Our Bodies, Ourselves (156 page)
Read Our Bodies, Ourselves Online
Authors: Boston Women's Health Book Collective
RADIATION EXPOSURE
Radiation exposure is a possible reproductive health risk. More research is needed to determine if nonionizing radiationâthe radiation we're exposed to from microwaves, electronics, and voltage linesâcan damage reproductive health. Ionizing radiation, which we're exposed to through medical technologies, nuclear power plant emissions, uranium mining, and weapons testing, can pose very serious risks to our reproductive systems.
According to the Breast Cancer Fund, “Exposure to ionizing radiation is the best- and longest-established environmental cause of human breast cancer in both men and women.”
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The Navajo Nation and other indigenous and rural communities located near uranium mines face higher risks of ionizing radiation. Employees in laboratories using radioactive materials are also at risk. For more information about these complex risks, visit Toxipedia (toxipedia.org), and the Indigenous Environmental Network (ienearth.org).
Occupational exposure is the most common source of lead poisoning for adults. Under the state and federal lead standard laws, employers are legally required to limit employee exposure. If extensive exposure does occur, employers must institute a medical surveillance program, including blood testing; lead-specific medical exams and treatment, if necessary; and relocation if a worker's health is at risk. Workers should contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov, 202-219-8151) or the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (cdc.gov/niosh, 1-800-CDC-INFO) for more information.
Symptoms of lead poisoning may occur right after exposure, or months or years later. Therefore, it is important for anyone concerned about lead exposure to be tested. The CDC recommends that each state provide testing for children who are potentially exposed, including all children who live in or regularly visit a house built before 1950 or renovated before 1978, and those whose parents work with lead. The CDC also recommends that children who are receiving Medicaid or whose families receive federal or state assistance be tested free of charge.
Mercury is used in some thermometers, thermostats, auto parts, scientific instruments, batteries, dental fillings, eye makeup (as thimersol, a mercury-based preservative), over-the-counter drugs, chlorine production, and lighting, including tanning beds. Release into the environment stems primarily from coal-fired power plants; metal production, primarily gold production; cement production; waste disposal, specifically biomass burning; and iron and steel production. The last mercury mine in the United States closed in 1992.
The FDA has banned the use of mercury compounds in all cosmetics except those used around the eyes, where levels are very limited. Still, some cosmetics, including skin-lightening creams, have been found to contain mercury (see
“What's in Our Cosmetics,”.
). A small number of states have banned other consumer products containing mercury (such as toys and jewelry) or products containing more than a low level of mercury.
Mercury can damage the central nervous system, the endocrine system (which regulates hormonal activity), the heart, the lungs, the immune system, and the kidneys. Exposure is linked to numerous problems, including but not limited to sensory impairment, lack of coordination, seizures, pneumonia, decreased pulmonary function, depression, memory loss, brain damage, andâat very high dosesâsudden death.
WHAT IS BODY BURDEN?
Many of our day-to-day exposures to toxics are small and limited, with chemicals and other materials entering our body through the food we eat, products we use, and home and work environments. But while each contact may be small, it's the accumulation of toxics over timeâour total “body burden”âthat matters.
Scientists estimate that each person carries approximately seven hundred chemicals in her or his body at any given time.
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While some chemicals leave the body relatively quickly, others stay in the fat, bones, and muscle. A woman's total body burden is especially worrisome during pregnancy and lactation, as chemicals pass from her to the fetus through the placenta and to her baby through breastfeeding.
Mercury is especially harmful to pregnant women and fetuses, infants, and children, who may experience neurological disorders as well as decreased brain function, delayed onset of walking, and permanent kidney damage. Additionally, boys may experience decreased sperm count.
Symptoms of mercury poisoning include itching, burning, or pain; skin discoloration;
shedding of skin; muscle weakness; red face; loss of teeth, hair, and nails; and increased sensitivity to light. Mercury poisoning may manifest itself up to several months after initial exposure.
TIPS TO AVOID MERCURY EXPOSURE
⢠Review the ingredients of the cosmetics you buy. Avoid eye makeup and other products containing thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative.
⢠Use safety when discarding old thermometers and other household products containing mercury. Check with your local government about a community household hazardous waste collection day or facility near your home.
⢠Fish are generally very healthy and nutritious to eat, but pregnant women and childrenâgroups who are particularly vulnerable to mercury and PCBsâshould avoid high-risk fish. Fish higher in the food chain generally have the largest amount of mercury, with up to ten times more mercury than seafood lower in the food chain. High-risk fish include albacore tuna, king mackerel, shark, tilefish, and swordfish. Fish used in sushi often contain high levels of mercury.
⢠Fish lower in the food chain, such as shrimp, canned light tuna, wild Alaskan salmon, pollock, and snapper, have lower amounts of mercury and are safer options. Given the health benefits of fish, pregnant women and small children are encouraged to eat selectively from low-risk fish choices; but some experts advise some moderation, suggesting no more than six ounces or one meal of lower risk fish per week.
⢠For a list of the most contaminated fish, along with safer options and suggestions for how much can be eaten each month depending on age and sex, see the Environmental Defense Fund's Seafood Health Alerts chart: edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=17694.
Pesticides are some of the most commonly and heavily utilized synthetic products. Based on most recent data, the EPA estimates that more than 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides are used annually in the United States aloneâwith 5 billion pounds used worldwide
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âprimarily for pest control and mostly in agriculture, in industry, and in and around people's homes. Seventy-five percent of U.S. households use at least one indoor pesticide.
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Owing to widespread agricultural use, pesticide exposure also occurs through residue on foods and exposed water sources.
