Two new reports show industrial toxins common in human bodies.

• Author: Stair, Peter
• Position: ENVIRONMENTAL INTELLIGENCE

Heavy metals, pesticides, solvents, fire retardants, glues, coatings, and combustion emissions are just some of the pollutants absorbed into our bodies on a daily basis, according to two recent studies on human exposure. In the National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tested the blood and urine of 2,400 Americans for 148 common chemicals. Among the pollutants found in high levels were cadmium, a heavy metal thought to be absorbed from cigarette smoke and associated with weakened bones and kidney injuries, and phthalates, common plastic softeners that have been linked to diminished reproductive functioning.

Although most of the chemicals the CDC tested for existed in concentrations below those believed to be debilitating, the report emphasized the dearth of knowledge about chronic exposure to toxins. On the plus side, the researchers pointed to declines in Americans' exposure to lead and second-hand smoke, which they attributed to greater awareness of lead sources such as old paint and to more stringent limits on public smoking.

A second study, by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), tested for 413 different pollutants in the umbilical...