"10 Americans" by Environmental Working Group

Summary

This video highlights a project by the Environmental Working Group that examined the blood of 10 Americans for toxic chemicals. The study found 287 pollutants, some banned decades ago, in their blood—many transferred during pregnancy. The speaker emphasizes the dangers of low-dose exposure to industrial chemicals, which are linked to cancer, birth defects, and neurological damage. Despite existing regulations, these toxins persist in people and the environment. The video advocates for stronger chemical safety laws, specifically the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, to better protect public health and future generations.

Takeaways

• 🧪 The Environmental Working Group conducted a study involving blood samples from 10 Americans to detect exposure to toxic chemicals.
• 🔬 A total of 287 chemicals were found in these 10 people, with each person having an average of 200 chemicals in their blood.
• 👶 The study revealed that many of these toxic chemicals were found in umbilical cord blood, showing that industrial pollution begins in the womb.
• 🧬 These chemicals include substances known to cause cancer, birth defects, hormone disruption, immune system toxicity, and neurological damage.
• 💉 A significant number of chemicals discovered had been banned for over 30 years, highlighting their persistence in the environment.
• ⚠️ Chemicals can have harmful effects even at very low concentrations, with some active at parts per billion, such as certain pharmaceuticals.
• 📈 There has been an increase in various health issues over the past decades, including childhood leukemia, brain cancer, autism, and infertility, which may be linked to chemical exposure.
• 🛑 The current regulatory law, the Toxic Substances Control Act, is outdated and insufficient, as it does not require health or safety studies before chemicals are approved for the market.
• 💡 Historical bans on dangerous chemicals like lead, PCBs, and DDT significantly reduced their presence in people's blood, showing that removing harmful substances works.
• 👶 The proposed Kidsafe Chemicals Act would require companies to prove chemicals are safe for children and other vulnerable populations before they can be sold, aiming to protect future generations.

Q & A

What was the purpose of the blood sample project involving 10 Americans?

The project aimed to analyze the blood of 10 Americans for 413 toxic chemicals and pollutants to study the extent of industrial chemical exposure in the human body.

What was unique about the 10 Americans tested in the project?

These 10 Americans were all newborns, and the study examined umbilical cord blood to determine how many toxic chemicals were passed from the mother to the developing child.

What types of chemicals were found in the blood samples of these 10 Americans?

The analysis detected 287 chemicals, including industrial pollutants, pesticides, consumer product ingredients, and banned substances, with an average of 200 chemicals found in each person.

How did the researchers determine that air, water, and food were not the sources of exposure to these chemicals?

The researchers ruled out air, water, and food as sources because none of the newborns had been exposed to these chemicals through these typical pathways due to their young age.

What was the significance of finding banned chemicals in the newborns' blood?

It was alarming because it indicated that even chemicals banned 30 years prior, like DDT and PCBs, were still present in the environment and being passed to newborns.

Why is the discovery of toxic chemicals in umbilical cord blood concerning?

This discovery is concerning because the developing baby does not have a blood-brain barrier, making them highly vulnerable to chemicals that could disrupt brain development and overall health.

What health issues are linked to exposure to these industrial chemicals?

The chemicals found are linked to a variety of health problems, including cancer, birth defects, hormone disruption, neurodevelopmental disorders, and immune system toxicity.

What are the chemical industry's arguments regarding the safety of low-dose chemical exposure?

The chemical industry claims that the chemicals are safe because they are present in very low doses (parts per billion), suggesting that such small concentrations cannot cause harm.

What examples were provided to demonstrate that even low doses of chemicals can have significant effects?

Examples include common medications like albuterol (for asthma) and Paxil (an antidepressant), which are effective at very low doses (parts per billion), illustrating that even small concentrations can have significant biological effects.

What is the goal of the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, and how would it change current regulations?

The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act would require companies to prove that chemicals are safe for children and sensitive populations before they are allowed on the market, reversing the current system where chemicals are presumed safe until proven harmful.

Outlines

00:00

🔬 Blood Analysis of 10 Americans

The Environmental Working Group conducted a study analyzing the blood of 10 Americans for 413 toxic chemicals, including pollutants and pesticides. The study highlights that although air, water, and food were unlikely sources, the individuals still had significant chemical exposure, raising concerns about pollution in people. Surprisingly, 287 different chemicals were found in the subjects, indicating extensive chemical presence in the environment.

