Chemical testing: are we doing enough?
Last month, the European Union's REACH legislation came into force, a move that will see around 30,000 industrial chemicals put through their paces to find out what risks they impose on health & safety. Twelve toxic chemicals - called persistent organic pollutants, or POPS - have already been banned worldwide under the Stockholm Convention; these include DDT, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls.
But scientists from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia say there could be 10,000 or more other chemicals that are potentially toxic to humans and the environment that are currently being overlooked, thanks to the fact that their effects are studied in fish.
Professor Frank Gobas, who led the research, claims there is a fundamental flaw in the fish model. Writing in the journal Science, Professor Gobas suggests that fish flush out chemicals from their bodies differently from humans and other air-breathing animals and birds.
The current tests look at which chemicals accumulate in fish - if they remain in fish after they have been ingested, they are said to be 'bio-accumulative' (or 'persistent'). At present, the test looks at how effectively the chemical dissolves in fat and in water, known as the Kow test. But Professor Gobas's team argues that a different type of test is required for humans and other air-breathing animals. The test in question is called the Koa tests, and it checks for whether or not a chemical can be trapped in tissues in the lungs.
About a third of the organic substances in commercial use should be re-tested using the Koa measure, say the scientists. These include some pesticides and possibly also some pharmaceuticals.
According to toxicologists, bio-accumulative toxic chemicals may build up in the human body and eventually cause health problems, including cancer. Worryingly, one of the chemicals that could need re-testing, if Professor Gobas has his way, is musk xylene, an artificial fragrance used in some household cleaning products.
But you don't have to risk health problems later in life to have a squeaky-clean living or working environment now. Cleaning and other hygiene products from Vermont-based Seventh Generation - available in the UK from Suffolk-based Green Face - are free from all artificial fragrances, as well as chlorine, acids, caustics, phosphates, latex, petroleum-based ingredients, optical brighteners and dyes.
As the cleaning products are based on vegetable cleaners instead of petroleum-based ingredients, they are tough on dirt but gentle on you, your home/workplace and the environment. They're not tested on animals either. So they don't harm the planet or any of its inhabitants. Furthermore, Green Face lowers the impact of importing brands including Seventh Generation by offsetting the carbon used by planting trees in Mynedd-Y-Garnedd, Snowdonia via the Carbon Neutral Company.
Products include laundry liquid, fabric softener, chlorine-free bleach, dishwasher gel and powder, washing-up liquid, glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, carpet cleaner, kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner and toilet bowl cleaner. Seventh Generation also makes chlorine-free recycled paper towels and tissues, as well as chlorine-free nappies and baby wipes and recycled plastic bin bags.