A Call for PrecautionBy Thomas A. Griffith, ND Imagine the mountainous heaps of recalled Chinese toys for a moment. It's an apt representation of lost consumer innocence. It also serves a stark reminder that the threats to public and environmental health posed by toxic pollutants and contaminants are real. It is clear that protective mechanisms and precautions do not sufficiently guide policy. There are over 85,000 chemicals produced in the U.S., 3,000 of them in quantities of one million pounds or more per year. Ninety-three percent lack basic health effects screening, 78 percent of the highest volume commercial-use chemicals do not even have "minimal" toxicity testing, and 43 percent have no basic toxicity data. Over 75 percent have undergone no screening for possible effects on fetuses and children. The vast majority of available information deals only with acute toxicity, not the low-dose chronic exposures we are all subjected to. Many of these chemicals have been linked to neurological, immunological, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrinological, reproductive, and developmental toxicities. They are found in water, air, food, toys, clothing, furniture, electronics, vitamin and herbal supplements, plastics, building materials, cosmetics, medical equipment, automobiles, and planes. The Center for Disease Control's National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals confirms that these compounds are routinely found in samples of blood, urine, fat, hair, breast milk, and other tissue samples, as demonstrated by the CDC's National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Pollution in People, an investigative study carried out by the Toxic Free Legacy Coalition, examined levels of 29 toxic pollutants in ten Washingtonians and found that mercury, PFOA (Teflon byproduct), carbaryl insecticide, phthalates, PCBs, and PBDEs were present in all subjects. Levels of mercury in three subjects were greater than EPA's acceptable limits. Levels falling within the "acceptable" ranges are described as below the threshold of observable adverse effect, but the dynamic interplay between multiple-agent exposure, unpredictable dose responses, environmental circumstance, genetic susceptibility, and a long-duration exposure is still incalculable. In the face of uncertainty of causation, environmental and public health policy has typically been towards denying the plausibility of a potential problem. The manufacturers of these substances are not required by law to test for harmful effects and the onus of proving them unsafe falls upon potential victims. These arguments echo those of past threats ignored and denied: cigarettes, HIV in the blood supply, lead, thalidomide, PCBs, asbestos, DDT, and methyl mercury, etc.
The defense of ignorance for inaction is unacceptable to most once they understand that statements such as, "There exists no evidence of harm," can all too often be translated as, "Studies have not been done, therefore, we conclude, there is no actionable danger." The need for an injection of common sense into policy guidelines has led to the worldwide emergence of the Precautionary Principle. The Precautionary Principle was originally adopted in 1992 by the European Union as the basis for toxic chemical regulation, stating Dissenting opinion claims that the Precautionary Principle operates under uncertainty or lacks scientific evidence, but in reality it is the current paradigm that is operating on unfounded assumptions of safety, and it is the Precautionary Principle that calls for more science and continued refinement of knowledge and its active application to policy. The current model requires large-scale health damage to occur before preventive action is indicated. Critics also point out that enacting the PP will be costly, but the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act actually saved Massachusetts industry some $15 million, spared toxic emissions by more than 66 percent, cut total chemical waste by 30 percent and total use by 20 percent. This does not even factor in savings to public health. In 2005 Governor Gregoire launched her Healthy Puget Sound Initiative with the goal of Puget Sound Restoration by 2020. The Puget Sound Partnership has been formed as a council of 19 members from political, non-profit, private, and legislative sectors to gather input from public stakeholders and devise goals and objectives for the initiative. A broad coalition of medical and environmental activists has pushed inclusion of the Precautionary Principle as a guideline for action. This coalition was effective in the recent passage of groundbreaking legislation that bans PBDEs in Washington. We are fortunate to live in a progressive state that often takes the lead nationally in such issues. Now is the time for concerned citizens to get involved to ensure that precaution is the guiding principle of protecting us all against the threats of environmental pollutants to our health in Washington. The organizations listed below are excellent resources for involvement. I encourage all concerned to study, speak out, and contribute to enacting a revolutionary change of mindset: the Precautionary Principle. Don't allow a mountain of Chinese toys to become the tip of an iceberg. More information on the Precautionary Principle: www.asmalldoseof.org/precautionary/index.php Thomas A. Griffith, ND is a practicing Naturopathic Physician at Vital HealthCare in Olympia. He can be contacted at 360-455-8281 or www.DocGriffith.com ---- Organizations to contact:
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