California’s New Biomonitoring Program

What are the poisons within? November 2007

Cindy Lee Russell, M.D.
Chair SCCMA Environmental Health Committee

After reading the newspaper about toxic chemicals in our environment did you ever wonder what was really in that deli sandwich with mustard you just ate?
Our modern day contaminants are global and come from manufacturing (dioxins), agriculture (pesticides), power plants (mercury), mining (Arsenic, Mercury) furniture (flame retardants) and transportation (benzene) just to mention a few. They sneak their way into our air, soil, water, food and breast milk. Some of these persist in our bodies for decades while others flow in and out with regular exposure.

Biomonitoring: Saving Lives and Saving Money

Just what is our exposure to toxic chemicals? What are the adverse effects of these contaminants on individual and public health and how can we reduce these? These questions have led to modern human biomonitoring programs designed to measure just what is in our tissues. A valuable aspect of biomonitoring is that provides unequivocal evidence of both exposure and uptake of a toxin.
Biomonitoring looks at trends and helps to identify possible sources. It can help to identify “at risk” populations and enable scientists to respond to serious environmental public health problems with accurate information. Most importantly measuring these chemicals can act as a tool to prevent exposure and reduce risk of disease on a large scale. This saves lives and money.

Biomonitoring: Getting the Lead Out

Biomonitoring in the United States started in 1967 by the Center for Disease Control. Their adipose tissue survey monitored organochlorine chemicals in human tissue. Limited biomonitoring of superfund sites continued thereafter. In 1976 a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) started looking at lead levels and ultimately determined the connection between lead levels and gasoline. This led to unleaded gasoline in this country and most likely significantly contributed to the increased IQ of many children.
Modern biomonitoring of chemicals started in 1999 by the CDC once again. 27 Chemicals were studied initially from samples of blood and urine. A second report was published in 2003 looking at 116 chemicals. A third study which was published in 2006 looked at 148 chemicals. These included metabolites of organophosphate pesticides, phalates which soften PVC plastic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from air pollution, dioxins from waste incineration and paper bleaching, PCB’s and other manufacturing byproducts.

Rocket Fuel in your Milk?

One of the chemicals studied in the 2006 survey was perchlorate, a component of solid rocket fuel. It is also widely used in manufacturing and is found in airbags, fireworks, Chilean fertilizers and as a byproduct of chlorine generators in swimming pools. It has been found in cow’s milk and contaminated water. Detectable levels of perchlorate were found in all 2820 human specimens indicating wide exposure.
Perchlorate inhibits iodine uptake by the thyroid. It is not yet known how much of a threat to populations this poses but the data will be useful with future research.

California Contaminants Within

Because California has a large population, a lot of agriculture and has evidence of some of the highest levels of certain chemical contaminants in our bodies (brominated flame retardants) a more intensive biomonitoring program was created here.

The California Contaminant Biomonitoring Program includes a nine-member Scientific Guidance Panel of distinguished leaders in the scientific and environmental fields. Their budget is $5.2 million for the first year which will be divided among the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the Office of environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the Department of Public Health. This should allow a lot to be accomplished to improve the health and well being of not only California but the rest of the nation.