WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and SportsThe toxins of life, discovered in a body burden test

The toxins of life, discovered in a body burden test

HOBART, Wis. (WKOW) -- Every day, every minute, we're breathing in chemical pollutants, whether we realize it or not.  The reality is, you likely have dozens, if not hundreds of these chemicals in your body at this very instant.

We've heard about exposure to heavy metals like mercury or lead. There are simple tests for those.  How about testing for chemicals like rocket fuel in your blood? Or flame retardants? Or plastics?

A small sample of people each year in the United States are now subjected to what's known as a body burden test.

Among those surveyed in recent years was Jennifer Hill-Kelley, who lives near Green Bay.

"I knew that some things would be high, I just didn't know what," said the environmental policy expert for the Oneida Nation. In 2008, the Environmental Working Group conducted its own body burden survey of minority women across the country.

As part of the study, Hill-Kelley submitted blood and urine samples for the test. Ordinarily, such tests cost $10,000 or more and are, thus, out of the reach of the average person.

Hill-Kelley didn't waste the opportunity to find out what toxins and other chemicals were in her body. "My daughter is eight yrs old, and once you have a child, your whole world and your perspective changes," she said. "You want to make good choices for them."

She adds, "If I'm exposed to them, she's likely exposed to them too."

After months of waiting, the results arrived. Jennifer Hill-Kelley said she was started by what she read. Out of 70 industrial chemicals tested, at least 37 were found in her body.

Along with mercury and lead, which she expected, there was bisphenol-a, the chemical often found in plastic.

There was also perchlorate, used in rocket fuel and fireworks and now commonly found in ground water.

She also pegged higher than average for a group of chemicals called musks. She knows the source of those.

"Fragrances and personal care products," she explained, citing that those are products women naturally use. "That was a wake-up call for me."

"People are always shocked at the number and the extent of the number of chemicals that are inside our bodies," said Dr. Rian Podein, a family physician at UW Health in Madison. He frequently studies body burdens and calls these classes of tests excellent for awareness, if nothing else.

"In the U.S., we've manufactured over 80,000 chemicals over the past 50 years approximately, and the majority of those have not been tested for basic toxicity," he explains.

Examples of common body burdens include by-products of new carpets and upholstery. They off-gas component chemicals. It's the same story for vinyl shower curtains.

Many of us love modern electronics and often purchase new television sets and computers. They contain flame retardants called bromides that slowly seep into the air.

Then there are the chemicals used for that buttery flavoring in microwavable popcorn.

The list goes on. Notable figures in recent years that submitted themselves to body burden tests include journalists Bill Moyers, Anderson Cooper, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Their blood was checked for about 400 chemicals. More than 200 were detected.

Podein said even if we all feel healthy, there's always the question with these chemicals over how much is too much to be ingested.

"For some of them, we know they affect health," he said. "For others, we suspect they affect health. The vast majority we have no idea if they affect health, and to what level."

"I find it ironic that chemicals are innocent until proven guilty," said Hill-Kelley. She admits she's healthy as well, even with these substances in her body.

Nonetheless, she's pushing for changes. She wants manufacturers to conduct more thorough testing before putting products on the shelves. If not voluntarily, then she supports federal legislation to strengthen product safety testing.

"You don't know what that exposure is doing to you over the long term," she explains. "I don't know what that exposure is doing to my eight-year-old daughter, how that's impacting her developmentally."

She's also using her own results to make changes in her own home. While she hasn't thrown out reusable plastic food containers, she no longer heats food up in them. Most cleaners in her kitchen as now the environmental alternatives.

Both she and Podein say it will still be a long time before all of humanity can again live life without a fair amount of these chemicals in our bodies. In one sense, it is the price for having modern conveniences.

"The average baby was born with 200 chemicals in the cord blood at birth, so we know this starts early," said Dr. Podein.

"I'm lucky because I have a little more knowledge to make choices," adds Hill-Kelley, knowing that she is one of the few Americans to have a print-out of what exactly is in her blood.

One reason why they say we should care about these chemicals is the ongoing debate we're seeing with bisphenol-a, or BPA, in many plastics. Some stores are now banning things like baby bottles made with BPA. Wisconsin is considering a bill for a statewide ban, because some research is indicating it harms human health in developing children. Even then, however, not everyone agrees scientifically.

While body burden tests are out of the range of most people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts a small national survey, as does Sweden. Podein said the Swedish government began limiting the amount of bromide-based flame retardants after early body burden tests indicated increasing levels of the chemical.

There are websites that try to simulate a body burden test. These online surveys ask you a number of questions based on your daily lifestyle, and then tell you which chemicals you likely have in your blood and urine. Podein said while not scientifically accurate, these sites can be a good basis to help seek environmental and health changes.

To take a sample body burden test online, click here.

To access the results of Jennifer Hill-Kelley's body burden test, click here.

Email Carl Agnelly at cagnelly@wkowtv.com

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