Common solvents disrupt hormone systems, scientists warn

Benzene, xylene and other solvents contaminate the home

Low-level, everyday exposures to dangerous
chemicals are linked to many health issues,
scientists say.

Four chemicals present both inside and outside homes might disrupt our endocrine systems at levels considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to an analysis.

The chemicals – benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene – are ubiquitous: in the air outside and in many products inside homes and businesses. They have been linked to reproductive, respiratory and heart problems, as well as smaller babies.

Now researchers from The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) and the University of Colorado, Boulder, say that such health impacts may be due to the chemicals’ ability to interfere with people’s hormones at low exposure levels.

“There’s evidence of connection between the low level, everyday exposures and things like asthma, reduced fetal growth,” said Ashley Bolden, a research associate at TEDX and lead author of the study.

“And for a lot of the health effects found, we think it’s disrupted endocrine-signaling pathways involved in these outcomes.”

Bolden and colleagues – including scientist, activist, author and TEDX founder Theo Colborn who passed away last December – pored over more than 40 studies on the health impacts of low exposure to the chemicals.

They looked at exposures lower than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s reference concentrations for the chemicals, which is the agency’s estimated inhalation exposure level that is not likely to cause health impacts during a person’s lifetime.

Many of the health problems – asthma, low birth weights, cardiovascular, disease, preterm births, abnormal sperm – can be rooted in early disruptions to the developing endocrine system, Bolden said.

The analysis doesn’t prove that exposure to low levels of the chemicals disrupt hormones. However, any potential problems with developing hormone systems are cause for concern.

“Hormones are how the body communicates with itself to get work done. Interrupt that, you can expect all sorts of negative health outcomes,” said Susan Nagel an associate professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health School of Medicine who was not involved in the study.

Cathy Milbourn, a spokesperson for the EPA, said in an emailed response that the agency will "review the study and incorporate the findings into our work as appropriate."

The "EPA is screening thousands of chemicals for potential risk of endocrine disruption," she said. "As potential risk of endocrine disruption is identified, these chemicals are assessed further."

Chemicals found in many consumer products

The four chemicals are retrieved from the wellheads during crude oil and natural gas extraction and, after refining, are used as gasoline additives and in a wide variety of consumer products such as adhesives, detergents, degreasers, dyes, pesticides, polishes and solvents.

Ethylbenzene is one of the top ten chemicals used in children’s products such as toys and playground equipment, according to a 2013 EPA report.

Toluene is in the top ten chemicals used in consumer products such as fuels and paints, the report found.

All four get into indoor and outdoor air via fossil fuel burning, vehicle emissions and by volatizing from products. Bolden said studies that measure the air in and around homes and businesses find the chemicals 90 to 95 percent of the time.

Katie Brown, spokeswoman for Energy in Depth, a program of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, said in an email that the study suggests “products deemed safe by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are more dangerous than oil and gas development.

“Contrary to their intentions, what this report actually shows is that people should be no more afraid of oil and gas development than products in their home,” she said.

The Consumer Specialty Products Association, a trade group that represents companies that manufacturer consumer goods including cleaning products, pesticides, polishes, would not comment on the study but a spokesperson said that member groups typically don’t use the chemicals mentioned.

In several of the monitoring studies Bolden and colleagues examined, levels of the chemicals were higher in indoor air than in outdoor air, suggesting that people might be exposed within their homes.

“A lot of time indoor air is poorly circulated,” Bolden said.

Nagel cited a “huge need” to look at the impact of exposure to ambient levels of these chemicals. The study highlights “a whole lot we don’t know” about how these compounds may impact humans, she said.

Using human tissue cells, Nagel’s lab has previously shown that the chemicals can disrupt the androgen and estrogen hormones.

The authors said regulators should give air contaminants the same attention they’ve given greenhouse gas emissions recently.

“Tremendous efforts have led to the development of successful regulations focused on controlling greenhouse gases in an attempt to reduce global temperatures,” the authors wrote in the study published in Environmental Science and Technology journal.

