Chemicals, the Environment and Our Bodies

The average American now has 116 syntheticfound that exposure to biphenol A during fetal life
compounds in his or her body, according to themay cause breast cancer in adult women.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inCancer is on the rise. Statistics in the United
Atlanta. These include dioxin, polycyclic aromaticKingdom indicate that between the years 1971
hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides. Thereand 1999 Non- Hodgkin's Lymphoma has risen
are about 75,000 different chemicals produced in196% in men and 214% in women, the incidence
the United States each year, 3,000 of which areof prostate cancer and testicular cancer have
produced in quantities greater than 50,000 tonsincreased by 152% and 139% respectively, breast
each year. Chemicals that were banned decadescancer has risen by 75%, multiple myeloma has
ago persist in the soil, air and water. DDT, bannedincreased by 100% in men and 86% in women.
34 years ago, still exists in detectable levels inThese figures are from the Office for National
many people. It would be interesting to see theStatistics (UK). Since 1990 cancer incidence has
result if the CDC tested for all of these chemicals.increased by 19% worldwide (World Cancer
Recent studies have detected pesticides, plasticsReport 2003, Frankiish, 2003, Shibuya et al., 2002).
and polymers in umbilical cord blood, in theThe rate of cancer in children, adolescents and
placenta, in human milk and in the bloodstreamsyoung adults is increasing by 1.5% each year.
and body fat of infants. These substances mayAn article appearing in Food and Chemical
have far reaching effects on our health. One toxinToxicology, (1992;30(4):343-348) looked at the
threatening mothers and children is mercury.relationship between certain chemicals and
Mercury has been linked to breast cancer, autismParkinson's disease. Parkinson-like symptoms can
and attention deficit disorder. In 2002, a studyoccur from exposure to certain toxins, such as
found that nearly 15% of American women ofmanganese and carbon monoxide. Drugs like
reproductive age had enough of this mercury inphenothiazines and butyrophenones may cause
their blood to endanger a developing fetus.symptoms similar to Parkinson's. The chemical
In 1993, Mary Wolff, an associate professor at1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3 6-tetrahydropyridine
New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center, published(MPTP) causes symptoms similar to Parkinson's
a paper in the Journal of the National Cancerdisease. This drug has been used as a model in
Institute, indicating that exposure to certainstudying Parkinson's disease. Paraquat has been
chemicals may play a role in breast cancer.studied since it has a similar structure to MPP+.
Women with high blood levels of DDE (aThere is some evidence that Parkinson's disease
compound formed when DDT breaks down), hadcan be induced by pesticides. There is a
risk of developing breast cancer that was fourcorrelation between early onset Parkinson's
times higher than women with low levels of DDE.disease in people who drank well water in
DDT was banned in the US in the 1970s. It canchildhood. There also seems to be a relationship
mimic the hormone estrogen and is a known tobetween Parkinson's disease and working in a
disrupt the endocrine system. Research publishedpaper mill or in an orchard. The author suggests
in the Journal of Nutritional and Environmentalthat there may be a relationship between the
Medicine states that exposure to small amountschemicals used in orchards and paper mills may be
of certain chemicals can increase the risk oflinked to Parkinson's disease. Also, environmental
developing cancer - particularly for infants andfactors play a role in the disease, although there
young adults. A study on rats published in the Dec.may be other factors.
6, 2006 online edition of Reproductive Toxicology