Body Burden

John Doe
Anthropology 200h
Professor Smith

The environment that we inhabit today is filled with massive quantities of toxic chemicals of all sorts. To be specific, there are more than 80,000 known chemicals floating around us, some naturally occurring and some man-made. We are exposed to chemicals through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink and clean ourselves in. All of these factors are dependent on the environment we choose to live in, though; a seemingly clean community does not always signify a clean body. Most chemicals have the ability to attach to traveling air, water, or dust and contaminate places far from where they originated, creating a “chemical soup” that our bodies encounter every day. Additionally, humans come in contact with chemicals present in the everyday products we use such as gasoline, paints, make-up, detergent, plastics, and glues. The total amount of these chemicals present in the human body at a single point in time is referred to as your body burden. All humans carry this chemical body burden, and current studies have shown that everyone alive today is a host to at least seven hundred different contaminants. The duration of time these chemicals stay in our bodies for varies for each chemical and the repeated exposure to each respective pollutant. Some chemicals only stay in our bodies for a very short while before they are disposed of in human waste, though, continuous exposures to such elements can create a lasting burden on your body. An example of a toxin that is only lodged into your body for a short period of time is arsenic, which is normally excreted within three days of exposure. Though, lasting exposure to arsenic can severely affect the structure and functions of the cardiovascular system. However, other chemicals are not easily disposed of and can remain present in our tissues, blood stream, and organs for extended periods of time. DDT, and other chlorinated pesticides, can remain in our bodily systems for up to fifty years. Out of the estimated 80,000 chemicals known to be used in the United States, we do not know which are heavily toxic and which our bodies are immune to, but we do know that hundreds of these toxins have been discovered in people’s bodies around the globe. The ways in which we are exposed to such pollutants is very broad. Chemicals are laden in the foods we eat and the products we use, but since such chemicals are not all labeled clearly, it is extremely difficult to deduce where they originated from. Our body burden is not completely identified by what we are directly exposed to, but also what our mother was exposed to while pregnant with us. The chemical body burden of our mothers is another primary source of exposure. Toxins that have accumulated in a woman’s body have the ability to travel through the placenta to a growing fetus where they may cause harm. Additionally, chemicals from a mother’s body can also be transferred to a child through breast milk. Some of these chemicals which we receive from our mothers while we are still developing fetuses may remain with us for years. In a study entitled Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns, researchers tested samples of umbilical cord blood from newborn babies and found an unprecedented 413 chemicals commonly found in industrial and consumer products. Another recent study conducted by the Environmental Working Group has concluded that industrial pollution is more likely to be passed on to daughters than sons. The study showed that four daughters tested more chemicals in common with their birth mothers than sixteen other women tested. While each child is now known to be born with an inherited load of pollution, they still accumulate more and more toxins as they develop. The evidence for the phenomenon of body burden has been around for centuries. Though the first significant research conducted was in 1944, when researchers found DDT, a toxin to humans, in fat tissue. For decades now, a great amount of studies have been conducted by government agencies around the world. These studies documented the types and quantities of chemicals found in human fat tissue, breast milk, semen, blood, and urine. Depending on the amount of exposure, timing of the exposure, and duration that an individual is exposed for, the effect of chemicals on people has a wide range. For example, some chemicals cause direct damage to the DNA which in effect may create an inheritable mutation that could be potentially passed on to future generations. Such mutations can initiate a sequence of devastating events to the body all culminating to cancer, developmental disorders, reproductive disorders, and birth defects. Such toxins are referred to as carcinogens, cancer causing pollutants, teratogens, chemicals that cause birth defects, and developmental/reproductive toxicants. These toxic chemicals create a laundry list of unwanted long term health problems. This list includes direct damage to major organ systems such as the lungs, kidneys, liver, bones, blood, brain, and reproductive system along with high blood pressure, asthma, infertility, shortened lactation, peripheral nerve damage, dysfunctional immune systems, and cancer. Heavy metals are also large contributors of chemicals in body burdens around the world. Lead has been known to have