"In a study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in collaboration with Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004 in U.S. hospitals. "
http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php
2006-11-01 19:20:16 · 16 answers · asked by Part Time Cynic 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
"This study represents the first reported cord blood tests for 261 of the targeted chemicals and the first reported detections in cord blood for 209 compounds. Among them are eight perfluorochemicals used as stain and oil repellants in fast food packaging, clothes and textiles — including the Teflon chemical PFOA, recently characterized as a likely human carcinogen by the EPA's Science Advisory Board — dozens of widely used brominated flame retardants and their toxic by-products; and numerous pesticides.
Of the 287 chemicals we detected in umbilical cord blood, we know that 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests. The dangers of pre- or post-natal exposure to this complex mixture of carcinogens, developmental toxins and neurotoxins have never been studied."
It's scary but better the devil you know i always think. Why is this scary to some?
2006-11-01 19:22:10 · update #1
If someone told me this i would be happier because it could help me take preventative measurements, like not cooking in non-stick pans amongst others.
2006-11-01 19:23:47 · update #2
its more alarming than scary
2006-11-01 19:28:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is easy to say that I'm not surprised the least. DDT was a big factor and found in the food chain as well and in Mother's milk for nursing babies.
We live in a world of chemicals in every household and people are acustomed to using these chemicals for virtually every cleaning and polishing need.
It is wonder that our face simply doesn;t melt off after being exposed to these chemicals, but we have become immune in some cases, but the fact still remains that there is nobody to put a gun to your head to use them.
2006-11-01 19:58:46 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually it should be scaring the crap out of you.
Years ago a study in the Canadian Arctic tested the breast milk of Eskimo mothers and found far higher levels of DDT than anybody expected.
It took years to figure out that the chemicals not only concentrated up the food chain but that it concentrated more in cold regions due to the earths weather patterns.
Eskimo mothers milk had enough chemical contamination to qualify as toxic waste.
2006-11-01 19:29:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
People fear their mortality, and anything that highlights a factor in our human frailty is, to them, scary. Considering what we as a species do to the environment, it should not be a surprise to anyone; just another symptom of a problem we've all known about and ignored to some extent or other.
I figure anything that shortens my life can be considered a retirement plan/long-term elderly care plan: I simply won't have to worry over it. So have a smoke!
2006-11-01 19:30:47 · answer #4 · answered by -=eXiLe=- 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Your very deep question in itself will scare a great many people. In this age of progress, live for today and be happy. Unless you can personally safeguard humanity, do believe somewhere someone is trying to do so for us all. Just be grateful any potential problems facing the human race are being monitored.
2006-11-02 01:18:27 · answer #5 · answered by Whistler R 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Might it be because one or more of the 200 chemicals might cause some serious health problems for the babies?
2006-11-01 19:23:02 · answer #6 · answered by dantheman_028 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Maybe you're not scared because you are not a new born. Doesn't scare me either. I'm 54 years old. No more babies in my near future unless they are my grandchildren!
But there's got to be something in the mix with what they found. GEESH!
2006-11-01 19:26:53 · answer #7 · answered by BadBill 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
fricken craziness.. makes me wonder about the cord blood from my two boys... scary. next time around i'll be more cautious!!!
2006-11-01 19:30:23 · answer #8 · answered by crazynanner 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What kind of chemically-altered, genetically-variant baby do you want?
Can you say "teratogen"?
2006-11-01 19:35:02 · answer #9 · answered by zen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am dumbfounded that these types of tests even need to be performed. Gee!
2006-11-01 20:17:34 · answer #10 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
haooee!!! it is very scary to be born with chemicals.
2006-11-01 19:22:39 · answer #11 · answered by Nina 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