Physicians warn of danger to unborn from household chemicals and pesticides

Subject:     When Will You Adequately Test Your "Registered" POISONS?
Date:       Fri, 12 May 2000 08:38:16 -0400
From:        Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization:     Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)

To:     Lyndon Hawkins <hawkins@empm.cdpr.ca.gov>
          Senior Research Scientist
          State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation - Integrated Pest Management

Dear Lyndon, I thought you might like to read an article entitled: Group Wants Tests of Some Chemicals - Updated 5:01 PM ET May 11, 2000, By CAREN BENJAMIN, Associated Press Writer.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A pregnant woman who spends a few hours on a home-improvement project may unwittingly be putting her child at risk for problems ranging from hyperactivity to autism, a group of Boston-area doctors said Thursday.

The reason is chemicals in common household products like solvents and pesticides. No one knows how dangerous they are to human brain development because the government doesn't require companies to perform such tests before bringing products to market, the Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility said in a report.

Tests on animals show there is cause for concern about products ranging from glue to flea collars to nail polish, said the report by the group, an affiliate of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning national Physicians for Social Responsibility.

The Boston organization said the federal government should start requiring tests to ensure chemicals do not harm human brain development.

"Clearly the solution is not simply educating the public to walk through a minefield," said Dr. Jill Stein, an instructor in adolescent medicine at Harvard Medical School and one of the report's authors.

Chemical makers say they already are working with the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a testing program focused on children.

"These research and testing initiatives, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, represent a comprehensive and focused effort to provide government, industry and parents and other caregivers information to determine what actions may be necessary to further ensure the health and safety of children we are all responsible for protecting," said Frank Rathbun, spokesman for the Chemical Manufacturers Association.

"They have made a series of assertions about the health effects of various compounds, but have provided no data on the levels of exposure that would produce such effects," he said.

The physicians stressed such data is not available for most chemicals, so it would be better to hold off on distribution until the products are proven to be safe.

Currently, chemicals must be tested for their affects on the physical structure of the brain of laboratory animals before they can be sold, said Dr. Ted Schettler, one of the report's authors. The tests do not, however, measure how the brain works after being exposed to the chemical, he said.

"What we think of as safe in our early studies of these chemicals often turns out to be wrong," Schettler said.

Of the approximately 15,000 commonly sold chemicals on the market, only 12 have been tested specifically for their effects on brain development, according to report co-author David Wallinga, senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The EPA currently is considering restricting use or dosage of the pesticides Dursban and Lorsban because of concerns about the products' effects on children. Both are used in a range of products from lawn insecticides to flea collars for pets.

Well Lyndon, why do we have to test your "registered" POISONS after they have harmed us and become universal contaminants? How dare you say these untested POISONS are "registered"! Do you care what your "registered" POISONS doing?

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