05:01

👶 Pollution in the Womb

This paragraph focuses on how toxic chemicals can affect babies in the womb. Contrary to prior beliefs, the placenta does not filter out these pollutants, meaning that exposure starts before birth. The speaker shares a personal connection by introducing his son, Callahan, who was exposed to these chemicals in the womb, underscoring the reality that industrial pollution affects even the most vulnerable.

10:03

💊 Low-Dose Chemical Exposure Risks

This section explains the potential harm caused by chemicals even at very low doses, using examples like common medications (e.g., Paxel, Calis) that are active at parts per billion. These examples demonstrate that even tiny concentrations of chemicals can have significant effects, drawing a parallel to industrial pollutants and raising awareness of their potentially harmful impact on human health.

15:03

📈 The Rise of Health Issues Linked to Chemicals

The paragraph describes the alarming rise in various diseases and health conditions potentially linked to chemical exposure, including childhood leukemia, birth defects, brain cancer, autism, and infertility. The statistics point to a growing public health crisis that cannot be explained by genetics alone. It highlights the urgent need to understand the connection between these chemicals and the increase in such conditions.

20:05

🧪 The Weakness of the Toxic Substances Control Act

The speaker critiques the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act, which has allowed thousands of chemicals to enter the market without thorough safety testing. Only five chemicals have been banned or restricted under the act, and even attempts to ban substances like asbestos have failed. The speaker calls for reform to prioritize public health over industrial interests, emphasizing that past successes in banning dangerous chemicals have led to improved health outcomes.

🍼 Protecting Babies from Chemical Exposure

This paragraph introduces the Kidsafe Chemicals Act, which aims to protect vulnerable populations, especially children, from toxic chemicals. The proposed law would require companies to prove the safety of chemicals before they can be sold. By focusing on chemicals found in umbilical cord blood, the act seeks to prioritize child safety and prevent exposure to hazardous substances.

👶 A Personal Call to Action

The speaker concludes with a personal plea to support the Kidsafe Chemicals Act, emphasizing his concern for his son Callahan’s future. He urges individuals to get involved in the movement to reduce toxic chemical exposure for the sake of future generations. This emotional appeal highlights the importance of collective action to protect children and the environment.

Keywords

💡Environmental Working Group

The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit organization that conducts research and advocacy in various environmental areas. In the video, they are highlighted for their specific project involving the analysis of blood samples from 10 Americans for toxic chemicals, which is central to the video's theme of environmental health and chemical exposure.

💡Toxic Chemicals

Toxic chemicals refer to substances that can cause harm to living organisms. The video discusses the presence of such chemicals in the bodies of the 10 Americans tested, emphasizing the pervasive nature of chemical pollution and its potential health implications.

💡Pollutants

Pollutants are substances that contaminate the environment, which can include chemicals, particulates, or biological materials. The script mentions pollutants in air, water, and land, and the project's focus on human exposure to these substances.

💡Personal Care Products

Personal care products encompass a range of items like cosmetics, soaps, and shampoos that may contain chemical ingredients. The video points out that these products can expose users to over 160 chemical ingredients daily, highlighting a potential source of chemical exposure.

💡Industrial Chemicals

Industrial chemicals are chemicals used in the production of various goods. The script discusses the discovery of 212 industrial chemicals and pesticide breakdown products in the blood samples, many of which had been banned decades prior, underscoring the long-lasting nature of these chemicals in the environment.

💡Pesticides

Pesticides are chemicals used to control pests. The video mentions the presence of pesticide breakdown products in the blood samples, indicating exposure to these chemicals despite not being farm or factory workers.

💡Umbilical Cord Blood

Umbilical cord blood is the blood that remains in the placenta and in the umbilical cord after birth. The video discusses testing umbilical cord blood for toxic chemicals, revealing that industrial pollution begins in the womb and babies can be exposed to chemicals before birth.

💡Health Effects

Health effects refer to the impacts on human health caused by exposure to various substances. The video lists numerous health effects associated with the chemicals found, such as cancer, birth defects, and hormone disruption, illustrating the potential risks of chemical exposure.

💡Toxic Substances Control Act

The Toxic Substances Control Act is a U.S. federal law that regulates the introduction of new chemicals. The video criticizes this act for being weak and outdated, allowing many chemicals onto the market without adequate safety testing.

💡Kidsafe Chemicals Act

The Kidsafe Chemicals Act is a proposed law mentioned in the video that aims to ensure chemicals are proven safe for children before being allowed on the market. This act is positioned as a solution to the problem of chemical exposure and a way to protect public health.

