A recent study, considered one of the largest yet, reviewed the levels of potentially harmful substances in Americans. The findings were at once encouraging and quite surprising.
Conducted by federal health officials, the results published on Wednesday, March 21,2001 showed that non-smokers' exposure to cigarette smoke (second hand smoke) has dropped to one quarter of what it was in 1991. The measurement was done using continine level measurements.
The study also showed that the levels of mercury in children were lower than expected and far less than federal limits. At the same time, women of child bearing age had higher levels than expected although they, too, fell short of federal limitations.
The results of the study makes it clear that the amounts of chemicals in the environment is not always indicative of the level to be found in the body. Based on the findings, there could be an alteration in the way an agency concerned with the environment, food, drugs or any products concerned with human health and welfare will view risk factors posed by modern day industry.
Based on samples of blood and urine specimens from nearly 4000 adults and children that represented a cross section of the population, the following items were observed. There were traces of 11 heavy metals, several compounds resulting from the use of pesticides, several phthalate compounds (by-products of the plastic and cosmetics industries) and cotinine (the resultant product remaining after the breakdown of nicotine).
There were no conclusions drawn from the results of the study. The products noted may or may not have adverse effects on the human body, but that would be for another study to determine.
The study, directed by Dr. Richard J Jackson, director of the National Center of Environmental Health observed that we, as a country, spend billions monitoring water safety, air quality and food purity, but till this study there was a lack of proper tools to monitor the actual effect on the human body.
It has been agreed by many environmental scientists that this study, by directly measuring the amounts of 27 chemicals and compounds in blood and urine samples represents a great stride forward.
One surprising finding was that some industrial chemicals rare in the environment were more readily absorbed by the human body than many of the more common chemicals. This finding could assist in averting mistaken regulatory rules and crackdowns on innocent compounds.
The major conclusion of this study indicts phthalates, products that till now have been defended as harmless by the plastics and cosmetics industries. It also corroborates the findings of some environmental groups who have maintained the dangers of the compounds.
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