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Polluted Children, Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in Canadian
Families (June 2006)
http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/reports/toxicnationFamily.htm

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Jun 2, 2006

NB Telegraph-Journal

Teenager diagnosed with blood disorder often caused by environmental poisoning
Mary Donovan and her family found to have fewer toxins in their
systems than others across Canada

By Marty Klinkenberg
Telegraph-Journal

Patty Donovan has cooked from scratch for 15 years, since her twins,
Mary and Hanna, were born. She baked home-made bread and made their
baby food from organic vegetables grown in the back yard. She used
baking soda and vinegar instead of cleaning solvents, made sure
contractors used environmentally friendly products during
renovations, never used pesticides or perfume, never had carpeting.

So the Quispamsis resident wasn't surprised Thursday when a national
research project showed her daughters had the lowest level of
contaminants of any participants in the country. The report, done by
a Toronto organization called Environmental Defence, is the first
study of pollution levels in Canadian youths.

But Ms. Donovan was stunned when her daughter Mary was recently
diagnosed with a blood disorder that is often caused by environmental
poisoning.

Mary Donovan, a ninth-grade student at Kennebecasis Valley High
School, was diagnosed only two weeks ago with severe aplastic anemia,
a very serious blood disorder that strikes only about three in every
one million people. Her treatment will include blood transfusions,
drug therapy and, quite possibly, chemotherapy and a bone marrow
transplant.

The cause of her disease is unknown. Causes of aplastic anemia
include a genetic disposition - in this case, already ruled out - and
environmental poisoning.

"The idea that it could be caused by pollutants is appalling and
unacceptable," Patty Donovan said Thursday as she sat in the living
room of her home, Mary beside her. The teen is unable to attend
school because her immune system has been compromised, and is not
allowed to brush her teeth or shave her legs because a scrape or cut
could become badly infected.

Mary felt fine until about a month ago, when fatigue set in.

"Suddenly, I felt like I couldn't do things," Mary said. "I was way
too weak. I had trouble getting up in the morning for school, and in
between classes, I would have to plop down or lean against a wall to
rest. It was horrible."
Then bruises appeared on her legs, a symptom of both aplastic anemia
and leukemia, which is similar. Her doctor ordered an immediate blood
test and she was hospitalized in Saint John later that day. Tests at
the IWK Health Centre in Halifax confirmed the diagnosis. Patty
Donovan celebrated her 46th birthday on May 18 in the hematology and
oncology ward there, with her daughter.

As for the research project, Ms. Donovan says the results were
evidence she and her daughters were doing things right.

"For me, this is a vindication, evidence that I am doing the right
thing," said Ms. Donovan, who ran in January's federal election as
the Green Party candidate for Fundy Royal, the massive riding that
covers the area between Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton.

"As a mom, this is a success. This is what I wanted to happen."

Researchers tested 13 people from five families as part of the study,
looking for traces of suspected toxins in their blood and urine. The
chemicals tested for included DDT, PCBs, mercury and lead, which have
been associated with causing cancer, hormone disruption, reproductive
disorders, respiratory illnesses, damage to the central nervous
system and childhood development.

The study found an average of 23 known or suspected toxins in the
blood and urine of the seven children involved in the project, but
six fewer in the Donovan twins.

Ms. Donovan, the program facilitator at a women's shelter in Saint
John, was found to have the fewest chemicals in her body (24) among
the six adults tested.

Two participants - from Gatineau and Whapmagoostui, both in Quebec -
tested positive for 51.

Health Canada responded to the findings by promising to do a similar
study next year.

Ms. Donovan was generally pleased by the findings, but was startled
that cancer-causing DDT and PCBs, both banned before they were born,
were found in the twins. The most likely sources are from water and
air.

"I never thought I would find DDT in my kids,' Ms. Donovan said.
"That shows that they are persistent, organic pollutants. It takes a
long time for these chemicals to leave."

Today, Mary Donovan and her mother are looking ahead to Mary's
treatment. Mary has already cut her hair short because she knows her
hair will fall out when her chemotherapy begins.
"We're approaching this as an adventure," Patty Donovan said.

