Report: toxic chemicals bad for health and wealth
A new report out today says that toxic chemical exposure is costing Americans big in terms of their health and the dollars they spend on health care.
The study by the Safer Chemicals Health Families Coalition and sent to us by the Maryland Public Interest Research Group called “The Health Case for Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act,” concludes that the country could curtail the rising rates of chronic disease and reduce health care costs by overhauling federal chemical policy.
The report is based on analysis of peer-reviewed scientific studies, the groups said.
At a time when Congress and the nation debate health care reform, the report says many common diseases and conditions are linked to chemical exposure, including cancer, learning and developmental disabilities and asthma.
The authors call on Congress to update toxic chemical laws. It cites estimates showing that reducing the incidence of these diseases by 0.1 percent could save $5 billion in health care costs. This is based on expected health care costs projected for 2020, and assumes full implementation of the new legislation by then.
In Maryland, the savings would be more than $94 million a year, the study says. (In addition to Congressional action, Mary PIRG is also is supporting legislation in the Maryland General Assembly to curb use of chemicals including Bisphenol A, found in polycarbonate plastic including baby bottles and most food cans. The Food and Drug Administration just reversed itself and said there may be reason to be concerned about the chemical and is studying the issue.)
See the full report at www.saferchemicals.org.
The target of the report is the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which has not been significantly amended since its adoption in 1976. However, officials at the Environmental Protection Agency say amending the law is an Obama administraiton priority. Lawmakers have also said they plan to introduce legislation.
The report says of the 80,000 chemicals used in the United States, EPA has been able to require safety testing on only 200. And 60,000 chemicals - including bisphenol A - were grandfathered in for use without any testing for health safety.
“Scientific evidence is piling up, revealing how chemicals are contributing to the alarming increases we are seeing in childhood leukemia, learning disabilities, reproductive disorders and other health problems,” says Charlotte Brody, national field director of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition and lead author of the report, said in a statement. “But meanwhile the federal law that is supposed to protect us has stayed frozen in time.”
The report summarizes a number of peer-reviewed studies that estimate the disease burden of America's children. Infants and children are uniquely vulnerable to toxic industrial chemicals. Research from CDC documents show that several hundred industrial chemicals are in all of us. Some of these chemicals are known to cause asthma, cancer, learning disabilities and birth defects,” said Philip J. Landrigan, MD, Pediatrician and Director, Children's Environmental Health Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “But for too many of the chemicals that are in us, no toxicity testing has ever been done. For too many of the industrial chemicals that are in us we have no idea of their potential toxicity to our children. This is very unwise and terribly short-sighted. Failure of TSCA is cause for great concern not only for the health of our children, but also for the future of our nation."
Some disease are on an alarming upswing, the report says: Leukemia and other childhood cancers have increased by more than 20 percent since 1975. A woman’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is now one in eight, up from one in ten in 1973. Infertility affected 40 percent more women in 2002 than in 1982. The once-rare birth defect of undescended testicles in baby boys increased 200 percent between 1970 and 1993. Since the early 1990s, reported cases of autism spectrum disorder have increased tenfold.
“People of all incomes should be able to buy products for themselves and their children with the assurance of safety,” said Maryland PIRG Environmental Health Advocate Jenny Levin, in a statement. “Unfortunately, many consumers today don’t have that luxury. Congress should pass comprehensive chemical safety legislation that phases out chemicals of concern and protects vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children.”
Comments
Thanks for the great article. One small correction: the report was written and published by the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Coalition -- not Maryland PIRG.
Fixed. Thanks. -MC
Posted by: Susanne Frank | January 21, 2010 3:21 PM
Thanks Ms. Cohen, for posting this. I think making industrial chemicals safer is something we can all get behind. To ensure that we really fix this problem we must include modern science language, which necessarily utilizes non-animal methods, in this bill; otherwise we'll have another outdated bill on our hands.
Currently, many toxicity tests are based on experiments in animals and use methods that were developed as long ago as the 1930’s; they and are slow, inaccurate, open to uncertainty and manipulation, and do not adequately protect human health. These tests take anywhere from months to years, and tens of thousands to millions of dollars to perform. More importantly, the current testing paradigm has a poor record in predicting effects in humans and an even poorer record in leading to actual regulation of dangerous chemicals.
Alternatives to animal testing exist in a powerful way and many scientists advocate them. Chemical reform should not only modernize policy, but modernize the science that supports that policy. Let's ensure chemical reform uses all the necessary tools to truly make humans, our environment, and animals safe.
Posted by: Charli | January 21, 2010 5:20 PM