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The Toronto Family


Wed, 11/07/2007 - 21:26 — zlu

Ada: polluted with 24 of 68 chemicals
Barri: polluted with 31 of 68 chemicals

Barri and Ada live in Toronto, Ontario, where Barri is a filmmaker and writer. Compared to the other volunteers in the study, Barri’s test results were fairly average, except that she had the highest levels of both mercury and lead in the study; she also had an above normal level of cadmium.

Ada had a higher number of PBDEs and PFCs than her mom, as well as a higher total concentration of PBDEs. Ada’s level of PBDE 99 was higher than her mom's. Ada also had one PBDE that her mom did not, PBDE 153. For PFCs, Ada had a higher concentration of PFOA than her mom, and she also had PFHxS, which was not present in her mom. Of all the volunteers in the study, Ada had the highest concentration of manganese at 360 nmol/L, which is above the normal range.

 

From left to right: Ada (daughter, age 10) and Barri (mother, age 40s)

Number of chemicals detected in the Toronto family that are linked to a listed health effect

Chemicals Effect on Health

Number of Chemicals Detected that are
Linked to a Listed Health Effect

Mother
Daughter

Carcinogen

25
18

Hormone disruptor

18
14

Respiratory toxin
6
5
Reproductive/
developmental toxin
25
19
Neurotoxin
13
9

No data on health effects

1
2

*Includes both recognized and suspected health effects for each chemical as identified on Scorecard.org Chemical Profiles in April 2006.

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Number and concentration of chemicals detected in the Toronto family

Chemical Group

Number of compounds detected
Total Concentration
Mother
Daughter
Mother
Daughter

PBDEs (ug/L in plasma)

2 of 5
3 of 5
0.154
0.174

PCBs (ug/L in plasma)

11 of 16
9 of 16
2.159
0.709

PFCs(ng/mL in serum)

3 of 13
4 of 13
17.345
17.329

Organochlorine pesticides
(ug/L in plasma)

8 of 13
3 of 13
0.6018
0.218

Organophosphate insecticide metabolites
(ug/L in urine)

2 of 6
0 of 6
7.9
nd
PAHs (ug/L)
0 of 10
0 of 10
nd
nd
Mercury (nmol/L in whole blood)
1 of 1
1 of 1
16
2.2
Lead (umol/L in whole blood)
1 of 1
1 of 1
0.16
0.058
Arsenic (nmol/L in whole blood)
1 of 1
1 of 1
31
11
Cadmium (nmol/L in whole blood)
1 of 1
1 of 1
15
2.8

Manganese(nmol/L in whole blood)

1 of 1
1 of 1
260
360
Total number of chemicals detected
31 of 68
24 of 68
 

* nd = not detected

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