"We're going to shave our heads and get cool caps, and we're going to
learn about the body. We're trying to be as positive as possible. We
could cry, stomp, yell and point fingers, but none of that would help.
"We've been handed a task, and the task is to beat this disease and get well."

http://www.canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/TPEBRIEF/606020401&template=printart

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Jun. 2, 2006

Toronto Star

Toxic tally alarms family
Chemicals found in parents, kids
Watchdog group conducted study
.
NANCY J. WHITE
LIFE WRITER

Ada Dowler-Cohen, age 10, wasn't shocked when she saw the list of
poisonous substances in her body: 18 carcinogens, 14 chemicals that
disrupt hormones, 19 that affect reproduction and development and 9
toxic to the brain and nervous system. Rather, the girl was angry.
"There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since 1977,"
says the Toronto Grade 5 student. "How fair is that?"Blood and urine
samples showed that Ada, an avid swimmer, badminton player and music
lover, was carrying around traces of nine types of PCBs, the highly
toxic chemicals banned nearly 30 years ago, as well as substances
used in pesticides, flame retardants, stain repellents and fuel
additives. "I'm dismayed at the extent of heavy metals that showed up
in her," says the girl's mother, Barri Cohen. "And I'm even more
dismayed that she has higher levels than I do in some chemicals." Ada
and her mother are part of a study, Polluted Children, Toxic Nation,
released yesterday by Environmental Defence. The Toronto watchdog
group had five Canadian families - six adults and seven children -
tested for 68 toxic chemicals. On average, they found 32 of the
chemicals in each parent and 23 in each child.While the parents
tended to have more exposures and higher concentrations of the
chemicals, the youngsters as a group were more polluted with several
chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). It's the chemical
used in non-stick coatings on cookware and as a stain repellent on
clothing, carpets and upholstery. It's a suspected carcinogen.The
children also showed a higher median concentration for the group of
chemicals widely used as flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl
ethers (PBDEs). They're commonly used in mattresses, upholstered
furniture, computer and television casings and have been found in
breast milk and house dust. In animal studies, they caused liver
tumours, interfered with hormone function and affected behaviour.
Some researchers wonder if they are linked to attention deficit
disorders.

"The bottom line," says Rick Smith, executive director of
Environmental Defence, "we are poisoning our children."

This method of sampling human tissues and fluids, known as
biomonitoring, is being used increasingly by environmental groups and
governments to get a sense of the chemicals our bodies are absorbing
through air, water, food, soil and consumer products. Next year
Health Canada will start its first large-scale biomonitoring testing
on about 5,000 volunteers, some as young as 6. Environmental Defence
published its first Toxic Nation study last year, testing 11 adults
for 88 harmful chemicals. This year's follow-up study focused on
families, the youngest children age 10, and was done at expert labs
in Quebec and British Columbia at a cost of $2,000 per person. The

Canadian Chemical Producers' Association points out that not all
biomonitoring studies are equal, that some are comprehensive while
others are carried out primarily for advocacy purposes and may be
less robust. With relatively small numbers of volunteers,
Environmental Defence studies are intended to illustrate that a
serious problem exists, not offer a full diagnosis, explains Smith.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
`There are chemicals in my blood that have been banned since 1977.
How fair is that?'Ada Dowler-Cohen, 10
------------------------------------------------------------------------

While traces of chemicals can be detected in the volunteers, no one
knows exactly what it means to human health. People's
susceptibilities differ depending on their genetic make-up. And
people are exposed to thousands of various chemicals at different
concentrations and at different times in their lives. "It's so
incredibly complicated, I'm not sure we'll ever get there," says
Miriam Diamond, a University of Toronto professor in the geography
department who specializes in environmental science. "But we
shouldn't wait. We should act in a precautionary way." Children tend
to be more vulnerable to chemical exposure because they're still
developing and growing, says Diamond. They also take in
proportionally more pollutants than adults. Per kilogram of body
weight, they eat more, drink more, breathe more. The good news from
the study, according to Smith, is that the children had much lower
levels of banned substances, such as PCBs and DDT, than their
parents. "It's a clear indication that when government does act, the
levels of poison do decrease over time."The bad news is that they
show up in kids at all. It points to the need for government to act
quickly to ban other harmful chemicals, says Smith. "The longer we
wait, the more generations of children will be affected."The Canadian
Environmental Protection Act is up for review this year.

Environmental Defence wants to see it amended to make industry more
accountable for the safety of its chemicals and to include an
immediate ban on the most dangerous ones with timelines for the
elimination of other toxic substances.Pointing to toxin reduction
laws in many American states and in Europe, Smith says Canada is
falling behind. "Unless the federal government acts, Canada risks
becoming the market of last resort for poisonous products that are
illegal to sell in other parts of the world." A proposal from Health
Canada and Environment Canada to ban six of the seven groups of PBDEs
is currently being considered by the new government in Ottawa.

"We expect a decision fairly soon," says Paul Glover, director
general of the safe environment program at Health Canada. The Toxic
Nation volunteers are left trying to figure out how to reduce
exposures in their lives. Cohen, a documentary filmmaker in her early
40s, was shocked to learn she had above-normal levels of cadmium, a
carcinogen associated with cigarettes, even though she smokes rarely.