💡Chemical Exposure

Chemical exposure refers to the contact with chemicals, which can occur through various routes such as ingestion, inhalation, or absorption. The video discusses the various potential routes of exposure for the chemicals found in the blood samples, emphasizing the ubiquity of chemicals in modern life.

Highlights

The project collected blood samples from 10 Americans to analyze for 413 toxic chemical pollutants, including pesticides and industrial chemicals.

The study found 287 chemicals in the blood of these 10 individuals, with an average of 200 chemicals per person.

Among the chemicals found were 28 waste byproducts, 47 consumer product ingredients, and 212 industrial chemicals and pesticide breakdown products banned 30 years earlier.

The individuals were not exposed to these chemicals through air, water, or food, leading to questions about other routes of exposure.

Umbilical cord blood from babies was analyzed, revealing that pollution starts in the womb, as toxic chemicals pass through the placenta.

134 of the chemicals found were linked to cancer, 151 to birth defects, 154 to hormone disruption, and 130 to neurotoxicity.

The presence of toxic chemicals in blood does not guarantee biological damage but raises concerns about potential long-term health risks.

Studies show that even extremely low doses of chemicals (parts per billion) can have significant health impacts, such as albuterol stopping asthma attacks at 2.1 parts per billion.

Industrial chemicals are linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, with evidence suggesting a 'silent pandemic' of such disorders.

The incidence of various diseases has dramatically increased, including a 57% rise in childhood brain cancer and a doubling of hypospadias cases.

There has been an 84% increase in acute lymphocytic leukemia in children between 1975 and 2002.

The Kid Safe Chemicals Act aims to require companies to prove that chemicals are safe for children before they can be sold.

The campaign advocates for prioritizing chemicals that are hazardous and found in people, especially in umbilical cord blood.

The study emphasizes the need for stronger regulations, updating outdated laws like the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

Historical success stories, such as banning lead in gasoline and DDT, resulted in reduced toxic levels in people's blood, demonstrating the potential for regulatory change to improve health outcomes.

Transcripts

[Music]

