The Toxic Assault on our Children

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PHILIP SHABECOFF AND ALICE SHABECOFF
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Lauren (with little sister Hailey) suffered from cleft lip and palate associated with a commercial solvent. Sarah, exposed to a radioactive by-product of nuclear energy in the water, has a brain tumor.
Justin, exposed to a chemical used in synthetic rubber production, died of a rare cancer.
Sean overcame problems of dyslexia and learning disabilities.
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
One of Every Three Children
Of America’s 73 million children, nearly one of every three suffers from a serious disorder.  Cancer: 40,000  Lead poisoning: 600,000  Birth defects: 2.5 million  Asthma: 6 million  Learning and behavioral disabilities: 12 million
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
One of Every Two Pregnancies
One of every two pregnancies ends either in fetal death or a less than healthy child.
National Research Center, Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment, National Academies of Science Press, Washington, DC, 2000
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Increases in Illnesses
Childhood Cancer Increases 1970s -- Present
80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Brain C ancer 35%Increas e Acute lym phocytic All childhood cancers leukem ia 67%Increas e 47%Increas e
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Increases in Illnesses
Premature Births, Asthma & Autism 1980s-Present
300% 250% 200% 150% 100% 50% 0% Prem ature Births 32%Increas e (from1 in 10.6 to 1 in 8) As thm rate a 141%Increas e (from1 in 28 to 1 in 11.5) Autis m 273%increas e (from1 in 560 to 1 in 150)
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
More problems emerging
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Increasing difficulty in conceiving Falling sperm quantity and quality More low birth weight, smaller head size Declining proportion of boys to girls

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Increasing sexual deformities among boys Increasing demasculinization Increasing endometriosis among teenage girls Earlier and earlier sexual development among girls
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
US industrial chemical production:
750% increase since 1980
Industrial Chemical Production
1 6 1 5 1 4 1 3 1 2 1 1 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
P ounds produced (trillions)
1980: 200 m illion
P resent: 15 trillion
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Pounds of pesticides used:
1,125% increase since 1960s
5 .0 4 .5 4 .0 3 .5 3 .0 2 .5 2 .0 1 .5 1 .0 0 .5 0 .0
Pounds(billions )
1960s: 400 million
Present: 4.5 billion
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Number of Pesticide Ingredients
1000 900
Num of Ing ber redients
800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0
1960s: 200
Present: 900
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Increasing Profits
700 600
Value (billions of $)
Value of the chemical industry
500 400 300 200 100 0 1962: $2 Billion 2005: $635 Billion
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Chemicals in umbilical cords
Chemicals found in babies’ umbilical cords:  Mercury  Teflon  Flame retardants  Dioxin (a by-product of incinerating plastic)  Air pollution particles  30 different kinds of pesticides  DDT  PCBs
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
“We are paying for the sins of our fathers, who introduced these chemicals, not knowing or caring how bad or hazardous they were.”
Dr. William Jameson, National Toxicology Program, Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Costs of Care

$54.9 billion a year nationally to care for children with four illnesses – lead poisoning, cancer, asthma, learning/ behavioral disorders $77.3 billion a year nationally for special education $26.2 billion a year nationally to care for premature babies

$521 million a year for California’s costs associated with smoglinked childhood illnesses $1.1 to $1.6 billion a year for Massachusetts’s costs associated with toxic-linked childhood illnesses $400 million a year for Montana’s costs associated with toxiclinked childhood illnesses





$12 billion per child to Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved care for children with one
Indirect costs to the future
If the current generation of children loses a mere 5 points average IQ, the outcome on a national level is devastating. Instead of 100 as the mean, the IQ shifts down to 95. That will nearly double the number of retarded adults from 6 million to 9.4 million, and more than halve the number of gifted, from 6 million to 2.4 million.
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Not just little adults
Children are not just little adults. Their developing mind and body are exquisitely vulnerable. A misstep in the creation of trillions of cells at precisely the right time, precisely the right rate, and in precisely the right sequence--each is a window of vulnerability.
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Genes and the environment
Genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger.
Jill Neimark
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
From conception to old age
Environmental exposures in early life can set a person’s cellular code for life and can cause illness at any time from conception until old age. Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases and prostate and breast cancers are examples.
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
What Causes What

Cancer  Particulates in air pollution  Formaldehyde  Benzene  Butadiene  Pesticides  Dioxins  Food additives  Arsenic

Brain-behavioral disorders such as autism, ADHD, Tourettes and mental retardation  heavy metals: lead, mercury, cadmium, manganese  PCBs  Pesticides  Flame retardants
*Chronic illnesses are not caused by one single agent but by multiple interacting agents.
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
The Amish
The Amish, who farm without pesticides, in Ohio have one in 15,000 children with autism. The Amish in Pennsylvania’ s Lancaster County have zero cases.
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Scene of the Crime

Nuclear waste such as tritium can leak into water supply
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Mercury Lead Hydrochloric acid Chromium Arsenic Sulfur dioxide
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Scene of the Crime
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Trihalomethane, a chlorine-by product Fluoride 95 components of treated human sewage, including cosmetics, household cleaners, pharmaceuticals such as Prozac, hormone replacements and antibiotics Teflon TCE or other industrial solvents Pesticide mixtures
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Scene of the Crime
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Formaldehyde Flame retardants

PVC, polyvinyl chloride made of petroleum on a base of chloride Phthalates When incinerated turns into dioxins
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Scene of the Crime

Diesel exhaust, made  Box made of vinyl, up of 40 toxic with bisphenol A and chemicals including lead benzene, butadiene,  Snacks may be and formaldehyde, as processed with well as nitrogen dioxide additives, artificial and the other harmful colors (synthetics particles that make up made from soot. Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved petroleum)
Scene of the Crime
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Arsenic Antibiotics Chicken feed includes ground-up parts of dead chickens
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Weaned often on blood Bovine growth hormones/steroids including testosterone & estrogen Fed grain, not grass Pesticides & poultry litter in feed
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Scene of the Crime
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Atrazine, an herbicide Genetically modified seeds
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Rocket fuel (Perchlorate) Pesticides
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Co-conspirators
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Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Witnesses for the Defense
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Scientists-for hire Product defense companies Public relations and advertising firms Lobbyists Law firms Legislators
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The American Chemistry Council, the chemical industry's trade association, gave a $50 million contract to the Ogilvy Mather public relations company for ads aimed at young married women--potential mothers.

Small text reads, “It is the plastic pipes, the chlorination technology, the things that help make the water safe and refreshing. It is American Chemistry.”
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved
Solutions
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Educate yourself Make changes in your home Join with others Lobby for legislation Vote
Copyright 2008 Philip and Alice Shabecoff, All Rights Reserved