The Vancouver Family
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The Robertson’s now live in Vancouver, but have spent several years living on Cortez Island and in the Fraser Valley in British Columbia. Amy works at home and grows much of the family’s food in their organic garden. The children in this family had higher concentrations of several chemicals than their mom, and they were the only children in the study to have a higher total concentration of PCBs than their parent. Of all the children in the study, Johanna, the daughter, had the highest total number of chemicals (32 of 68). Johanna is the only child in the study to have a greater number of chemicals than her parent. Satchel, the son, had the second highest number of chemicals detected in a child in the study (28 of 68). |
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Among the children in the study, Johanna and Satchel both had a higher than average number of PCBs and organochlorine pesticides detected in their samples. Both children have higher levels than their mom for several PCBs, and they are both contaminated by PCBs that were not present in their mom. Johanna and Satchel both also had a higher concentration than their mom for one organochlorine pesticide.
Johanna was the only person in the study with alll five PBDEs. Both children had higher levels than their mom of specific PBDEs, as well as PBDEs that were not detected in their mom. Both Johanna and Satchel were more polluted by certain PAHs than their mom. Satchel also had the highest concentrations in the family for three PFCs.
Amy, the mom, had the least number of PCBs of any of the adults in the study. However, within the group of PFCs, Amy had the highest concentration of PFNA in the study, and she was the only volunteer with PFUnA. Amy also had an above normal level of cadmium, and the highest concentration of arsenic in the study.
Number of chemicals detected in the Vancouver family that are linked to a listed health effect
| Chemicals Effect on Health |
Number of Chemicals Detected that are |
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|
Mother |
Daughter
|
Son |
|
|
Carcinogen |
24
|
26
|
24
|
|
Hormone disruptor |
18
|
19
|
16
|
|
Respiratory toxin |
10
|
7
|
8
|
| Reproductive/ developmental toxin |
25
|
27
|
25
|
| Neurotoxin |
13
|
15
|
13
|
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No data on health effects |
2
|
2
|
2
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*Includes both recognized and suspected health effects for each chemical as identified on Scorecard.org Chemical Profiles in April 2006.
Number and concentration of chemicals detected in the Vancouver family
|
Chemical Group |
Number of compounds detected
|
Total Concentration
|
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|
Mother
|
Daughter
|
Son
|
Mother
|
Daughter
|
Son
|
|
|
PBDEs (ug/L in plasma) |
2 of 5
|
5 of 5
|
3 of 5
|
0.028
|
0.23
|
0.136
|
|
PCBs (ug/L in plasma) |
9 of 16
|
10 of 16
|
9 of 16
|
0.888
|
1.104
|
1.041
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|
PFCs(ng/mL in serum) |
4 of 13
|
4 of 13
|
3 of 13
|
23
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14.871
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23.47
|
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Organochlorine pesticides |
8 of 13
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6 of 13
|
5 of 13
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0.8237
|
0.509
|
0.661
|
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Organophosphate insecticide metabolites |
0 of 6
|
1 of 6
|
1 of 6
|
nd
|
7.7
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9.6
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| PAHs (ug/L) |
3 of 10
|
1 of 10
|
3 of 10
|
0.539
|
0.41
|
1.28
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| Mercury (nmol/L in whole blood) |
1 of 1
|
1 of 1
|
1 of 1
|
13
|
1.4
|
3.9
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| Lead (umol/L in whole blood) |
1 of 1
|
1 of 1
|
1 of 1
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0.046
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0.031
|
0.04
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| Arsenic (nmol/L in whole blood) |
1 of 1
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1 of 1
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1 of 1
|
56
|
15
|
19
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| Cadmium (nmol/L in whole blood) |
1 of 1
|
1 of 1
|
1 of 1
|
10
|
2.5
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2.7
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Manganese(nmol/L in whole blood) |
1 of 1
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1 of 1
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1 of 1
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170
|
190
|
110
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| Total number of chemicals detected |
31 of 68
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32 of 68
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29 of 68
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