This document summarizes a presentation about reducing personal exposure to toxic chemicals at home and in the environment. It discusses the various toxic chemicals people are exposed to, including heavy metals, PCBs, pesticides, and plasticizers. Strong associations are seen between certain exposures and diseases like cancer, reproductive issues, neurological and heart conditions. Sources of these chemicals include food, consumer products, air and water pollution. Ways to reduce exposure include choosing organic food, safer personal care and household products, improving indoor air quality, and water filtration. More research is still needed given the large number of untested chemicals in use.

1. Reducing Personal Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
at Home and in the Environment
Presentation to GreenTown Los Altos, March 16, 2010
by Laurel Standley, Ph.D.
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2. Overview: Exposure to Toxic Substances
•What are we exposed to?
•new and old environmental contaminants
•ingredients and byproducts
•Why reduce exposure?
•associations with disease
•Where do the exposures come from?
•food, consumer products, environment
•How to reduce your exposure?
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3. What are we exposed to?
Human monitoring:
•CDC 3rd report (148 chemicals)
•EWG reports Body Burden & umbilical cord
data >200 chemicals
•News organizations
Toxic chemicals detected in blood, fat, breast milk and/or urine:
•Heavy metals: lead, mercury, cadmium
•Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
•Polychlorinated dioxins and furans
•Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
•Pesticides: ‘legacy’ - DDT/DDE, new - organophosphate
•Plasticizers: phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA)
•Perfluorinated chemicals - ‘non-stick’
•Flame retardants: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
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4. Diseases Associated With Environmental
and Household Toxic Exposures
Strength of evidence:
•human studies with controls (no exposure)
•large numbers
•animal studies demonstrating link between exposure and
disease
Strongest associations:
•smoking - heart/lung disease
•accidental or occupational exposure - Minamata disease (Hg),
microwave popcorn and impaired lung function
Epidemiological:
•higher disinfection byproducts in drinking water and bladder cancer
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5. Cancer
Bladder cancer:
•disinfection byproducts
•older dark hair dyes
Breast cancer:
•xenoestrogens
•light at night
Leukemia: children of women exposed to pesticides during pregnancy
Pancreatic: pesticide use
Timing: DDT exposure before age 15 elevates risk of breast cancer risk
more than later exposures
Gene-environment interactions: PAH exposure + genetic
predisposition to breast cancer much greater risk than either alone
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6. Reproduction and Development
Decreasing sperm count:
•U.S. and Europe 50% lower than men born in pre-
synthetic chemical era (World War II)
•China 60% lower than 1980s
Shorter anogenital index (AGI):
associated with mother’s
phthalate exposure. (Swan
2005)
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7. Reproduction & Development, cont.
Neurological development:
mercury, lead
Low birth weight:
air pollution
Lower boy to girl birth ratio:
PCBs, dioxin
Birth defects:
pesticides, phthalates
Longer time to pregnancy:
perfluorochemicals
Gynecomastia (breast development in boys):
lavender and tea tree oil
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8. Heart Disease and Stroke
Air pollution:
Harvard Six Cities Study
Cities that reduced air
pollution documented lower
levels of pollution-related
mortality (heart disease and
stroke) than those that did not.
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9. Asthma
Plasticizers: vinyl (shower curtains, toys)
Harsh household cleaners: bleach and ammonia
Air pollution: Atlanta Olympics study
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10. Lowering Your Body
Burden of Toxic Chemicals
Residence time in your body:
•Hours to days
•phthalates, bisphenol-A, mercury, OP pesticides
•Years
•‘non-stick’ fluorinated chemicals, flame retardants
•Decades
•DDT/DDE, PCBs, dioxins
Intervention studies critical but rare
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11. Food Web: Bioaccumulation
Fat soluble contaminants
accumulate through the
food web, thousands to
millions times more
concentrated at the top of
the food web
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12. Sources of Contaminants in Food
Accumulated by animals:
•Air pollution
•Pesticides in grass/food
Pesticides used during farming/transport
Food packaging/storage/preparation:
•Phthalates: tubing/plastic wrap
•BPA: polycarbonate/can liners
•Pans: nonstick/perfluorinated
•Fast food wrappers, grease-proof
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13. Organic vs Conventional Diet
(Lu et al. 2005)
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14. Personal Care and Household
Products
Ingredients to avoid/minimize use of:
•Antimicrobials: triclosan/triclocarban/microban
•Fragrances
•Petroleum-based vs bio-based
•Parabens
Many, if not most ingredients labels incomplete
Selecting safer products:
www.GoodGuide.com and www.CosmeticsDatabase.com
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15. Consumer Products: Phthalates
(Duty et al. 2005)
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16. ‘Safer’ Plastics
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17. Consumer Products: ‘Non-Stick’ PFCs
Sources to food:
•Fast food packaging
•Non-stick pans
•Microwave popcorn bags
Household sources:
•Stain-resistant carpets/furniture
•Waterproof fabrics
•Ski-wax
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18. Consumer Products: Flame Retardants
Household sources:
•Electronics
•Furniture, mattresses
•Carpet pads
•Clothing
CA regulations =
2x body burdens
(Zota et al. 2008)
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19. Combustion: PAHs & Other Chemicals
Whatever you burn or ignite, creates
toxic gases, PAHs, and particles:
•Gas appliances
•Wood stoves or fireplaces
•Candles: soy/beeswax < paraffin < incense
Including food:
•Barbecue
•Charred toast
Heat sources: natural gas < petroleum < wood smoke
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20. Environment: Air Pollution
Sources:
•Diesel exhaust particularly toxic
•Proximity of major highways
•Shift time of your commute/exercise
•Enact ordinances to reduce truck idling
Improving indoor air quality:
•House plants
•HEPA/carbon filters (vacuum, heater)
•Vent: garage, all gas appliances
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21. Environment: Water
Water contaminants:
•Lead Solution: filtration
•Pharmaceuticals - depends on contaminants
•Pesticides but best general home
•Nitrates treatment is carbon block
•Volatile Organics filter
•Disinfection byproducts (DBPs)
DBPs also in:
•Swimming pools
•Shower spray
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22. Bottom Line: What Can You Control?
What we know << what we don’t know
•>100,000 chemicals in commerce
•EPA estimates we are exposed to ~6,000
•Only 200 tested for health issues
Differences in body burdens = opportunity
Consumer pressure
Regulation
•TSCA vs REACH
•CA Prop 65 and Green Chemistry Initiative
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23. Resources
Websites:
•GoodGuide
•Environmental Working Group
•Cosmetics Database Daniel Marsula
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
•NRDC
•National Geographic Green Guide
Download ‘Twelve Tips for Reducing Personal Exposure’:
www.clear-current.com/publications.html
Support the Household Intervention Study:
www.SilentSpring.org/support-our-work
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