Document Neyw9xjVrQnoMa8oYvwoomQvQ

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 959 ejghth avenue / new york, n.y. 10019 '> ' Oo -j , N 1087 metals - 1 barley $-12-71 last spring the U. f5. Food and Drup Administration warned the public to stop eating swordfish because it con tained concentrations of mercury that government scientists deemed unsafe for consumption. Other heavy metals* parti cularly lend and cadmium also have been found beaVyp-tobn- jjr ,, " *r contrations in our environment. Are they also;dangerous to health? Most experts believe, that the majority of such metals do not present an immediate threat to human health, but they do'believe that unless measures are taken to regulate the amount of dangerous substances in the envi ronment, future generations will be in peril. The exact amount of any metal in the environment is not known. 11 /is\also /diffi cult to''determine how much a person is exposed to from ail the different medio--soil, water, food . 'f and industrial and consumer products. Too, once in the en vironment, the toxicity of any one compound can be changed by interaction with another substance. For example, mercury was considered harmless because most of it was inactive on * the bottom of the ocean. It now appears that some organism on the food chain transforms the inactive form of mercury to a much more toxic form called methylmorcury, probably no n result of interaction wi fh ootne unknown-industrial chemical (more) metals - 2 barley -12-71 The danger a metal poses to people depends, to a great extent, on its concentration. Most medical experts believe that acute metallic poisoning will c onId nu n to be rare. To date, only four cases of mercury poisoning (by other than industrial .exposure) have been reported in the U. S., says Richard-Honk, chief of the guideline: and compliance re search brancli at the Fill, lliat. is of more concern is the effect of^ regular ingestion of small amounts of toxic metals that can accumulate inside the body. Metallic poisoning, over a long period of time mnv not, be readily apparent or the symptoms may mimic those of other diseases, making detection difficult. In par ticular, some scientists fear tint long-term exposure to metals might produce cancer or genetic defects in offspring. Although there are exceptions, naturally-occurring metals usually present, minimal danger to humans (mo re) * ' 'T $ LIA-75044 metals - 3 barley 0-12-71 and would not be a problem without the industrialization and resulting pollution Hi at.has taken place dur ing the last 100 years. Some in dustries--and some householders too--pollute by dumping wastes into nearby water or`by burning natural and artificial fuels, whose wastes then escape into trie air. Both can happen at any of several steps in a manufacturing process, exposing people to metal contamination each time. These wastes might contain not only the original substance but modi, tied and more toxic compounds of the metal. For '. example, metallic salts often escape as wate products into sur- A face and <ground water during the mining and refining of ore deposits. Environmental contamination with metals is a particular problem because of their persistence. They are stable elements and tend to ac cumulate in air and water, as they do in the human body. "Unlike LIA-75045 metals - h barley 0-12-71 organic pollutants such as pesticides, metals are not degradable by natural, processes," says Dr. Henry A. Schrooder, renowned expert in mct.als research, and professor emeritus of physiology at Dartmouth Medical Coll esc in Han over, N. II. , . Too, the effects of industriali. zation extend beyond the spilling of wastes into the onvirnnmont. Heavy metals are not only in our air, water and soil but also are in many products we consume and use daily. A well-known example is t inclusion of lend in paint, a pro ctice now largely discontinued. From ai r a nr? water, metals can bo, absorbed by the human body dir ectly or through food. Often, as with mercury, metals are incorpor ated into the food,process that eventually ends with. man*. -Algae eat the mercury settled on tlm .bottom of the ocean. Final! fish then eat the algae, larger fish eat the small fish and man eats tlie big fish. Scientists new fear (mom) LIA-75046 metals -8 barley 8-12-71 that metalR raoyo throueh thin food chain in over larrrcr amounts. For example, sxrordfish contains too much mercury primarilyr because it has eaten no many smaller fish con taining mercury that tee c.oncrnh tration has boon intensified* The FDA has been net Wo in varninp consumers about specific products or drupe that may present a danpor of metal poisoninc and in usinp information developed by. other sources. Tn one instance, as a direct result of an article that appeared in Good Housekeeping (November, lp6o) doscribinc horn a family of five ms poisoned by usinp an carthemvare pitcher for orance juice over a throe year periai, the FDA. examined all dinnerrare that could be a source of lenchable lead. Through their inspection pro cess, they found other brands of dinnorwaro that could cause lead or cadmium poisonuy and removed (more) 1 LIA-75047 metals - 6 barley 8-12-71 A l those products from the market They also issued a warning to con sumers: To avoid any possible dan ger, do not store carbonated bev erages, wines, cider, any food con taining vinegar, sauerkraut, cooked fruit .or fruit products in dinner- wire. Acid foods apiear to extract these tvio heavy metals (lead and cadmium) from diunerwarr that lias not been glased properly. Under normal conditions of use, however, ouch dxnncrwaro presents no health hazard. As a result of n study by the / President's Council on Environmental *' < Quality, a Toxic Substances Act is now being considered by Congress, 4 If enacted, the administrator of the Federal Environmental Protec tion Agency -would be given auth ority to: Pcstrict or even prohibit the use ob the distribution of a chemical subs4tance (including metals) if such restriction were necessary t.o ^\v*o (.or* f N:rrU'.n''' Uf'.'O-IU m \ 1 /^v* < .. 