Pesticide exposure has been linked to many developmental problems and effects on the reproductive system, including: impact on placenta cells; delayed neurodevelopment; abnormal ovary and menstrual function; decreased sperm count; early puberty; delayed testis, prostate, and penis development; infertility; miscarriage; stillbirth; lowered birth rate; endocrine disruption; premature birth; and increased risk of cervical, vaginal, testicular, and childhood brain cancers. Exposure to some agricultural
pesticides among women during pregnancy may be associated with autism in their children. Many people are sensitive to pesticides and experience skin, lung, respiratory, and eye irritation when exposed.
REDUCING YOUR COMMUNITY'S PESTICIDE EXPOSURE
⢠When possible, avoid using pesticides in homes and on lawns and gardens. Instead, use inexpensive, nontoxic products such as vinegar, baking soda, boric acid, insecticidal soaps, and pest control products made from essential oils. You can also use beneficial predators and parasites (like ladybugs and nematodes). When it comes to pets, skip the chemicals and use pesticide-free flea-prevention applications.
⢠If you do use pesticides, wear protective clothing. Wearing a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, nonabsorbent gloves and shoes, goggles, and a respirator mask helps minimize risk. Wash exposed skin, gloves, clothing, shoes, or boots immediately after exposure. Wash clothes soiled with pesticides separately from other laundry in hot water and detergent.
⢠Never smoke, eat, or drink while handling pesticidesâdoing so offers the chemicals a pathway into your body.
⢠Do not apply pesticides right before a heavy rain or in places where they might wash into sewers or directly into bodies of water. Use pesticides when the wind is no more than a light breeze and the temperature is cool, such as early morning or evening, to reduce the air travel to nearby areas.
⢠Follow disposal directions on the pesticide label for leftover substances and empty containers. Never pour pesticides down the sink, toilet, or sewer drain or onto the ground. Never reuse a pesticide container.
To learn more, check out the “Reducing Pesticide Exposure” page on the New York State Department of Health website (health.state.ny.us/environmental/pests/reduce.htm), and Vassar College's Environmental Risks and Breast Cancer project (erbc.vassar.edu).
In addition to affecting fetal development, pesticide exposure prior to conception and during the prenatal and postnatal phases can affect a child's long-term health. The
Journal of Agromedicine
reported in 2007 that “every chemical class of pesticides has at least one agent capable of affecting a reproductive or developmental endpoint in laboratory animals or people.”
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An article in a 2006 issue of
Environmental Health Perspectives
stated: “Every child conceived today in the Northern Hemisphere is exposed to pesticides from conception throughout gestation and lactation regardless of where it is born.”
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Pesticide exposure is especially common in farm communities. A study looking at Mexican farmworkers in 2000â2001 found that mothers exposed to pesticides through agricultural work had a fivefold increased chance of their fetus developing anencephaly, a neural tube defect that results in a partial or complete absense of the brain and skull. Fathers exposed through farmwork faced twice the risk.
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PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, Persistant Organic Pollutants (POPs) “are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment.”
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POPs are extremely resistant to the natural breakdown process experienced by other substances and thus remain in the environment up to decades after initial production. POPs are also stored in animal and human fats, which makes them of particular concern for breastfeeding, as mother's milk acts as a route of exposure, bringing toxics from the mother's fat to her baby. Exposure has been linked with wildlife and human diseases, disorders, and birth impairments.
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The control of POPs is addressed through the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, of which the United States is a signatory. The convention notes the presence of POPs in areas far from their original use, including the Arctic, indicating that communities far from agricultural, industrial, and other areas with high chemical use could still be affected by them. Twelve chemicals known as the “Dirty Dozen” are listed for “priority action” by the Stockholm Convention. These include pesticides like aldrin and DDT and the industrial chemicals PCBs. For a full list and description of sources of POPs, go to uspopswatch.org/global/dirty-dozen.htm.
PESTICIDES ON YOUR FOOD: FROM SAFEST TO WORST OFFENDERS
The best way to avoid exposure to pesticides through your food is to purchase and eat certified organic food and food from farmers you know do not use pesticides on their crops (many farmers are not officially certified but make great efforts to farm responsibly).
Keep in mind that not all crops are treated equally. The Environmental Working Group maintains a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides (foodnews.org) that identifies forty-nine fruits and vegetables and ranks them from most safe to least safe in terms of pesticide residue. This list can be helpful if you're wondering which foods to prioritize buying organic.
The clean fifteen:
The fifteen least sprayed vegetables and fruits are onions (best), avocados, sweet corn (frozen), pineapple, mango, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe (domestic), watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato, and honeydew melon.
The Dirty Dozen:
The twelve most sprayed vegetables and fruits are celery (worst), peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries (domestic), nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes, and imported grapes.
People who live near farms that use pesticides are also at increased risk of experiencing negative health effects. A 2007 study of women in California found that the rate of autism was six times higher among children of women living within 500 meters of farms that use certain pesticides than among women who lived farther from such farms.
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In addition to being affected in the womb, infants and children experience more negative effects from pesticides than adults, owing to their size and biology. According to the Pesticide Action Network (panna.org), “Pound for pound, [children] drink 2.5 times more water, eat 3â4 times more food, and breathe 2 times more air. They therefore absorb a higher concentration of pesticides than do adults.”
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While many pesticides have been banned or their use has been reduced, they continue to affect human and environmental health for decades. Several pesticides are considered persistent organic pollutants (POPs), meaning that they can stay in the environment and humans for years if not decades. Many of us have compounded exposures rather than one-time exposure (see
“What Is Body Burden?”
).