Ten-year old Kyle Counts has at least 39 toxic chemicals in his body. His sixteen-year old sister Kimbra has at least 37. And their parents have no less than 47 each.
The Counts family are part of a Star-Telegram research project testing for man-made chemicals found in homes and offices in members of the Tarrant County population. The study revealed that each one of the 12 test subjects was found to have traces of dozens of potentially harmful chemicals in their blood. The chemicals they are testing for include flame retardants in many car seat cushions and computer wires, pesticides in fruits and vegetables, and coatings often found in microwave popcorn bags and fast-food packaging, and stain-resistant fibres in carpets.
The results of the study showed:
n the 12 volunteers, the Star-Telegram study found:
Forty-nine chemicals known to cause or suspected of causing cancer.
At least 50 chemicals known to cause or suspected of causing developmental and neurological disorders, including birth defects and behavioral problems.
Trace amounts of 14 dioxins and related compounds. Dioxins are the most toxic substance regulated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
More than a dozen flame retardants, including one type that’s common in Europe but had never before been found in the blood of anyone living in the United States.
Health experts are still at a loss as to what this cocktail of chemicals could be doing to our bodies, but scientists generally believed that the build up of toxic chemicals in our bodies can weaken our chances of fighting off illnesses, and at high enough levels can even cause cancer, birth defects and developmental problems.
(via: Star-Telegram)