Neurotoxicants Threaten Childhood Development

 

Click Here to Add Comment

Previous

Current Articles

Next

---

 Subject:  Neurotoxicants Threaten Childhood Development by Arline Kaplan
 Date:        Sat, 19 Jan 2002 17:07:37 -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

Neurotoxicants Threaten Childhood Development by Arline Kaplan

Psychiatric Times <http://www.mhsource.com/pt/dot.gif> March 2001

<http://www.mhsource.com/pt/dot.gif> Vol. XVIII

<http://www.mhsource.com/pt/dot.gif> Issue 3

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pervasive and insidious toxicological experiments are being conducted on our nation's children, warned authors of a national report issued by the Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GBPSR). One million children in the United States already have blood lead levels of 10 mgrams/dL or above, which can affect their behavior and cognition. Among children examined in one study, 90% had a metabolite of the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos present in their urine. And, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates, 1.16 million women of childbearing age eat sufficient amounts of mercury-contaminated fish to pose a risk of harm to their future children. . . .

Basic toxicity information is needed, according to the report authors. According to the GBPSR, an estimated 80,000 chemicals are in commercial use in the United States. Since most of them have been synthesized since World War II, they are relatively new to the human environment in the evolutionary time frame. Yet the report found that basic toxicity information is missing from publicly available sources for nearly 75% of the top 3,000 high-production volume substances.

Neurotoxicity data are even less available. While the EPA has had a validated, accepted guideline for assessing a chemical's toxicity to the nervous system in immature or developing animals since 1991, as of December 1998, manufacturers had submitted results for only 12 chemicals (nine pesticides and three solvents). Meanwhile, in August 1999, the EPA announced a "data call-in" for 140 pesticides considered to be neurotoxic. This requires manufacturers to conduct and submit tests of acute, subchronic and developmental neurotoxicity. . . .''

FULL ARTICLE  at:  http://www.mhsource.com/pt/p010301a.html

---

If you would like to be included in our mailing list for continuing information on pesticides, Email Us. with "subscribe" in the subject line.

TOP