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Children's Health > PBTs

CHILDREN AT RISK FROM TOXIC CHEMICALS
Background : Persistent Bio-Accumulative Toxics

The priority persistent bio-accumulative toxics (PBTs) consist of :

• Dioxins, furans and PCBs – by-products of PVC production, industrial bleaching, and incineration, which is listed in the international Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants as the major industrial source of dioxins and furans. The effects of dioxins can include diseases of the immune system, reproductive and developmental disorders, as well as cancers. They have a particular impact on women where exposure has been implicated in endometriosis and increased breast cancer rates, and, through them, future generations. Studies have linked prenatal exposure to PCBs and dioxins with developmental and immune impacts in children.

• Organochlorine pesticides - include the persistent organic pollutants DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor, chlordane and mirex, which still used in Australia today. Organochlorine pesticides have been banned worldwide due to their persistence, their ability to cause cancer and their toxicity to the immune system and adverse developmental affects.

• Brominated Flame Retardants - used in a wide range of products including plastics for computer casings, white goods, car interiors, carpets and carpet underlay, polyurethane foams in furniture and bedding. One form of Brominated Flame Retardants, PBDEs or polybrominated diphenylethers have been shown to disrupt thyroid hormones, mimic oestrogen, and are linked with cancer and reproductive damage. These have been found in the dust of homes and offices.

• Perfluorochemicals - perfluorooctanoic acids (PFOA) used in the manufacture of clothing, cosmetics and in the production of fluoropolymers for non-stick coatings for cookware e.g. teflon. PFOAs may also form as degradation products of small polymers called Telomers used in fire fighting foams, and soil, stain and grease resistant coatings on carpets, textiles, paper, and leather. PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonate) is highly bioaccumulative and has been shown to cause cancer, liver damage and development and reproductive effects. All perfluorochemicals have the potential to degrade back to PFOS, which does not appear to degrade further.

• Organophosphate insecticide metabolites- breakdown products of organophosphate pesticides such as, chlorpyrifos. Organophosphate pesticides like chlorpyrifos a severe neurotoxins.

• Phthalates – used as plasticizers and in personal products, such as perfumes, lotions, babies teething rings and tubing used in hospitals to deliver medications, nutrients etc Some phthalates are hormone disruptors, immunotoxins, cancer promoters and are reproductive and developmental toxins. DEHP has been classified as a "probable human carcinogen" by the USEPA.

• Metals - lead, organomercury, Organotin - Toxic heavy metals do not break down in the environment and are not destroyed at any temperature. When released into air, toxic metals are deposited and remain in street dusts, inside building voids (eg ceiling spaces), on plants, water, sediments and soil. Metals bioaccumulate, moving from the environment into tissues of living beings where they build up over time. Low levels of lead can cause mental retardation, learning disabilities and stunted growth in children and lead is widely regarded as the most prevalent industrial chemical and the most common paediatric environmental health problem.

Children's unique vulnerability to hazardous chemicals is recognised by the United Nations and the World Health Organisations. The systems of a foetus or child's body are immature and constantly developing. Children have a higher respiration and metabolic rate than adults. They eat and drink more per bodyweight than adults and their skin absorption may be higher. Children live life closer to the ground where contaminants often accumulate and have a lot of hands to mouth activity as part of their normal development, consuming dust and dirt.