She also had the greatest levels of mercury among all the study
participants. She intends to cut down on her frequent consumption of
fish, some species of which have high levels of the heavy metal.Her
daughter, Ada, showed an above-normal level of manganese, a suspected
toxin to the respiratory, reproductive and nervous systems that's
used in fuel additives. Cohen wonders if that result has something to
do with the school bus that her daughter rides for about an hour
every weekday. Cohen also plans to buy more organic foods and resist
the convenience of fast foods. Ada had a higher concentration than
her mother of PFOA, which is often used in candy-bar and fast-food
wrappers and microwave popcorn bags.

Rummaging through her cupboard, Cohen examines the individually
wrapped cereal and yogurt bars and bags of pita chips that would
often go in Ada's lunch and wonders about the packaging. "It's all so
pervasive," she says. "I'm not sure where to even begin."

For more information, visit http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/ toxicnation

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1149189012951&call_pageid=991479973472

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June 2, 2006

The Globe and Mail

Toxic cocktail found in children
Study discovers wide exposure to host of pollutants

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER


Amy Robertson has gone to great pains to avoid exposing her children
to pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals. She operated a
certified organic farm for seven years, and she shuns non-stick
cookware and harsh household cleaning products.

So the results of a recent batch of tests came as something of a
shock. Ms. Robertson, who lives in Vancouver, found that she and her
two children carried a veritable cocktail of manufactured
carcinogens, hormone disruptors and neurotoxins in their bodies, a
total of about 30 each. There were traces of computer flame
retardants, bits of the complicated molecules used to make non-stick
pans, and even PCBs, an industrial chemical so dangerous it was
banned as a health hazard nearly 30 years ago.

Ms. Robertson says she feels as if harmful chemicals, substances with
which she never consented to come into contact, are trespassing on
herself and her children. "It's really appalling. Our toxicity levels
far exceeded anything I could imagine," she said.

Ms. Robertson was a participant in an unusual research project. A
group of 13 Canadian parents, their children and, in one case, a
grandparent, agreed to have their blood and urine subjected to a
battery of tests, checking for the presence of 68 potentially
dangerous chemicals. The analytical sleuthing was undertaken by
Environmental Defence, a Toronto conservation organization, to
determine how the level of pollutants varied between children and
their parents.

One of the project's findings: Children have pervasive exposures to
pollutants, with higher concentrations of some contaminants than
adults, particularly for chemicals used in many common consumer
products. The average child carried a total of 23 different
contaminants.

An Environmental Defence spokesman said the finding of widespread
chemical residues in children indicates Health Canada hasn't been
aggressive enough protecting the public from pollutants.

"What kind of a government allows the children of the country to be
contaminated in this way?," said Rick Smith, Environmental Defence
executive director. "Surely, we have a right as parents to demand
some level of security for our children as they grow and develop."

The group issued a report, called Polluted Children, Toxic Nation,
outlining the findings of its research project yesterday.

It is not known if the pollutant levels, typically at around a part
per billion in their bodies for contaminants, represents a health
hazard.

An official at Health Canada said the levels of individual chemicals
found were safe, but he conceded that health regulators don't know
whether the full cocktail of pollutants to which people are exposed
is a risk because no one actually tests contaminants in this way.
Typically, pollutants are checked for health effects one at a time,
not in mixtures.

"Every jurisdiction everywhere around the world is struggling to deal
with the mixtures issue and the truth is that all jurisdictions and
science today is struggling to answer that question," said Paul
Glover, head of Health Canada's safe-environment program.

The list of synthetic substances in those tested was a veritable
cornucopia of chemicals in modern life, with a total of 46 different
substances found.

On average, adults did have more extensive chemical burdens than
children, carrying 32 chemicals each -- a finding that might be
expected, given that parents had been alive longer and grew up during
an era of laxer pollution controls.

The study also found PCBs, and pesticides such as DDT, both now
banned, in all of those tested. The children were born years after
restrictions for the two chemicals came into effect, highlighting
both the persistence of these pollutants and their ability to pass
from one generation to the next.

The median concentration of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in the
children was about twice the level of adults. These flame-retardant
chemicals have been widely used in Canada during recent decades in
computers and mattresses. Recent research has linked exposures to
attention deficit and hyperactivity in laboratory animals.

Children also had higher burdens than adults of one chemical used to
make Teflon pans and another that has been phased out of Scotchgard,
the stain repellant. These chemicals are a concern because they've
been linked to cancer, decreased pituitary gland size and death in
laboratory animals.

The report said that given the relatively small number of people
tested, the results shouldn't be taken as a representative sample of
levels of these chemicals in Canadians.

Health Canada and Statistics Canada plan a more extensive survey of
the contaminants of the population this fall. The two departments
plan to test about 5,000 people over a two-year period.

