Washington Residents Carry Toxic Burden
High levels of chemicals found in 10 volunteers
Eight months ago, 10 Washingtonians volunteered blood, urine and hair samples to the Washington Toxics Coalition to be tested for eight classes of chemicals.
The results are in, and they are not pretty.
It wouldn't be kind to say that these 10 are walking toxic waste dumps, but their levels of phthalates (found in such diverse products as shower curtains and fragrances), PBDEs (found in flame retardants, mattresses and furniture), mercury, pesticides, lead and other chemicals were high enough to make both scientists and subjects sit up and take notice.
All 10 tested positive for five to seven of those eight categories. Their profiles and test results have been published in a Pollution in People report, a project of the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition of Washington State.
At a news conference Tuesday, they shared their stories and reactions to the results, expressing shock, sadness, relief, alarm and opinions on what should be done.
Dr. Patricia Dawson, 56, a Seattle surgeon, had the dubious honor of having 38 chemicals detected in her chemical profile. Her PBDE levels were near those found to cause reproductive problems in laboratory animals. Her levels of DDT (banned since 1972) were greater than 90 percent of the U.S. population.
According to her "participant profile," Dawson, a native of Jamaica, was exposed to DDT trucks as a child. "I'm shocked. I eat organic and try to have a healthy lifestyle," she said.
Denis Hayes, president of the Bullitt Foundation and a founder of Earth Day, was found to have mercury above a level deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency. Mercury has the potential for causing learning deficits.
"My reaction was relief and alarm -- relief that I'm not planning on having more children and alarm that I'm likely to be buried in a toxic waste dump," said Hayes, 61.
Continue reading this story from the Seattle P-I:
We're walking, talking toxic waste dumps