“Similar efforts need to be directed toward compounds that cause poor air quality both indoors and outdoors.”

Source: Environmental Health News

Reduce airborne chemicals in the home

AllerAir has designed a wide range of indoor air purifiers with activated carbon and HEPA that effectively remove fumes, gases and chemicals such as toluene, benzene and xylene.

The more granular activated carbon there is, the more efficient the filter will be.

Contact AllerAir by calling 1-888-852-8247 or write to sales@allerair.com.

Heavy air pollution, male cancer spikes found downwind of “Industrial Heartland”

Isobel Simpson / UC Irvine

Levels of contaminants higher than in some of the world’s most polluted cities have been found downwind of Canada’s largest oil, gas and tar sands processing zone, in a rural area where men suffer elevated rates of cancers linked to such chemicals.

The findings by UC Irvine and University of Michigan scientists, published online this week, reveal high levels of the carcinogens 1,3-butadiene and benzene and other airborne pollutants. The researchers also obtained health records spanning more than a decade that showed the number of men with leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was greater in communities closest to the pollution plumes than in neighboring counties. The work is a dramatic illustration of a new World Health Organization report that outdoor air pollution is a leading cause of cancer.

While the scientists stopped short of saying that the pollutants they documented were definitely causing the male cancers, they strongly recommended that the industrial emissions be decreased to protect both workers and nearby residents.

“Our study was designed to test what kinds of concentrations could be encountered on the ground during a random visit downwind of various facilities. We’re seeing elevated levels of carcinogens and other gases in the same area where we’re seeing excess cancers known to be caused by these chemicals,” said UC Irvine chemist Isobel Simpson, lead author of the paper in Atmospheric Environment. “Our main point is that it would be good to proactively lower these emissions of known carcinogens. You can study it and study it, but at some point you just have to say, ‘Let’s reduce it.’ ”

Co-author Stuart Batterman, a University of Michigan professor of environmental health sciences, agreed: “These levels, found over a broad area, are clearly associated with industrial emissions. They also are evidence of major regulatory gaps in monitoring and controlling such emissions and in public health surveillance.”

The researchers captured emissions in the rural Fort Saskatchewan area downwind of major refineries, chemical manufacturers and tar sands processors owned by BP, Dow, Shell and other companies in the so-called “Industrial Heartland” of Alberta. They took one-minute samples at random times in 2008, 2010 and 2012. All showed similar results. Amounts of some dangerous volatile organic compounds were 6,000 times higher than normal.

The team compared the Alberta plumes to heavily polluted megacities. To their surprise, the scientists saw that levels of some chemicals were higher than in Mexico City during the 1990s or in the still polluted Houston-Galveston area.

Simpson is part of UC Irvine’s Blake-Rowland Group, which has measured air pollution around the world for decades. She and Batterman said the findings were important for other residential areas downwind of refineries and chemical manufacturers, including parts of Los Angeles.

“For any community downwind of heavy industrial activity, I would say it’s certainly prudent to conduct surveys of both air quality – especially carcinogens – and human health,” Simpson said.

“For decades, we’ve known that exposure to outdoor air pollutants can cause respiratory and cardiovascular disease,” Batterman said. “The World Health Organization has now also formally recognized that outdoor air pollution is a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths.”

Longtime residents near industrial Alberta have struggled to bring attention to bad odors, health threats and related concerns. The peer-reviewed study is one of few in the region and more investigation of the large and complex facilities is needed.

Air purifiers for industrial pollution

For example, Simpson said, it appeared in some cases that the companies were not reporting all of the tons of chemicals they release. She and her colleagues documented high levels of 1,3-butadiene that could only have come from one facility, but she said the company had not reported any such emissions.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reducing your exposure to serious air pollutants is a vital part of maintaining good health. Filter your air just as your filter your water. Air purifiers with activated carbon and HEPA filtration remove 99.97% of airborne pollutants as well as the chemicals and odors that other air purifiers leave behind. Speak with an air quality expert to learn more about air purifiers for industrial pollutants.

