PCBs still affecting our health decades later

Although PCBs have been banned in the United States since 1979, University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine researcher Maryse Bouchard has found that higher levels of the toxin was associated with lower cognitive performance in seniors.

There is a significant association between PCB levels and cognitive abilities among individuals aged 70 to 84 years; the correlation was also detected to a lesser extent among people aged 60-69 years. This analysis also showed that the association differed by sex. Women in the older age group had the largest diminution in cognition in relation to exposure. "While most studies have looked at the impact of PCBs on infant development, our research shows that this toxin might affect us throughout our lives," Bouchard said.

The use and production of PCBs have been phased out for over 40 years, but these highly persistent substances are still found in the blood of most individuals, especially older people. 708 Americans participated in Bouchard's study, which involved providing blood samples to determine the levels of toxins in their bodies and completing a memory and motor-skill task to determine their cognitive performance. The PCB levels found in their bodies were representative of those in the general U.S population. "Aging persons could be at particular risk because of higher cumulative exposure built up across a lifetime, susceptibility due to underlying medical conditions, such as vascular disorders, and diminished cognitive reserve capacity," Bouchard said. "Our present findings suggest that PCBs, even at levels generally considered to pose low or no risk, may contribute to cognitive deficits."

PCB disposal processes currently range from effective remediation to deliberate dumping. They accumulate in the lipid tissues of animal and marine life forms, and biomagnify across the food chain. As a result, PCBs are today ubiquitously present in tissues of human populations, in North American and around the world. This study underscores the importance of improving our response to PCBs as a health hazard.

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Study links infertility in men to chemicals

Many couples are struggling with infertility.

New research shows that high levels of organochlorine chemicals PCBs and a DDT breakdown product can lead to an extra sex chromosome for men and contribute to fertility problems.

Although the chemicals have long been banned due to health concerns, they still persist in the environment and in people. DDT’s breakdown form p,p’-DDE is very stable and can be found in most people, since it accumulates in fatty tissue.

According to the study involving men in Massachusetts, the male participants with higher levels of the chemicals in their blood were also up to 60 percent more likely to have sperm with too many sex chromosomes.

The chemicals may also be to blame for decreased quality of sperm.

An embryo or fetus with an abnormal number of chromosomes is one of the leading causes of miscarriages and birth defects.

Both the mother and the father donate a chromosome in the egg – an X from the mother and an X or Y from the father (when the chromosomes come together at fertilization, it will be XX for the girl and XY for a boy).

The study shows that the abnormal number of sex chromosomes overwhelmingly comes from the fathers and while several reasons may be to blame, researchers have identified environmental exposure as one possible cause.

Besides the chemicals mentioned above, researchers have identified benzene and some pesticides as having similar effects on sperm.

The study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Source: Environmental Health News

Reduce exposure to airborne chemicals with high-quality air purifiers

AllerAir offers portable air purifiers with many pounds of activated carbon and other air filters to help keep the ambient air clean.

The air purifiers can help remove airborne chemicals, gases, fumes, odors, particles, dust, bacteria, viruses and mold as well as other irritants.

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Heart at risk from exposure to environmental pollution

Environmental toxins build up in the body
over time, scientists say

Environmental pollutants like PCBs, dioxin and pesticides have been linked to cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure and heart attack.

Now you can add the increased risk of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, to that list.

In the latest of several environmental studies, researchers in Sweden tested more than 1,000 study participants for 23 environmental toxins.

Many of these toxins have been banned for some time, but because they have such a long half life, they are still a major factor in people’s exposure.

The study concentrated on people age 70 or older, since the toxins are stored in the body at increasingly higher levels over time.

The researcher compared the levels of environmental exposure to the health of their arteries, determined by the amount of plaque build-up in the carotid artery.

The more plaque there is, the narrower the arteries get and will reduce blood flow to the heart; if an area of plaque ruptures, it blocks the blood flow completely and can cause a heart attack.

Even after controlling for other cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers found a strong link between seven environmental pollutants and increased plaque build-up in the carotid artery.

Heart attack and stroke are leading causes of death in industrialized countries, and they are both associated with atherosclerosis, so studying the effects of environmental pollutants may be beneficial for the public health, the researchers said.

Source: TIME Healthland

Remove environmental pollutants at home or at work

The danger of environmental pollution is that people often don’t know they are breathing in contaminants or how they can affect them.

Many homes and buildings could benefit from improved indoor air quality, but department store air purifiers often rely on HEPA to remove particles and allergens.

Activated carbon can adsorb harmful
chemicals, gases and VOCs.

For people who are also concerned about chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odors and gases, an air purifier with deep bed activated carbon will remove a wide range of environmental pollutants.

AllerAir has designed portable and versatile air purifiers for the home and office that feature a powerful activated carbon + HEPA + UV (optional) filter combination.

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The link between environmental chemicals and infertility

Millions of couples in the U.S. are infertile
or dealing with infertility, statistics show.

Researchers are trying to understand the many reasons why infertility rates are rising in North America and other developed nations.

Every year in the United States, approximately 6 million women deal with infertility and around 2 million married couples are infertile.

The causes include hormonal imbalances, defects of the uterus, misshapen sperm, low sperm count and low sperm motility, for example.

And new research has just added another potential cause to the list: endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment.

Studies have found higher blood levels of pollutants such as bisphenol A (BPA), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), which can interfere with a woman’s ability to get pregnant and reduce fertility.

Chemicals mimic hormones

More than 1,200 chemicals belong to the category of endocrine disruptors, meaning they can mimic or block hormones, including estrogen, the primary female sex hormone involved in pregnancy.

The researchers warn that even low levels of chemicals such as PCBs affect the success rates of assisted reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF).

PCBs and HCB are long-lived pollutants that take decades to break down. That is why even though they have been banned for 25 years or more, exposure in the general U.S. population is still widespread.

Most people are exposed through food, since the chemicals are often found in hard plastic beverage containers, food can linings and traces of pesticides.

To reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, experts advise to:

• Avoid canned foods
• Not use disposable water bottles
• Buy BPA-free plastics
• Avoid animal and fish fats that are high in PCBs

Source: Environmental Health News

Use an air purifier to remove airborne chemicals

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and other toxins with the
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The ambient air in most indoor environments contains dust particles and allergens, but also chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other toxins that are often off-gassing from construction materials, paints, electronic equipment, furniture, cleaning agents and scented products like air fresheners and candles.

An air purifier with many pounds of activated carbon and HEPA can remove the widest range of these contaminants and keep the air cleaner and healthier.

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