CTVNews.ca Staff, June 26, 2013 1:15:00 PM
Canadian children may already be carrying environmental toxins in their bodies even before they are born, an environmental group says.
In a new report, Environmental Defence says it tested the umbilical cord blood of three babies born in Toronto and Hamilton and found evidence of 137 chemicals.
The chemicals included flame retardants, lead, PCBs, organochlorine pesticides and PFCs (perfluorochemicals), which are found in non-stick coatings.
The group says some of the chemicals have been banned for years, but were still found in the cord blood they tested, highlighting how long toxic chemicals can persist in our environment and bodies.
Some of the chemicals they found have been linked in some studies to health conditions such as cancer, and developmental and reproductive problems.
This is particularly worrisome, they say, because a fetus can absorb higher levels of toxic chemicals than adults in relation to their body size when they are growing so rapidly. As well, they say, their "detoxification mechanisms" are less developed than adults, meaning a fetus is not as efficient at flushing out chemicals.
The group says their findings suggest babies are exposed to chemicals in the womb because pollutants are so pervasive in our environment and our consumer products.
"Canadians should have the right to live in a clean, healthy environment. But our tests indicate that before birth, our bodies are already contaminated by hazardous chemicals, some of which have been banned for decades," write the authors of the report, entitled "Pre-Polluted: A Report on Toxic Substances in the Umbilical Cord Blood of Canadian Newborns."
Maggie MacDonald, the toxics program manager with Environmental Defence, says it's nearly impossible for expectant mothers to protect their children from toxic chemicals, because they are so pervasive in our environment.
"We want to tell mothers it's not their fault that their babies are being polluted with these toxic chemicals," she told CTV News Channel Tuesday.
MacDonald says consumers can play a role in reducing the prevalence of these chemicals, though, by not buying products that contain "chemicals of convenience," such as fabrics with stain repellents or non-stick cookware.
"That then influences industry to stop using these chemicals in their products," she said.
Already polluted? Environmental toxins found in newborns' cord blood: report
Here is another intereting report on this link "CC Marketplace chasing the cancer answer"
This thread may be in the wrong place but I believe the prolem is political because our government is not going after the food industry to remove the carcinogens from our food.
Canadian children may already be carrying environmental toxins in their bodies even before they are born, an environmental group says.
In a new report, Environmental Defence says it tested the umbilical cord blood of three babies born in Toronto and Hamilton and found evidence of 137 chemicals.
The chemicals included flame retardants, lead, PCBs, organochlorine pesticides and PFCs (perfluorochemicals), which are found in non-stick coatings.
The group says some of the chemicals have been banned for years, but were still found in the cord blood they tested, highlighting how long toxic chemicals can persist in our environment and bodies.
Some of the chemicals they found have been linked in some studies to health conditions such as cancer, and developmental and reproductive problems.
This is particularly worrisome, they say, because a fetus can absorb higher levels of toxic chemicals than adults in relation to their body size when they are growing so rapidly. As well, they say, their "detoxification mechanisms" are less developed than adults, meaning a fetus is not as efficient at flushing out chemicals.
The group says their findings suggest babies are exposed to chemicals in the womb because pollutants are so pervasive in our environment and our consumer products.
"Canadians should have the right to live in a clean, healthy environment. But our tests indicate that before birth, our bodies are already contaminated by hazardous chemicals, some of which have been banned for decades," write the authors of the report, entitled "Pre-Polluted: A Report on Toxic Substances in the Umbilical Cord Blood of Canadian Newborns."
Maggie MacDonald, the toxics program manager with Environmental Defence, says it's nearly impossible for expectant mothers to protect their children from toxic chemicals, because they are so pervasive in our environment.
"We want to tell mothers it's not their fault that their babies are being polluted with these toxic chemicals," she told CTV News Channel Tuesday.
MacDonald says consumers can play a role in reducing the prevalence of these chemicals, though, by not buying products that contain "chemicals of convenience," such as fabrics with stain repellents or non-stick cookware.
"That then influences industry to stop using these chemicals in their products," she said.
Already polluted? Environmental toxins found in newborns' cord blood: report
Here is another intereting report on this link "CC Marketplace chasing the cancer answer"
This thread may be in the wrong place but I believe the prolem is political because our government is not going after the food industry to remove the carcinogens from our food.