EPA obtains warrant to cleanup over 1000 unlabeled or improperly labeled drums and containers in NJ

Ongoing Investigation Reveals Presence of Hazardous Materials 

Photo: EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has obtained a federal warrant to do the necessary cleanup work at the Superior Barrel & Drum company facility in Elk Township, New Jersey, where more than a thousand unlabeled or improperly labeled drums and other containers have been left in a state of disrepair.

Many of the drums are leaking their contents onto the ground and are exposed to wind and rain. The EPA and the NJDEP are currently investigating the drums and containers at the site under a warrant that was previously issued by a federal judge when the facility owner refused to give the EPA access to the facility. The EPA is working with Elk Township, the local fire and police departments and the NJDEP on the investigation and cleanup of the facility.

“This facility contains a large number of barrels that need to be addressed. The EPA intends to do everything necessary to ensure that hazardous materials at the facility do not harm the public,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. "The EPA’s top priority is preventing a release, fire or explosion that could endanger the community or pollute the environment.”

“Conditions at this facility are inexcusable,” New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said. “The DEP will continue to work with the Environmental Protection Agency on the categorization and safe removal of these materials, as well as soil testing and monitoring to ensure the environment and public health are protected. We will also support any legal or enforcement actions deemed necessary to restore this site and protect the public.”

The EPA began its investigation on August 30, 2013. Field tests indicate that some drums contain hazardous materials, including corrosive and flammable chemicals. The preliminary results of samples sent to the laboratory show the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene and other hazardous substances such as lead. Exposure to these pollutants can have serious health effects. Benzene is known to cause cancer and lead is a toxic metal that is especially dangerous to children because their growing bodies can absorb more of it than adults. Lead in children can result in I.Q. deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities, reduced attention spans, hyperactivity and other behavioral problems.

Once it completes its investigation, the EPA will work with state and local agencies to take appropriate steps to remove the hazardous waste and protect the public. The EPA is monitoring the air near the work areas. The EPA will secure the materials and make arrangements for their transport and proper disposal out of the area. Prior to removal of any of the hazardous materials, the EPA will develop a contingency plan to ensure that the removal of the chemicals is done safely. Fire department and hazardous materials response teams will be consulted and prepared to respond to the site if necessary. Throughout the cleanup, the municipal government and local community will be kept informed.
 ----------------------------------------------

What's in the air in your neighborhood? Few of us know exactly what we're breathing that's why cleaning our indoor air has become so important. AllerAir air purifiers remove 99.97% of airborne dust, particles and the chemicals and odors that other air cleaners leave behind. Connect with us at www.allerair.com.

Higher cancer incidences found in regions near refineries and plants that release benzene

Air Purifiers for pollution and chemical exposure

The incidence of a particular type of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release the chemical benzene into the environment. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. This and other studies like it will be critical to identifying and enacting public health policies to decrease or prevent cancer.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma has been on the rise over the past few decades as industrial production in the United States has expanded. Benzene is one chemical carcinogen linked to blood cancers. Working with Dr. Christopher Flowers and colleagues in the Lymphoma Program at Emory University in Atlanta, Catherine Bulka, MPH, used publicly available data from the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Census Bureau to analyse the geographic patterns of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases in the state of Georgia between 1999 and 2008. This group examined the associations between new cases of lymphoma and the locations of facilities—such as petroleum refineries and manufacturing plants—that released benzene into the surrounding air or water.

The investigators found that the metro-Atlanta region, Augusta, and Savannah had the highest incidences of non-Hodgkin lymphoma even when controlling for population size as well as for age, sex, and race demographics of the local region. Also, the incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma was significantly greater than expected surrounding benzene release sites located in the metro-Atlanta area and surrounding one benzene release site in Savannah. For every mile the average distance to benzene release sites increased, there was a 0.31 percent decrease in the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

"Our study is the first to examine the relationship between passive benzene exposure and the incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the state population level," said Bulka. "Our findings are limited without similar studies to corroborate our results, but we hope that our research will inform readers of the potential risks of living near facilities that release carcinogens into the air, groundwater, or soil," she added.