Trespassers in humans

Chemicals detected in volunteers, median concentrations, in parts per billion

PBDEs: Flame retardants used in mattresses and electronics, which are
powerful thyroid hormone disrupters

Adults: 0.042

Children: 0.118

PFCs: Chemicals used in non-stick, stain-resistant coatings linked to
cancer and animal deaths

Adults: 17.345

Children: 17.329

PCBs: Used in industrial equipment, banned in 1977, linked to cancer,
birth defects and brain damage

Adults: 1.934

Children: 0.574

OCPs: Pesticides, such as DDT, linked to hormone disruption

Adults: 0.787

Children: 0.286

SOURCE: TOXICNATION.CA

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060602.TOXIC02/TPStory/Environment

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Children polluted with chemicals: report

One child gets her blood tested in the study.

Amy Robertson says 'It makes me angry.'

Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence, speaks
during a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on
Thursday.

TV.ca News Staff

Updated: Thu. Jun. 1 2006 11:33 PM ET

Flame retardants, mercury and lead were just some of the toxic
chemicals found in the bodies of children and their parents in a
cross-Canada study of pollution in people.

"It makes me angry," Amy Robertson, a volunteer in the study, told
CTV News. "I feel victimized by the air that I am breathing and the
things I have no control over."

The report by Environmental Defence, entitled Polluted Children,
Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in Canadian Families, tested the
blood and urine of 13 people from communities across Canada.

Seven children and six adults from British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec
and New Brunswick were checked for 68 different toxins.

The lab tests found a total of 46 of the 68 chemicals in the
volunteers, including toxins that can cause cancer, reproductive
disorders, disrupt the hormone system and cause developmental delays.

On average, adults had 32 toxins, and 23 were found in children.

"Most shocking, in a number of cases, children had much higher levels
of certain toxic chemicals than their parents," said Dr. Rick Smith,
executive director of Environmental Defence.

"In fact, in every case, the children tested had at least one toxin
at a higher level than the adults that we tested," he told a news
conference.
Viviane Maraphi, a mother and Toxic Nations volunteer from Montreal,
had the highest level oftoxins -- 36.
Her 10-year-old son, Aladin Bonin, had 25 chemicals in his body.

"When I saw how many different chemicals are in my body, I was
astounded. But, when I saw the toxic chemicals in my son's body, I
was angry. Our children deserve better protection," she said in a
news release.

"It's not fair that children should be so polluted with these
chemicals," said Aladin. "I hope that adults do something now to fix
the problem."

Toxic politics

In an attempt to bring federal attention to the issue, the
environmental group challenged Environment Minister Rona Ambrose to
test her own blood and urine for toxic contamination.

Ambrose accepted the request.

"The minister of health and myself have offered to participate in
this study to raise the profile of the toxins that are in our
children's blood in Canada," Ambrose said during Thursday's question
period.

NDP Leader Jack Layton responded by attacking the Conservatives for
voting against an NDP bill that would have banned toxic pesticides
two weeks ago.

"Actions speak louder than words," Layton said.

Health Canada responded to the study's findings by promising to
conduct a much larger national survey.

The federal health agency plans to monitor 5,000 Canadians for toxic
contamination over a two-year period from 2007 to 2009.

"The government of Canada takes very seriously the exposure of
Canadians to environmental chemicals,'' said Health Canada
spokeswoman Carolyn Sexauer.

According to Sexauer, children are at greater risk for toxic
contamination than adults because of their size, immature organs,
physiology, curiosity and lack of knowledge.

Room for improvement

Dr. Kapil Khatter, head of Canadian Physicians for the Environment,
also volunteered for the study. He said Canada isn't working
hardenough to get rid of these chemicals.

"I think we are being lazy, and that we need to make a solid effort
to get these chemicals out of our system," Khatter told CTV Newsnet.

"There isn't any reason for us to be walking around with levels of
chemicals in our bodies."

Even some banned chemicals -- such as PCBs (polychlorinated
biphenyls) and DDT, a pesticide -- were found in the blood and urine
of the children.

The Health Canada website says everyone is exposed to trace amounts
of PCBs "through food, and to a lesser extent, through air, soil and
water."

"These low levels are unlikely to cause adverse health effects," says
the info sheet on PCBs.

Based on their findings, Environmental Defence is demanding that the
federal government establish guidelines for the elimination of toxic
chemicals, starting with some of the most harmful ones, such as flame
retardants.

It also wants Ottawa to regulatechemicals in consumer products and
reduce pollution in the Great Lakes basin.

"Our children are being poisoned every day by toxic chemicals that
surround them at home, school and play," Smith said in a news release.

"The fact that children in our study have higher levels than their
parents of a number of chemicals is an indictment of federal inaction
and shows the failure of federal environmental law."
With files from CTV's Avis Favaro and The Canadian Press

© Copyright 2002-2006 Bell Globemedia Inc.

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