Toxins found in Ore. residents' bodies

SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Environmental Council this spring tested the blood and urine of 10 Oregonians for almost 30 toxic chemicals. The results are back and each person had at least nine of the chemicals in their bodies.

"I've lived in the same community for most of my life," said state Rep. Vicki Berger, R-Salem, one of the volunteers. "And although I haven't lived in industrial areas, I still have all these pollutants in my body."

It marked the first time the toxic chemicals had been tested for their presence in Oregonians. Other studies have shown similar levels in residents of Washington and other states.

"Normally, people think of pollution in their bodies from living next to a smokestack, but really, a lot of these exposures are coming from the food you eat and everyday consumer products like the shampoo you use," said Renee Hackenmiller-Paradis, program director at the Oregon Environmental Council.

All the levels found in the Oregon residents fall well under Environmental Protection Agency thresholds. And the sample size is too small to generalize about levels in the state's population.

Companies that produce or use these chemicals warn that studies showing chemicals in the human body are not reason to eliminate the chemicals.

"The public should not be misled into thinking that the products of chemistry are inherently dangerous just because chemicals can now, through improvements in analytical chemistry, be detected at trace levels in people's blood or urine," the American Chemistry Council said in a statement. "Biomonitoring indicates presence. It doesn't mean there is a significant health risk."

The Oregon Environmental Council tested for familiar chemicals such as mercury, pesticides and PCBs. It also tested for some less-familiar names:

— Phthalates, a class of 25 chemicals used in consumer products to soften plastics, carry fragrances and act as solvents and fixatives. Animal studies have shown reproductive toxicity, but human health data at low-level exposure are limited

— Perfluorinated compounds, often used in protective coatings on cooking pans, and water and grease repellents for clothing and furniture. There are few studies regarding health effects in people, but animals studies show these chemicals damage organs.

— Bisphenol A: The building block of polycarbonate plastic for some baby bottles, reusable water bottles, plastic utensils, compact discs and coatings that line food containers. In animal studies, they have caused reduced sperm count and impaired immune system functioning.

The chemicals find their way into people's bodies in several ways. For example, some chemicals — such as phthalates in shampoos — can be absorbed through the skin. Others, such as the perfluorinated compounds, can collect in household dust and then breathed in. Pesticides found in foods can directly enter the body when the food in eaten.

Alan Bates, a 62-year-old doctor and state senator from Ashland, had phthalates in his sample, as well as a relatively high level of mercury.

"I was surprised I had that much in me of so many different things," he said.