Study says household dust holds dangerous chemicals

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Study says household dust holds dangerous chemicals

Homes in 7 states tested for residues of consumer

goods

Jane Kay, Chronicle Environment Writer

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/03/23/MNGGABTGDT1.DTL

Common household dust contains a variety of hazardous

chemicals originating from everyday consumer products,

including Teflon and other nonstick cookware and

fabrics coated with water-resistant Gore-Tex,

according to a study released Tuesday.

The study, one of the first of its kind, showed that

hidden away in dust balls in vacuum cleaner bags were

35 toxic industrial chemicals that are legal in

products but have been shown to cause reproductive,

respiratory and other health problems in humans or

test animals.

The study by a consumer research group was the first

to look for -- and find -- the so-called

perfluorinated compounds used in hundreds of ordinary

products. The dust came from 70 houses in seven

states, including some in the Bay Area.

" This is a snapshot of hazardous chemicals in

households. If we chose to look for more chemicals,

I'm sure we'd have found them,'' said Beverley Thorpe,

the group's director.

Far and away in the greatest amount were the

little-known phthalates, ubiquitous plasticizers used

to soften everything vinyl, including flooring,

raincoats, shoes and purses, tablecloths, shower

curtains, upholstery, carpet backing, garden hoses and

PVC water pipes.

The study was conducted by Clean Production Action, a

Montreal-based international nonprofit project of the

Tides Center in San Francisco. The dust samples were

analyzed by a Texas laboratory that for the past 15

years has been the prime investigator of chemicals in

dust, including for the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency and private research groups.

The study measured the quantities in the dust and

didn't attempt to determine exposure levels or

possible health effects on people living in the

houses. New evidence of chemicals in breast milk,

human blood and wildlife spurred the group to conduct

the survey, Thorpe said.

" The real question we should be asking our government

is, why should we take chances on chemicals we know

are inherently hazardous when safe chemicals exist,

and progressive companies are putting in place safe

chemical policies? " she said.

The group is calling for the federal Toxics Substances

Control Act to be revamped to require safety testing

of the thousands of chemicals in commerce in order to

remain on the market. The group considers European

initiatives as models for regulating the chemicals.

Representatives of the vinyl industry, which uses

phthalates and organotins, said the study contained

nothing new that hadn't already been reported in the

last five years.

" These levels do not suggest a health threat. The fact

that you measure something in dust doesn't mean it's

going to cause a health threat,'' said Blakey,

spokesman for the Vinyl Institute, a trade group in

Arlington, Va.

" Vinyl building products have been used safely and

effectively for 50 years, and consumers can continue

to rely on these products.''

Buck, a chemist at Dupont, which uses PFOA, or

perfluorooctanoic acid, to make Teflon cookware, said

the company has conducted a rigorous scientific study.

" We know that our cookware will not result in an

exposure to PFOA for consumers,'' Buck said. Other

Dupont Teflon products such as carpeting don't use

PFOA, he said.

The study looked for 44 different chemicals in six

classes of chemicals that are common in consumer

products, yet have been associated with reproductive

and immune system problems, asthma and other ill

health effects in animal or human studies.

They are phthalates, alkylphenols, pesticides,

brominated flame retardants, organotins and

perfluorinated surfactants.

The 70 participants nationwide, including in San

Francisco, San Anselmo, Berkeley, Oakland, El Cerrito

and San , generally worked in environmental

fields.

In Berkeley, Helen Kang, an associate professor at

Golden Gate University School of Law, vacuumed over a

week, sent off her sample to the Southwest Research

Institute in San and was surprised at the

results.

" I'm sure each of us had the sense that our numbers

would have been lower, " said Kang, a mother of two.

" We're sensitive to environmental risks because of the

work that we do.'' She said she and her husband try to

minimize toxic products around their house.

Jeanette Swafford, a San Anselmo mother of a

21-month-old, said she and her husband were taken

aback by the results.

" We try to be really conscious in what we do,

especially as new parents trying to protect our little

girl,'' said Swafford, who works at Commonweal, a

health and environmental research institute in

Bolinas.

" We feel as though an individual consumer doesn't have

a chance,'' she said.

California has already phased out two forms of the

brominated flame retardants. A bill in the Legislature

would ban in cosmetics two forms of phthalates;

another would ban phthalates and bisphenol A in baby

bottles and children's toys; and a third would require

cosmetics companies to report the use of certain

dangerous chemicals to the state Department of Health

Services.

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Dangers in dust

A new report, " Sick of Dust, " found six classes of

chemicals in household dust:

-- Phthalates topped the list with three different

forms -- DEHP, BBP and DPB -- all used in vinyl and

other products. The chemical has been shown in lab

studies to disrupt reproductive systems, particularly

in male offspring. It also can contribute to

respiratory problems in children.

-- Alkylphenols are used in the manufacture of

all-purpose cleaners, textiles and paints.

Alkylphenols mimic natural estrogen hormones, leading

to altered sexual development in some organisms.

-- Pesticides were found in the samples, with the

insecticide permethrin leading the list followed by

pentachlorophenol. The chemicals can have adverse

effects on the hormone system and cause cancer.

-- Brominated flame retardants, which are found in

polyurethane foams, polystyrene, electronics and

textiles. They accumulate in the body and mimic

thyroid hormones.

-- Organotins are additives in vinyl and used in

fungicides and anti- fouling agents for wood surfaces

and in cooling towers. They are poisonous in small

amounts and can disrupt hormone and reproductive

systems.

-- Perfluorinated surfactants -- two of them PFOS and

PFOA -- are in floor polishes, film and denture

cleaners. PFOA is used to make Teflon cookware. The

surfactants are also in Gore-Tex. They are potentially

carcinogenic and damage organ function and sexual

development in lab animals.

Source: " Sick of Dust: Chemicals in Common Products --

A Needless Threat in Our Homes, " at

www.safer-products.org

E-mail Jane Kay at jkay@....