convenient to be able to trust that our baby bottles cannot create infertility, or that the milk in them wont speed up the onset of puberty. I wish the flame retardant in our blankets and pajamas wasnt a possible carcinogen, and that neurological disorders couldnt be accounted to consumption of seafood. Id much rather the whole population of humans didnt store toxins in their fatty tissues and struggle with the aftereffects of said chemicals.

Composition of toxins found in women of childbearing age.

Image source: Women 16-49 at risk of multiple pollutants, Brown University.

The most frightening result of toxin buildup is the heightened chance of developing cancer. This is a well-known fact, as exemplified by the following quote from The Breast Cancer Funds webSsite: The chemicals in our environment play a role in altering our biological processes. It's clear that our exposures to toxic chemicals and radiation are connected to our breast cancer risk. More evidence of the relationship between cancer and toxins within the body was uncovered by researchers at Manchester Universitys KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology. The team dissected Egyptian mummies in a search for any indication that they people of that time couldve had cancer. Professor Rosalie David, who participated in the study, said that they found cancer in ancient times to be extremely rare. The researchers concluded that there was nothing in the natural environment that *could+ cause cancer, and that what we face is in fact a man-made modern disease. The likely cause? Pollution, diet, and lifestyle. (Nordqvist) Modern statistics from the National Cancer Institute give us the dismal prospect that 1 in 2 men and women will be diagnosed with cancer of all sites during their lifetime. The percent of U.S. citizens that develop any form (site) of cancer is 40.76% (SEER Stat Fact Sheets: All Sites) Ill let the cancer rate discrepancy between our ancestors and our generation speak for itself.

Living Point Blank

We arent safe just because the most hazardous POPs have been banned. We arent out of the clear because many chemicals arent POPs. We still must consider the persistence of the banned chemicals. Even though they arent being produced they are still here; inside you and me. Theyll be around for generations. We will pass them onto our children through our own blood and the food that

we lay in front of them. We cant avoid POPs. Eating organic or shoving off to live in the woods wont protect you from these trace killers. Whats more, we arent even beginning to examine most of the chemicals that surround us. In fact, most effort being taken to protect consumers is being made by the consumers themselves, with the help of a few conscientious companies. Weve begun to shy away from BPA, VOCs, phthalates, parabens, and sulfates. However, very few of us are aware of triclosan, organochlorides, PANs, or furans. But what is really amazing is that there are hundreds of thousands more chemicals that we have absolutely no idea about. You wont buy a pair of heels without trying them on, nor will you eat an apple you find on the ground unless you can see the tree above it. Yet you will inject your body with hundreds of potential toxins without a second thought. Its not really your fault. The chemical industry didnt give you anything to doubt. As long as you didnt down Drano or mistake Raid for hairspray you thought you were good. The dose makes the poison, right? But were forgetting common sense. Look before you leap. Weve all been jumping completely blind. Precaution is thrown out the window as we make trust falls into the non-existent arms of the chemical industry. Plain and simple, chemicals shouldnt make it into the market without being thoroughly tested. Period. We have no idea which of the some 80,000 chemicals could be POPs, aggressive mutagens, or flat out lethal. Our future and that of our children depends on our sentience today. Effectively, what we are doing is gifting our kids with a big toxic nightmare, all wrapped up behind the pretty paper of economy and a bow of apathetic convenience. If the current tribulation of our chemical affair is anything to go by, we can pretty easily predict that the future only has more perils in store. It doesnt really matter that not every chemical is toxic. It doesnt even matter if most of them arent. What we have to consider is that the ones that are can pack a big punch. Theyve been proven carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and are known to be accompanied by a slew of costly and crippling health issues. By not practicing preventative care we are dooming ourselves to a future riddled with increasingly severe health issues. If we dont take action to protect ourselves and our children we will find our healthcare system disintegrating under the strain. Indeed, it already is. It is a difficult issue to tackle because toxins are slow working and tricky to attribute health complications to. We have a hard

time assigning the side effects of chemicals when we are host to so many. NASA scientist James Hanson explains the difficulty with his extrapolation of steroids and climate change, which can easily be adapted to steroids and toxins: You can't blame any single event [on toxins], so the analogy that was recently drawn of a baseball player on steroids that's a good example. He'll hit more home runs, but you can't say that particular home run was because he was on steroids. But you can clearly see there's an impact.

Works Cited
American Chemistry Council. n.d. Web. 25 September 2013. Baker, Nena. The Body Toxic . New York: North Point Press, 2008. Book . Breast Cancer & Our Environment. n.d. Web. 25 September 2013. Chemical Factsheets. n.d. Website. 24 September 2013. "Chemical Manufacturing ." Sector Preformance Report . 2008. PDF. DuPont. n.d. Web. 25 September 2013. Gerstein, Julie. Secret Lipstick Ingredients Revealed. n.d. Web Article. 24 September 2013. Mcdonough, Katie. Majority of chemicals in household products have never been independently tested. 14 April 2013. Image. 23 September 2013. Miller, Craig. Scientists More Outspoken on Exteme Weather-Climate Links. 2012 21 December. Web Article . 25 September 2013. Miller, G. Tyler and Scott E. Spoolman. 17, Living in the Environment: Edition. Cengage Learning, 2011. Nordqvist, Christian. "Cancer Is Probably Man Made Caused By Pollution And Diet." 15 October 2010. Medical News Today . Web Article . 25 September 2013. SEER Stat Fact Sheets: All Sites. n.d. Website. 25 September 2013. Surveilliance Epidemiology and End Results. n.d. Web. 25 September 2013. The Chemical Industry. n.d. Website. 24 September 2013. Women 1649 at risk of multiple pollutants. 28 November 2012. Web Article . 24 September 2013.