Are kids endangered by chemical residue?

BY BEN WALD

Are everyday chemicals harming our kids? Are our children becoming the 'canaries in the mine,' alerting us to the toxic dangers in our environment and if so, what are we going to do to prevent escalating cancer rates all across our nation?

These were the questions addressed in the PBS program, "Kids and Chemicals." First aired last May, it focused on clusters of childhood leukemia and cancers. The researchers knew that they would "find the most important clues hiding in the kids' bodies if their tools could detect them." They looked at some 125 different chemicals in the kids blood and urine and analyzed for traces of chemicals, pesticides, metals, solvents, and PCBs. Dr. Philip J. Landrigan sees the cluster of cases of childhood leukemia as part of the broad increase in the incidence of various forms of childhood cancer in the United States, leukemia among them - an increase that has been going on for the past 25 or more years.

Are you aware that cancer rates have escalated from one person in 33 developing cancer during one's lifetime to one person in three? Medical researchers expect it will get worse. Don't be fooled by those who tell you that more people are getting cancer because they are living longer. Dr. Landrigan says that 50 or 60 years ago the major diseases in children were the infectious diseases. Today, the major causes of illness in kids are chronic diseases. Common sense would come to the conclusion

Dr. Sandra Steingraber, a leading researcher studying the connection between environmental toxins and cancers, said that "Children have home and garden pesticides in their urine, and they're peeing out wood preservatives. Women have termite poisons and toilet deodorizers and flame retardants in their breast milk." What this means is that Medical Research is now able to bring laboratory technology to bear to uncover poisonous carcinogenic synthetic chemicals that we are being exposed to in our homes, our yards, and in our environments.

Ben Wald is a Philomath resident. He can be reached at nurture@casco.net Editor's note: "Kids and Chemicals" will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 22, in the main meeting room of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.