Societal Costs of Exposure to Toxic Substances: Economic and Health Costs of Four Case Studies That Are Candidates for Environmental Causation
Subject: Societal Costs of Exposure to Toxic Substances................
Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2001 10:46:43 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of
California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought
you might find this article interesting:
Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 109, Supplement 6,
December 2001
Societal Costs of Exposure to Toxic Substances: Economic
and Health Costs of Four Case Studies That Are Candidates for Environmental
Causation
Tom Muir1 and Mike Zegarac2
1Senior Economist, Great Lakes and Corporate Affairs,
Environment Canada-Ontario Region, Burlington, Ontario, Canada;
2Contractor to Great Lakes and Corporate Affairs,
Environment Canada-Ontario Region, Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Abstract
Four outcomes that evidence suggests are candidates for
"environmental causation" were chosen for analysis: diabetes,
Parkinson's disease (PD), neurodevelopmental effects and hypothyroidism, and
deficits in intelligence quotient (IQ). These are an enormous burden in the
United States, Canada, and other industrial countries. We review findings on
actual social and economic costs, construct estimates of some of the costs from
pertinent sources, and provide several hypothetical examples consistent with
published evidence. Many detailed costs are estimated, but these are fragmented
and missing in coverage and jurisdiction. Nonetheless, the cumulative costs
identified are very large, totaling $568 billion to $793 billion per year for
Canada and the United States combined. Partial Canadian costs alone are $46
billion to $52 billion per year. Specifics include diabetes (United States and
Canada), $128 billion per year; PD in the United States, $13 billion to $28.5
billion per year; neurodevelopmental deficits and hypothroidism are endemic and,
including estimates of costs of childhood disorders that evidence suggests are
linked, amount to $81.5 billion to $167 billion per year for the United States
and $2 billion per year in Ontario; loss of 5 IQ points cost $30 billion per
year in Canada and $275 billion to $326 billion per year in the United States;
and hypothetical dynamic economic impacts cost another $19 billion to $92
billion per year for the United States and Canada combined. Reasoned arguments
based on the weight of evidence can support the hypothesis that at least 10%, up
to 50% of these costs are environmentally induced--between $57 billion and $397
billion per year. Key words: diabetes, environmental disease, healthcare,
hypothyroidism, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental deficits, Parkinson's disease,
societal and economic costs. -- Environ Health Perspect 109(suppl 6):885-903
(2001).
http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/suppl-6/885-903muir/abstract.html
This article is based on a presentation at the Workshop on Methodologies for Community Health Assessment in Areas of Concern held 4-5 October 2000 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Address correspondence to T. Muir, Great Lakes and Corporate Affairs, Environment Canada-Ontario Region, 867 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7R 4A6. Telephone: (905) 336-4951. Fax: (905) 336-8901. E-mail: tom.muir@ec.gc.ca
We are indebted to the International Joint Commission Science Advisory Board for the workshop; D. Welland, McMaster University, for advice and manuscript review; J. Rovet, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, for advice and assistance in the revision of the hypothyroidism section; and two anonymous referees for critical comments.
Received 11 January 2001; accepted 5 July 2001.
Well Mr. Helliker, Thomas Edison once noted: "The value of an idea lies in the using of it." When will it be "legal" (in your opinion) to use unregistered ideas rather than "registered" POISONS?
Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten
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