Air Quality News: Why your garage could pose a health threat

Source: CTV

If you have a garage attached to your house, you could be at higher risk of developing leukemia or other forms of cancer.

Health Canada has expressed concern that benzene from car exhaust and other fumes could be entering homes. It’s now working on guidelines to help homeowners prevent the toxic gas from seeping into their homes.

Benzene is a volatile organic compound, or VOC, that’s found naturally in crude oil and thus in gasoline and vehicle exhaust.

There are already low levels of benzene in the air all around us due to air pollution from motor vehicle exhaust. But now Health Canada wants to make our homes safer.

Most Canadians know about the risks of carbon monoxide in their homes, but many aren’t as familiar with the risk of benzene exposure.

Deborah Schoen, the head of Health Canada’s indoor air section, says the agency has conducted studies measuring levels of the gas in homes across Canada. Those studies found that the levels were generally low, whether the houses had attached garages or not.

“On average, benzene levels in houses with attached garages are three times higher than of other houses,” Schoen told CTV News Channel this week from Ottawa.

Most drivers know not to run their vehicles after entering and closing the garage. What they may not know: after a car is turned off, the engine will continue to emit benzene into the air as it sits in the garage.

As well, the paints and solvents that many homeowners store in their garage also emit benzene as they slowly evaporate.

Schoen says that for the most part, the risk of long-term health effect is not high.

“The cancer risk is extremely low. But Health Canada and the World Health Organization and the European Commission recommend people reduce their exposure to benzene as much as possible,” she says.

“So for this reason, Health Canada advises people to reduce benzene exposure as much as possible.”

Studies have shown that benzene can definitely cause problems if people are exposed to high levels over long periods of time. Workers in industrial settings exposed to high levels of benzene have been shown to have a much higher risk of leukemia.

Benzene is dangerous because of the damage it can do to the blood. It causes bone marrow not to produce enough red blood cells, while also damaging the immune system by not creating enough white blood cells.

Thanks to regulations brought in in the 1990s that reduced the amount of benzene in gasoline, Canadians’ exposure to benzene has been dropping in recent decades.

But Schoen says it’s important to keep looking for ways to reduce our exposure to the gas even further, which is why Health Canada is focusing on the indoor air quality of homes with attached garages.

The guidelines are expected to advised homeowner to never idle a vehicle inside a garage, but to let it warm up outside.

“People might open the garage door and figure that’s enough,” Schoen said.

But even with the door open, a range of pollutants from vehicle exhaust– not just benzene but carbon monoxide and other pollutants-- accumulate when you idle your car in an attached garage.”

---------------------------------------------------------
For more stories on health, pollution, chemical exposure and improving your indoor air quality visit www.allerair.com or call to speak to an air quality expert about improving the air in your home 1-888-852-8247. AllerAir Air Purifiers remove 99.97% of airborne dust, particles and the chemicals and odors that other air cleaners leave behind.

Living close to a fracking site may harm your health: Study

Air pollution from hydraulic fracturing deemed a major health risk

Researchers named a
long list of health risks
linked to fracking.

As our colleagues from Electrocorp are reporting today, a new study has found a link between the air pollution caused by hydraulic fracturing and acute and chronic health problems for people living near the drilling sites.

Researchers from the Colorado School of Public Health concluded a three-year study that raises concerns about the levels of toxic chemicals in the air around natural gas drilling sites.

The chemicals in question are benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene, which are either known carcinogens or otherwise linked to serious health effects.

The study should ring an alarm bell for people living with a half mile from a natural gas drilling site, since it increases the risk of health effects (in Colorado, companies can drill for natural gas within 150 feet of homes or residential dwellings).

The air pollution caused by fracking may contribute to a number of health effects, including eye irritation, headaches, asthma symptoms and cancer.

The study report will be published in Science of the Total Environment, an article in the Los Angeles Times says.

Cleaner indoor air in homes

Activated carbon air purifiers can help remove harmful chemicals and gases like benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene.