we do a lot of different research

projects at the environmental working

group on a wide range of

topics but tonight I want to talk to you

about one specific

project involving 10 Americans 10

Americans who have really Been

instrumental in inspiring what we

consider to be one of the most important

environmental campaigns in

history one day we collected a sample of

blood from each of these 10

Americans and we sent it to a laboratory

to analyze it for

413 different tox xic chemical

pollutants pesticides and Industrial

chemicals

alike of course scientists have been

studying pollution in air and water and

land for

decades but it's only recently that they

turn to the study of pollution and

people and that's what this project was

designed also to

do there are hundreds and hundreds of

toxic chemicals in the air in the United

States hundreds of millions of pounds

pounds emitted each year but we know for

a fact that none of these 10 Americans

were exposed to these chemicals by

virtue of the air that they breathed

even though we found some of these very

chemicals in these 10

people could also have been the water

that they drank and believe it or not

some drinking water does start off

looking like this before it's treated

but we know for a fact it wasn't the tap

water of course it could have been food

that was the route of

exposure but we know for a fact that

none of these 10 Americans were exposed

to the chemicals we found in them as a

result of food that they bought at the

grocery store bought at a restaurant and

consumed that was not the

source what about personal care products

our online survey has shown that women

use an average of about 12 personal care

products a day and that exposes them to

more more than 160 chemical ingredients

some of them rather toxic day after day

after day men the exposure is about half

that because they only use about half of

the personal care products that women

use but uh some good news this is not a

gloom and doom presentation altogether

um almost all of the men were found to

use both deodorant and

toothpaste

so so there's there's kind of a silver

lining there

these 10 Americans weren't Farm Workers

they weren't Factory

workers and when the results came back

from the laboratory we had found 287

chemicals in just those 10

people an average of 200 chemicals in

each

one when you look at the chemicals by

category it's kind of Aston

puning 28 different waste byproducts

dioxins furans things that come out of

incinerators smoke stacks 47 different

consumer product ingredients the flame

retardant in these lights and this

projector Teflon chemicals Scotch Guard

chemicals

pesticides but for my money most

disturbing of all we found 212

industrial chemicals and pesticide

breakdown products that had been banned

30 years before we took those blood

samples and sent them to the lab in

2004 who were these 10 Americans how

were they exposed well the truth of the

matter is we don't really know very much

about these 10 people about the only

thing we know is that as the exposures

took

place all of them looked something like

this

this was the first time anyone had ever

bothered since the beginning of the

chemical Revolution to examine umbilical

cord blood to see how many toxic

chemicals got through to the developing

child here's another view this Baby's

receiving about 300 quarts of blood

circulating to him from the mother every

day the nutrients that are allowing the

baby to grow the oxygen that's allowing

the baby to

breathe this baby like all babies at

that age does not have a blood brain

barrier that means that the tissues of

the brain the cells of the brain are not

protected as they will be in later life

just a few months from now really to

protect him from the chemicals that

would pass into those tissues and those

cells so this baby arguably has been at

his most vulnerable for nine months at

this

stage and the other thing to know about

this baby this is my baby this is

Callahan cook my son who was

born a year

ago pediatricians and scientists thought

hoped that babies were protected from

from toxic chemicals because the

chemicals were filtered out by the

placenta our study showed disturbingly

that that's not the

case industrial pollution begins in the

womb

obviously this is a heavy message we are

concerned about toxic chemicals to which

babies in the womb are exposed

but let me also tell you just because a

chemical is found in someone does not

mean that there's going to be

environmental damage biological damage

it doesn't mean that at all but what it

does mean is that there is reason to be

concerned what it does mean is that we

ought to do all we can to minimize those

exposures it stands to reason and the

reason we want to avoid them is the

nature of the chemicals themselves 134

of these chemicals had been shown to

cause cancer in laboratory studies or in

people 151 associated with causing birth

defects

154 caused hormone disruption

infertility 186 different chemicals

immune system toxicants

130 neurotoxins like lead pcbs Mercury

that we know can have profound effects

on the developing child profound effects

on their intelligence profound effects

on their motor

coordination if you're doing a little

math here you're already seeing that we

have more health effects than we have

chemicals why is that the answer is

simple many of these chemicals have

multiple toxic

effects a recent

review concluded that that when you look

at all of these chemicals in combination

which we never do when we review their

toxicity we look at them one at a time

you have to come to a disturbing

conclusion the combined evidence

suggests that neurodevelopmental

disorders caused by industrial chemicals

has created a silent pandemic in modern

society

so what is the chemical industry

say that there's no reason to worry why

because the chemicals are safe because

the doses are so

low parts per

billion so the question

becomes can a part per billion really

cause harm after all a part per billion

as the industry likes to say is equal to

one

pancake in a stack of pancakes 4,000

miles

high uh this is an actual picture that

the industry took of that stack of

pancakes after they stack them 4,000

miles they they have more money than we

do but we have this cool

slideshow one pancake in a stack 4,000

mil High what could possibly have any

impact at such a low

concentration let's look at some

chemicals that we know more about

because we're exposed to them every day

in advertising and we in many cases use

them albuterol this is a chemical that's

in the desk of every school nurse

because one dose of it at 2.1 parts per

billion will stop an asthma

attack paxel a common anti-depressant

one dose in the blood active at 30 parts

per

billion

Calis one dose which can have profound

therapeutic

effects 30 parts per billion and it's

good for 36

hours and then there's Nar ring which is

a commonly prescribed birth controlled

drug it is active at

0.035 parts per

billion less than 400s of a pancake in a

stack of pancakes 4,000 miles high and

it's almost 100%

effective now some people are more

sensitive than others one of the side

effects of Calis at 30 parts per billion

is that if you have any sudden decreas

increase in hearing or Vision you can't

see or hear at 30 parts per billion you

should stop taking Calis and seek

immediate medical

help and then there's the most famous

side effect of

all and my question about this side

effect is really very simple if you've

experienced the preceding one as well

and you can't see or

hear how do you call the

[Music]