large effects on the development of children, and fetal exposure to mercury causes learning problems later in life. Along with the effects of body burden listed above, there additional health effects unique to children. Immature and developing tissues and organs are way more susceptible to chemical exposures than matured adult tissues. The rapid replication of cells during childhood development means that relatively small exposures that would have no noticeable impacts on adults are heavily magnified in a growing fetus or infant. For example, endocrine disruptors cause damage through disrupting hormone signals. A developing fetus is very likely to confuse a foreign chemical for a hormone, which, in turn, may cause a harmful signal to be sent to developing tissues or organs, potentially creating permanent damage. A very recent study concluded that children with high levels of pesticides in their urine were almost twice as likely to develop attention deficit disorders, mainly ADHD. The sample consisted of more than a thousand children between the ages of 8 and 15. The test concluded that of forty known, organophosphates commonly used in pesticides, the likelihood of having an attention deficit disorder grew rapidly as more pesticides were measured in the children. Lead is also another big player in the decreased IQ of children unfortunate enough to be exposed to lead-based paint. The removal of lead from gasoline and the elimination of lead from most kinds of paint marked a general decline in lead body burden in the population of the United States, but in many urban environments children are still at risk of impaired brain function from high levels of lead. Body burden is not only a problem in the human population, but it is a problem for wildlife too. The chemicals in the air, water, and ground that we are exposed to also pose a serious risk for animals. Industrial pollutants are commonly dumped into bodies of water and other populous habitats and ecosystems of a variety of wildlife. One specific example of pollutants affecting the growth of wildlife was conducted by the Natural Environment Research Council in the United Kingdom. The study stated that fish have been observed developing both male and female reproductive systems due to increased exposure to toxins such as endocrine disruptors. This not only raises a concern for that population of fish but for predators that eat the fish. Body burdens of a certain organism can become magnified within an ecosystem very quickly because such chemicals are transferred up the hierarchy of the food chain. The amount of data available on body burdens in the United States is scarce compared to the hefty amount information we have for chemical levels present in food, water, air, and soil. Out of the known 80,000 chemicals in commerce, only 15,000 of them have been tested for potential risk. Testing is expensive and even when research is conducted; it is not conclusive to the toxicity of a chemical. Most chemicals are magnified when mixed with others in the “chemical soup” that is created in our bodies. Testing each chemical individually does not predict the health effects it may pose when mixed with other pollutants. Because of this mixed effect of chemicals, doctors and scientists may never be able to pinpoint which chemicals are exactly responsible for causing certain diseases. Therefore, definitive proof for a relationship between a specific disease and contaminant lacks substantial evidence. There is no readily accessible way to learn about your exact body burden, and there is no real treatment to lower the amount of chemicals present in your body. Celebrity Robert Bateman was surprised to be told he provided a home for some 48 toxins despite using environmentally friendly appliances and cleaners, and eating only organic foods. Although such a lifestyle will reduce your body burden, it will not erase it. The most effective way to prevent contamination in the future is not by individually purifying your lifestyle, but by monitoring the overall state of your community and the environment along with public health. To be more specific, eliminating chemicals that bioaccumulate over time reduces one of the main contributors to dangerous exposure. Additionally, the overall body burden can be reduced by developing alternative production methods that employ non-toxic materials and metals. Finally, we need to ensure that our government agencies and communities take a cautious approach to releasing chemicals into our natural resources. Body burden is becoming a larger and larger issue as the human race begins to make a move towards become a more environmentally conscious people. Though we will never be able to cure our body burdens, government regulations and environmentally friendly product alternatives are helping us reduce the amount of chemicals in our bodies and clean up our lifestyles.

Bibliography
Page, Shelley & Allan, Susan (2006). “Pollution in People.” The Ottawa Citizen
Environmental Working Group (2005). “Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns.” Ewg.org
Coming Clean (2007). http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/whatisbb.htm
Goldsmith, Belinda (2010). http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64G41R20100517
Houlihan, Jane (2006). http://www.ewg.org/reports/generations