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Body burden, also known as chemical load, is the amount of harmful chemicals present in a person's body. It is determined by biomonitoring, which assesses exposure by measuring the chemicals or their metabolites in human specimens such as blood or urine. Results are usually expressed in mass units, such as grams and milligrams. The substances may be radioactive or chemically toxic. Many harmful substances are eliminated naturally by the human body, but some are removed very slowly or not at all. Where water soluble molecules may be excreted relatively quickly, non-polar molecules are lipophilic and tend to accumulate in fat tissue, which is also non-polar. Large fragments, such as shrapnel, are also difficult for the body to remove.

Body burden studies

The Environmental Working Group has spearheaded six studies of body burden in Americans as part of the Human Toxome Project, finding 456 industrial pollutants, pesticides and other chemicals in the blood, urine, and breast milk of 115 people, from newborns to teens and adults. Study #4 found pollutants in umbilical cord blood from ten out of ten newborns studied, showing that pollution of the human body begins before birth.[1] The pollutants include chemicals with potentially harmful effects that include birth defects, cancer, and damage to the blood, brain and nervous system, endocrine system, kidney and renal system, immune system and reproduction and fertility, according to numerous scientific studies.[2][3]

Two small-scale studies along the lines of the Human Toxome Project, which were conducted by Environmental Defence, have found widespread pollution in Canadians.[4]

The National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals provides an ongoing assessment of the U.S. population's exposure to environmental chemicals.[5] The Third Report presents first-time exposure information for the U.S. population for 38 of the 148 chemicals included in the Report. The Report also includes the data from the Second Report; that is, data for 1999-2000.

Numerous other, more targeted studies have found pollutants in the populations studied. Analysis of breast milk in mothers in a wide variety of countries, for example, has found contaminants.[6]

Campaigns for awareness of body burden

Body burden of chemicals became a mainstream issue as a result of a PBS program reporting on testing of Bill Moyers for a number of groups of toxic chemicals, and more recently Anderson Cooper on CNN's "Planet in Peril" series on the environment[7].

The book Our Stolen Future brought world-wide attention to scientific discoveries about endocrine disruption and the fact that common contaminants can interfere with the natural signals controlling development of the fetus. The Our Stolen Future website tracks ongoing research.

A number of community based organizations campaign for greater awareness of chemical body burden and its possible impact on human health including reproductive systems.

Timing of exposure

While traditional studies have tried to correlate body burden and cancer at the time of diagnosis, there is increasingly debate on whether it is neonatal exposure which matters most.

Birnbaum and Fenton review a wide array of experimental evidence from animals showing that exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds in early development can cause cancer and/or increase sensitivity to cancer-causing agents later in life.

Reducing exposure

While complete elimination of these compounds from our environment and bodies is unlikely, there are ways to reduce human exposure.

Organic foods are grown without pesticides, which may increase the risk of the development of cancer. By choosing organic foods whenever possible, our intake of pesticides is reduced. The Environmental Working Group has a list of 47 fruits and vegetables rated by the number and concentration of pesticides found on conventional produce samples. [8] Organic foods contain more antioxidants (Carbonaro et al 2002).

Limit your use of plastic food containers, which can contain PVC, BPA, DEHA, and styrene. Look for plastic products labeled as "BPA-free", especially for babies and children. Avoid microwaving plastic food containers. Don't use soft plastics like plastic wrap on food items. Reduce or eliminate use of plastic water bottles. Choose silicon nipples for baby bottles over latex nipples, as latex nipples can leach nitrosamines, which cause cancer. Consult the Smart Plastics Guide: Healthier Food Uses of Plastics

Many food cans are lined with BPA. Limit your intake of canned food items, especially those more likely to contain high amounts of BPA. Refer to this Survey of Bisphenol A in U.S. Canned Foods to see which canned items contained the most BPA.

Many mattresses, household electronics, and common appliances contain PBDE, a toxic flame retardant and suspected endocrine disruptor. When replacing these items, look for products made by manufacturers who have voluntarily agreed to phase out PBDEs: Acer, Apple, Eizo Nanao, LG Electronics, Lenovo, Matsushita, Microsoft, Nokia, Phillips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony-Ericsson, Toshiba, IKEA, and Gaiam. Vacuum with a HEPA filter frequently, as this helps remove contaminated dust from carpets and surfaces.

Makers of personal care products like soap, makeup, lotions, shampoos, and conditioners are not required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test their products. The average person applies 126 compounds on their skin each day, and the skin absorbs a large percentage. Use the Skin Deep database to determine how safe your personal care products are, and to choose safer alternatives.

Consult the Environmental Working Group's 10 Tips for a Healthy Home: A Parent's Guide to Going Green. Eat a diet that consists primarily of whole organic foods, use natural cleaning and personal care products, and choose products from manufacturers that value the health of their customers. Consult the Pollution in People's Less-Toxic Product Choices guide.

Support state and federal initiatives that ban toxic compounds and require labels on products. The Environmental Working Group has drafted the Kids Safe Chemicals Act[9], currently under review in both the house [10] and the senate[11]. The Act would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, which currently declares more than 62,000 industrial chemicals as "safe", although limited testing has been done to prove this.

See Also

References

Carbonaro M, Mattera M, Nicoli S, Bergamo P, Cappelloni M. 2002. Modulation of antioxidant compounds in organic vs conventional fruit (peach, Prunus persica L., and pear, Pyrus communis L.). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemsitry 50(19): 5458-5462.

  1. ^ http://www.ewg.org/sites/humantoxome/participants/participant-group.php?group=bb2 EWG/Commonweal Study #4, industrial chemicals and pesticides in cord blood
  2. ^ http://www.ewg.org/sites/humantoxome/healtheffects/ Health effects of pollutants found in people
  3. ^ http://www.ewg.org/sites/humantoxome/chemicals/references.php Scientific studies cited by the Human Toxome Project
  4. ^ http://www.toxicnation.ca/toxicnation-studies Toxic Nation studies of Canadians by Environmental Defence
  5. ^ http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport CDC National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
  6. ^ http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/
  7. ^ Planet in Peril CNN, October, 2007
  8. ^ http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php
  9. ^ http://www.ewg.org/kidsafe
  10. ^ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.06100:
  11. ^ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN03040:
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