Persistent organic pollutants
A Chemical Roundtable
Officials from more than 100 nations will gather in Montreal later this month to begin negotiations on phasing out a dozen toxic chemicals. Scientists call these toxins “Persistent Organic Pollutants” because they lodge in the fatty tissues of people and animals, and can cause health problems from reproductive defects to cancer. Here to give us […]
Chemical’s “Dirty Dozen”
Host Steve Curwood talks to University of Wisconsin Professor Anders Andren about a call for a ban on the use of 11 “persistent toxic substances,” including several chlorinated compounds, along with lead and methyl mercury. An advisory committee to the US-Canada International Joint Commission says the chemicals are unsafe in every known concentration.
Breast Cancer and Chlorine
Brenda Wilson reports on the movement among cancer researchers toward examining the link between breast cancer and chemicals found in the environment, including the pesticide DDT. The new momentum is due in part to two recent studies which suggested a link to between breast cancer and DDT and PCBs, both of which are chlorinated chemicals.