Chemical kids: Are chemicals contaminating children's health?

Pthalates are ubiquitous chemicals found in a slew of household and personal care products, including soaps, nail polish, perfumes, plastics, even medication coatings. Known as endocrine disrupters, they can affect early childhood development, and consequently government regulation has limited their use in children's products. But a new study has found that a mothers' exposure to the chemicals, both before and during pregnancy, effects levels of the chemicals in their children, and may have developmental consequences.

Of 404 women pregnant for the first time who were tested for pthalate levels, 188 returned between 4 and 9 years later to fill out detailed questionnaires about their children's behavior. This revealed a link between higher prenatal chemical levels and higher risk of behavioral disorders in their children, such as ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder.

Another endocrine disruptor may be cradling the water in your lunch bag: Bisphenol-a (BPA). BPA continues to be used by the plastic industry to make many types of reusable water bottles, and can be detected in the water stored in them. The chemical has been removed from such bottles in Europe, but US manufacturers continue to claim that it's a necessary ingredient in their plastic. About 2.7 million tons of BPA-containing plastic continues to be produced each year. BPA, and many other endocrine disrupters, also have the interesting effect of being estrogen mimics when they enter the environment. High levels of such chemicals in the watershed has been linked to dramatic mutation in creatures such as frogs and salamanders, but the long term effects in children aren't clear.

These are of course not the only potentially harmful chemical circulating widely in the communal blood stream of our kids. PBDEs were a widely used fire retardant that used to be applied, among other places, to baby and toddler pajamas (one reason I never buy fire retardant PJs for my kids.) Though PBDEs are no longer used as widely as they used to be, they remain ubiquitous in the ecosystem and have been detected in human breast milk and many foods. Among animals they cause thyroid and neurobehavioral defects, though their effect in humans is not known.

These are only three of a literal stew of thousands of foreign substances we have introduced into the lifestyles and biology of our kids. In many cases there are reasonable alternatives, and in most cases the true long term effects are not clear. Should we adopt the precautionary principle, and ban or severely limit them when there is even a suggestion of potential harm? Do we wait for proof of harm before taking action? What responsibility does the plastic and chemical industry have to ensure that their creations are reasonably safe? And how do we get rid of the mountains of noxious waste that will continue to poison us, even after new production stops?

Researchers in India found one potential solution for BPA-containing plastics: Pre-treating plastics with UV light, then "feeding" it to white-rot fungus effectively broke down the plastic without releasing BPA.