The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Vermont, an organization in which Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) is a member of, released the first Body Burden study to be done in Vermont.  Body Burden studies test to find what chemicals we have in our bodies.

The report, Toxic Exposures in the Green Mountain State, tested the bodies of six Vermonters for a variety of common chemicals found in the environment and consumer products.  These chemicals - including bisphenol A (BPA), mercury, organochlorine pesticides, and flame retardants known as Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) – have all been linked to harmful health impacts ranging from cancer to neurological damage to birth defects.

The amount of each chemical found in the bodies of participants varied widely.  According to the study:

• BPA was found in every participant and levels of the chemical in three of the participants exceeded the national norm;
• Levels of mercury were found in four participants, each time equaling or exceeding the national norm;
• Seven types of organochlorine pesticides were found in the blood of all participants, and DDT – banned in 1972 – was found in the bodies of five of the six Vermonters; and
• Twenty different types of flame retardants were present in all of the participants, and Deca was found in all but one of the Vermonters.

“We participated in this study because as one of the largest providers of reproductive health care in our region, we believe it’s our responsibility to help our patients and communities understand the link between their health and the products they put in and on their bodies.   It is part of our role as health care providers to educate our patients about how to reduce their exposure to harmful contaminants,” said Ellen Starr, V.P. of PPNNE Health Center Operations. “With growing evidence linking chemical exposures to infertility, pregnancy loss, adverse birth outcomes, various cancers, and other health issues, it has become increasingly clear to those of us who work for reproductive justice that we must turn our attention to the environmental toxicants that are affecting the women in our state; in particular their ability to become pregnant, have healthy pregnancies, and give birth to healthy babies.”

The next step is chemical reform, but how do we get there?  Representative Willem Jewett has introduced H.484, a bill that would establish comprehensive chemical reform and you can read a previous blog post on his bill here: https://www.good-chemistry.org/?p=1451.

You can read the findings here and the Body Burden Report here.

Tags: Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Vermont, chemicals, Deca, environmental health, Environmental Working Group, PBDE chemicals, pesticides

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 6:49 pm and is filed under Cancer Awareness, environmental justice, Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.