Making a mocktail of chemical cocktail in children’s blood!

According to a Canadian National research project children’s blood here are infected with toxic chemicals hazardous to health which are PCBs to flame retardants.

A report by Toronto-based Environmental Defence, points out those certain cases has children with even higher levels than their parents.

On an average 23 known or suspected toxins were detected in the blood and urine samples of subjects. Some of them were potentially carcinogens, hormone disrupters and neurotoxins.

Sample size was 13 individuals from five families, six adults and seven children. Different states of Canada were investigated.

The children had higher levels of chemicals like brominated flame retardants (PBDEs) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), comparatively newer in use.

According to Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence, 'Our children are being poisoned every day by toxic chemicals that surround them at home, school and play. It is common to expect adults to be more contaminated by harmful chemicals than children because they have had a longer time to accumulate chemicals in their bodies. The results of this study, however, show that this is not always the cas.'

One silver lining is the low detection level of banned chemicals which implies that bans do work to curb the menace.

The negative thing is that effects stay on long after a chemical is removed from use. In this case DDT which has been banned years ago but can still be detected in children as young as 10.

In a retaliatory and responsible step Health Canada has promised a national study in the same direction.