doctor low doses matter for 30 parts per

billion we can Inspire human

reproduction for

0.035 parts per billion we can prevent

it and for another 30 parts per billion

we can chill out about it either way

the exposures happen industry is allowed

to sell these chemicals use them in the

market

place and we have to wonder after

Decades of these exposures what the

problems that they're causing might just

be there are increases in diseases

disorders health problems that we cannot

explain by genetics alone we're not

evolving so quickly that these problems

can be

explained an 84% increase in acute

lymphocytic leukemia in children between

1975 and

2002 hypospadius has doubled over

roughly that same period This is a birth

defect a deformation of the penis where

the urethra doesn't come out at the end

but somewhere else along the shaft and

it requires surgery often within days or

months of birth that now affects one out

of 125 baby boys in the United States

chemicals are

implicated a 57% increase in childhood

brain

cancer autism the great mystery the

great tragedy one in 150 children on the

autism Spectrum Disorder one in 150

children in some states where we have

more robust data it's approaching

1% it's not just the kids it's adults

too millions of couples struggle with

getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy

to full term a dramatic increase of 20%

in those problems in the past decade the

biggest increase has been with women of

childbearing age under 25 years

old decreased sperm count in men about

1% per year in the United States and

Northern Europe breast cancer does

anyone here not know a person a family

that has been touched by this disease

now one in eight

women and for all

cancers one in three women will develop

them during their lifetime and half of

all

men

so what can you

do all these chemicals all these

exposures well one thing we know for

certain you can't live under a rock you

can't avoid Modern Life you can't

escape you can't escape all of these exp

would you like to see that

again we can't

avoid these

exposures we live in the real world and

we're not proposing for one minute that

we try and live anywhere else but we

need to fix that real world and we can

do

it chemicals are showing up on the front

page of newspapers for the same reason

that they're showing up in

babies a very weak law that was passed a

long time ago and has never since been

modernized it's the toxic substances

Control Act and my message to you

tonight is we need to fix this

thing the toxic substances Control Act

grandfathered in 62,000 industrial

chemicals in 1976 and presumed that they

were safe the law does not require any

health or safety studies before a new

chemical is allowed onto the market

none of the chemicals that come to EP PA

for approval 80% are approved within

just 3

weeks and in the history of Tusa as it's

called only five chemicals only five

have been banned or restricted this law

is so weak that when the first Bush

Administration tried to ban

asbes it was challenged in court and

lost this is a law that protects

polluters it protects companies it

protects profits and what we need is a

law that protects people and public

health it's a tall order but we've made

big changes

before we've cleaned up Industries we've

cleaned up air we've cleaned up water

but most relevant to tonight we've

cleaned up our blood

lead when we took the lead out of

gasoline look what happened to blood

lead levels in the US population they

plummeted we still have a problem with

lead poisoning in inner cities in older

housing particularly lowincome housing

but we've made dramatic strides by

taking lead out of both paint and

gasoline PCB levels in blood at the time

it was detected in people and Wildlife

it was suggested that if we got rid of

this insulating chemical we might not

have electri

electricity well we did ban it the

lights are still

on and PCB levels in blood

plummeted and then there's

DDT notorious insecticide the industry

of course said well if you ban DDT we

might not be able to grow

food but we did ban it we did continue

to grow food and DDT levels plummeted in

the American people's

blood as an important note when we

tested those babies in

2004 we still found pcbs we still found

DDT the lesson is pretty clear if a

chemical is dangerous and it lasts a

long time in the environment you want to

waste no time moving to take it off of

the

market for the past five years a

campaign has been building to protect

the most vulnerable to protect all of us

it's called the kidsafe chemicals act

and here's what this law in summary

would do if it got on the books and we

want it on the books it would require

that chemicals be proven by the

companies to be safe for children and

others who are sensitive before the

chemicals are allowed on the market what

a

concept it assumes that chemicals are

harming people until it's proven

otherwise until they're proven safe by

the companies now it goes the other

way if you've got tens of thousands of

chemicals where do you start trying to

unravel the

problem well this bill says let's start

with chemicals that we have reason to

believe are hazardous and end up in

people and this is where the 10

Americans come

in this bill says that if chemicals show

up in umbilical cord blood we're going

to assume they're unsafe and we're going

to require the companies that make those

chemicals to prove that they are safe on

an expedited basis before they can come

onto the market or remain on the market

and that's what we hope the kids safe

chemicals act will

do science scientists medical

leaders religious

leaders environmental organizations are

coming together and it's the most

exciting development in my professional

life dealing with toxic

chemicals and the problems they

cause

this is another image of my baby

Callahan cook he's about two weeks

old when I look into his face I see

every hope for a healthy future I know

that when he came into the world like

all American babies he did have some

toxic chemicals in him for all our best

efforts but but my hope is that going

forward we can do better and we have to

do

better we can protect babies and the

rest of us from these toxic chemicals if

we just make it our business to do

so yes be smarter when you shop but even

more importantly tonight get involved to

help us pass the kidsafe chemicals act

we owe it to our

kids we owe it to our VES to protect

them so that no baby is born into this

world pre- pooled in the

[Music]

future