WWF Conduct Blood Test for Toxic Chemicals

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Tuesday, 28 October 2003

Environment journalist John Vidal, along with 150 other people, had his blood tested to measure levels of three groups of chemicals – organochlorines, PCBs and flame retardants. The Worldwide Fund for Nature organised the tests to see how loaded people were with pesticides, insecticides, and other widely used chemicals.
Although the results, unsurprisingly, revealed a wide range of contamination levels in the 150 test volunteers, Vidal points out that they only tested for a total of 72 chemicals: there are 100,000 synthetic, manmade ones, and 30,000 of them are traded in commercial quantities in the EU alone.
One of the consultants taking Vidal through his results said that they fell "well within the safe limits". However, she admitted that very little was known about the chemicals long term effect on human health, including whether the effect of the chemicals - individually or together - might lead to illnesses or cancers.
The consultant advised people to wash off chemicals, avoid garden sprays, and, above all, be careful what they eat: "My advice is go organic. It's the best way to clear your system and to protect yourself and others. You never know what's out there."
Source: The Guardian via www.soilassociation.org