Originally published July 30 2005
Toxins found in infants cause alarm
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A recent study found 287 human-made chemicals in infants. Activists are pushing for stronger prevention measures.
Following a recent study on pollutants in newborns' blood, public advocacy groups are warning communities that their most vulnerable members face more risks than ever from exposure to industrial chemicals.
Researchers and activists have called on the government to catch up with science on toxic exposures by reforming a regulatory regime that critics say currently coddles polluting industries at the expense of children's health.
A L S O Chemical Monitoring Challenges Industry Activists push for more research on the effects of industrial chemicals and point to evidence showing that regulation and community vigilance can improve public health.
The results suggest that despite bans on the production of certain chemicals, they may linger in the environment for decades.
the Environmental Protection Agency has very limited power to compel the chemical industry to research the health impact of products before releasing them onto the market.
Although some of the chemicals found in the blood have been associated with health problems in previous studies, the report noted that the health effects on newborns of most of the chemicals have not undergone extensive research -- a fact that many environmentalists and public health experts take as a prompt for both more testing and precautionary regulations in response to the uncertainty surrounding many industrial substances.
The Environmental Working Group's findings dovetail with the public health community's criticism of the Toxic Substances Control Act for lacking any real authority to hold chemical corporations accountable for health harms.
Under current law, the EPA must follow a rigid procedure for requesting chemical manufacturers to assess the safety of their products.
Activists are pushing for both pragmatic reforms and sweeping overhauls of the regulatory system to prevent and mitigate potential environmental health damage.
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