WWF finds dozens of industrial chemicals in Finnish family’s blood
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The grandmother, mother, and daughter of a Finnish family were found to carry traces of dozens of different kinds of industrial chemicals in their blood in a study conducted by the Finnish section of the environmental organisation WWF. Some of the chemicals found in the study are known, or suspected to be hazardous, including toxic PCB compounds and brominated flame retardants.
According to WWF, blood analysis indicates that existing regulations are insufficient to protect people and the environment against dangerous chemicals.
The highest concentrations of toxins were found in the blood of the 65-year-old grandmother. She had 31 different industrial chemicals in her blood, including DDT and PCB compounds, whose use was banned in Finland in the 1970s. The sample taken from the mother, 42-year-old Ingrid Korpela, had 34 different chemicals, and her 14-year-old daughter Maria Korpela had 24 chemicals in her sample.
"As a mother I am concerned, because I cannot protect my daughter against dangerous chemicals through my lifestyle choices", she said.
"I can always throw away a makeup remover or a deodorant, but I don’t know what chemicals there may be in a sofa, a computer, or other everyday objects.
Next week Korpela will present the results of her tests to Finnish Members of the European Parliament. "Fortunately there are hard facts that I can show to decision-makers."
To encourage passage of new chemicals regulations, WWF tested 13 families in 12 EU countries.
The results of the tests of the Helsinki family were similar to those in the other countries: most of the children had more chemicals in their systems than their mothers.
For instance, Maria Korpela had a considerably higher concentration of brominated flame retardants than anyone else in the test group. She also had a high content of synthetic musks.
"I was really worried when the tests showed a few high levels. I would like to avoid flame retardants, but I don’t really know how to do it", Maria Korpela said.
Brominated flame retardants are an example of a hazard that those responsible for controlling dangerous chemicals were not able to recognize or prevent in time. There are hundreds of compounds used in electronics, insulation, and textiles, and there is very little knowledge of how they affect people.
Artificial musks are used in cosmetics and hygiene products, among other things. Harmful scents spread into the environment through the air and waste water. Artificial musks have even been detected in animals on the Arctic Spitzbergen.
WWF emphasises that mistakes of the past are being repeated, now that chemicals with similar characteristics as DDT and PCB can be found in the blood of children.
"If the chemical content of a child is even higher than those of the mother, there are poison-sized gaps in the regulations", says Jari Luukkonen of the Finnish section of WWF.
Luukkonen feels that it is crucial for the EU to pass the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) legislation, which would force industry to stop using chemicals which affect hormonal activity and which accumulate in the body.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 7.10.2005 - TODAY |
 WWF finds dozens of industrial chemicals in Finnish family’s blood
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