AllerAir offers the most powerful air purifiers for the home and office, featuring deep-bed activated carbon filters for effective removal of gaseous pollutants.

Contact AllerAir for more information.
 
See also:

• VIDEO: Natural gas and air pollution 

   

Facts about plants and healthier indoor air

Can house plants provide healthier indoor air?

Poor indoor air quality has been linked to health problems, especially in children and other vulnerable groups.

In today's homes and offices, indoor air is contaminated by particles, VOCs, flame retardants, pesticides, toxic metals and other pollutants, most of which come from indoor sources.

There are many ways people can improve their indoor air quality – and plants have been touted as one option.

A recent article in Environmental Health Perspectives shed some light on the pros and cons of using plants to purify the air in indoor environments.

Here are some of the article highlights:

• Plants remove carbon dioxide and return oxygen to the air, and some plants can remove toxic chemicals
• Using plants for better IAQ has been explored by NASA, but the best results were observed when the contaminated air was circulated through the root system, something homeowners may not be able to recreate easily.
• In the studies that are cited, the plants are used in combination with activated carbon filters, or they are grown on an activated carbon pellet mix
• Some plants for common IAQ concerns:
  Formaldehyde: Ferns, especially Osmunda japonica, commonly known as Japanese royal fern, or zenmai
  Mercury vapor: Plants of the bromeliad family, Spanish moss
  Benzene and TCE: Golden pothos, also known as devil’s ivy

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Indoor Allergen Committee suggested in a 2010 report that allergists consider indoor air filtration to be part of a comprehensive strategy to improve respiratory health.

While plants remain an option, the authors point out that more research needs to be done to accurately predict the usability of plants in indoor air filtration.

With regards to room air purifiers, the article warns about some air purifiers that do not reduce all levels of indoor air pollutants and some air purifiers that produce dangerous ozone.

This is something AllerAir’s air quality experts have been saying for years.

Activated carbon is the best material to
adsorb toxic chemicals and odors.

“There are a lot of air purifiers on the market, but many of them only use particle filters like HEPA, which don’t remove toxic chemicals, odors and gases,” says AllerAir’s Stephanie Bristow.

“The air purifiers from AllerAir contain a complete filtration system with HEPA for particles, a deep-bed activated carbon filter for chemicals, gases and odors and other filter options such as UV for biological contaminants such as bacteria, viruses and mold.”

AllerAir air purifiers for the home and office do not produce harmful byproducts and they put the focus on large activated carbon filters for the best odor and chemical control possible.

Activated carbon has been proven effective in the removal of airborne chemicals such as formaldehyde, benzene, TCE vapors and hundreds of other chemicals and odors.

"An air purifier with carbon and HEPA is an easy and cost-effective solution for people lacking the patience to grow and maintain plants, especially if they don’t have a green thumb," Bristow added.

Contact AllerAir to find out more and get a personalized recommendation based on your needs and requirements, your budget and the size of your space.

Source: Environmental Health Perspectives
   

Video Oil Spill Air Quality: Oil Discovered Near Deepwater Horizon Site

"You can smell it..."



Concerned about the air quality in your region? We specialize in air cleaners for airborne chemicals like benzene. Connect with an air quality expert today to learn more:

Start a live chat session with an indoor air quality expert
Visit our website: http://www.allerair.com/
Follow us on twitter
E-mail or phone 1-888-852-8247

Air Quality and Toxic Releases State by State: Benezene, Dioxins, Lead, Mercury, TCE

I discovered a great map on CNN's Toxic Ameria site that shows the airborne emissions of the most widespread and toxic chemicals that we're currently breathing on a daily basis basis including: Benzene, Dioxins, Lead and Lead Compounds, Mercury and Mercury Compounds as well as TCE (trichloroethylene).

All of these compounds have been associated with serious health effects including cancer and birth defects.


Many people aren't aware that a serious home air cleaner with a deep-bed activated carbon filter can remove these types of very serious airborne pollutants. In fact, our units are so reliable for airborne chemicals we've sold them to the U.S. Military, NASA and universities like M.I.T - as well as thousands of American families! See our filtration video.