44 ., \ LIA-75048 i metals barley 8-12-71 environivD nt. Set standards for tests to be performed and for results to be achieved before a new substance can be marketed. This would not apply to consumer poods, pesticides, drugs and other substances regulated by other laws. , This proposed legislation is aimed at controlling the metallic content of the environment so that it never would reach dangerous levels. The Federal government currently is'able to take action, only after a metal is in the environment and . might pose a danger. Dr. Leo Friedman, director of tlie depart% ment of toxicology at the FDA, says tiie FDA now routinely checks foods for several metals including lead, cadmium and mercury. But this program can catch contamination only after it is present. State governments also are aware of the problem of re tallic contamination and some are attempting to regulate their industrys Henry (more) LIA-75049 metals - 0 barley 0-12-71 Diamond, Commissioner of tlic New York State Department of Environ mental Conservation, saps New York State is using a "materials-balancing system"'on an informal basis until state legislation is enacted, basi cally, his department asks manufac turers to account for all the toxic materials that come into the plant in the form of raw material and also all that goes out as n finished pro duct. .Some measure of what is escaping into the environment can be gained by looking at tlve differ ence between the two figures. It is important in estimating the dan- * ger to human beings to know the level of metallic poisons in the air and water. There are two other develop ments environmental experts consider hopeful in leading to better deter mination of the metals problem and to treatment of toxic poisoning. A new system has been devel oped to detect and treasure metals and other elements in air. vnte. \ LIA-75050 metals - 9 barley 8-12-71 soil and body .fluids and tissues before they become hazardous to health. Dr. 1Taynp Matson, vice president and technical director of Environmental Science Assoc iates, Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., says one advantage of lr:s company's system is that extremely small sam ples--such as a fingerpriok rather than a vial of blood--can be used for analysis. The system is being used in five cities for testing children exposed to largo amounts of lead. A special substance given to experimental, animals has caused . an increase in the excretion of mcrcuty and a decrease In the ab sorption of moreuiy from food. Its developer, Dr. Thomas W. Clarkson, professor of toxicology at the University of Rochester in Men York, says he hopes to:- be able to gi ve the substance as a preventive mea sure to peonle vho eat a great deal of fish, for example, or are otheT'viisc susceptible to mercury poisoning. (more) LIA-75051 metals - 10 barley 8-12-71 Consumers can protect themselves by checking products for their me tallic content and by not eating fools that the FDA has declared unsafe. For more information, write the Environmental Protection Agency, Hash.ington, 15. C, or yoiir state's department of environmental action. if il LIR-75052 metals - chart the three metals watched most closely by experts l valence in the environment are mercury, cadmium, and lead. in a number of industrial processes and appears in various products including paints, electrical apparatus and thermo- * by ire rcury contamina tion. The greatest problem occurred in Japan, >11101)0 mercury' from a plastics plant was discharged into a river and poisoned over 100 people. In this country, there is only one known incident of possible pic rcury poison- treated with mercury. Acute mercury poisoning can produce loss of appetite, numbness of fingers, toes or lips, gum problems, metallic taste, diarrhea, blurred or restricted vision, lack of muscular coordination, metal instability, speech defects and impaired hearing. Some doctors believe it can cause permanent brain damage to the ictus even though the mother may show no symptoms. CAblllUIl. Atmospheric cadmium results from refining assoc iated metals such as zinc, lead and copj>er. People can ab sorb cadmium from superphoepkate fertilisers and pesticides, and particles of cadmium enter our drinking water from gal vanized water mains and pipes. Cadmium also has been found LIA-75053 me tals - chart -- 3-- in a variety of food products, ranging from dry cereal to vermouth. Dr. Henry A. Sebroedor, renowned expert in metals* research and professor emeritus of physiology at Dartmouth Medical College in Hanover, Tl. H.. Touggost^ tin t the problem is serious enough that Americans should demand limits and controls for cadmium consumption. Cadmium is considered by some experts to lie a present health danger in this conn try. primarily because it has been linked to hypertension (high blood pressure), an ailment common to many Americans raid a leading cause of death from heart disease. Dr. Schroeder lias been able to induce hyper tension in animals fed small amounts of cadmium daily. Too, scientists report a direct relationship between the amount of cadmium in the air of a city and tlm deaths cause*! by high blood pi'assure in that city. TEAD, This metal enters the environment at the rate of tt-io pounds per parson per year, primarily from the exhaust pipes of cars. /"Within a few yca^s, onvirotmintal experts hope lead can be completely eliminated from gasoline, considerably re ducing the problem. Meanwhile, urban residents are exposed to more lead from the larger number of automobiles in a ciiy.y A variety of industrial and mining processes also contribute < , 1) * r 1 ' - i >r ^ to the human accumulation of lead in the body. Acute dead poisoning can produce liver, kidney aiuV'rain damage and det erioration of the central nervous system and. they reproductive^ system. (mo re) LIA-75054 metals - chart - O OTHt Tl MfTATf. A number of other metals that interest toxico logists and environmental experts because of their potential for harmful effects include: arsenic, which occurs in ferti lizers and detergents and has been found in some fish; beryllium, which is a problem in certain areas due to a particular type of' processing plant; antimony, which is found in industrial wastes and also in onnrn.ftlwnro;JAcirri oarboynl. (formed as a result of a combination of nickel with carbon monoxide), which occurs as a fuel additive and in tobacco smoke; and vanadium, x:hich is found in certain types of fuel oil. # // 1 LIA-75055