{"id":813,"date":"2019-05-15T11:15:46","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T11:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=813"},"modified":"2019-05-15T11:15:46","modified_gmt":"2019-05-15T11:15:46","slug":"chemical-mixtures-pose-underestimated-risk-to-human-health-say-scientists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/813\/chemical-mixtures-pose-underestimated-risk-to-human-health-say-scientists\/","title":{"rendered":"Chemical mixtures pose \u2018underestimated\u2019 risk to human health say scientists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each of us harbours hundreds of man-made chemicals inside our bodies because we are exposed to them in our daily lives. <\/strong>While individual chemicals may not be of immediate concern to public health, scientists now worry that certain mixtures of them may pose previously underestimated risks to health. <\/strong><\/h3>\n

This year, the European Union heavily restricted four types of phthalates<\/a> in consumer products because of their possible health effects. Phthalates are plasticisers, ubiquitous chemicals that soften plastics in many consumer products. They are present in food wrappings, clothes, packaging, car parts, cosmetics and fragrances.<\/p>\n

Over time, these plasticisers end up in the air, soil, water, food and household dust. They can also end up in our bodies. This is worrying because they are implicated in reproductive abnormalities in mammals. Studies of people have linked plasticisers to sperm damage, lower fertility, early puberty in girls and thyroid effects. The phthalates will be now legally be restricted to 0.1% in weight in articles used by consumers or in outdoor areas.<\/p>\n

But scientists are increasingly concerned not just about single chemicals, which are found in people\u2019s bodies at levels that are usually not toxic, but about what happens to toxicity when these chemicals mix.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are exposed to thousands of chemicals at the same time, often in low doses, but in some cases they can interact and potentiate each other\u2019s effects,\u2019 said Dr Joelle Ruegg, a molecular toxicologist at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.<\/p>\n

Of particular concern are endocrine disruptors, which are man-made chemicals that interfere with our hormone system. Examples include phthalates and bisphenol A from plastics, but also pesticides. They have subtle influences, even in miniscule amounts, while not being lethal to cells or animals in lab tests at high doses \u2013 as is normal with a toxic substance. This makes them hard to study.<\/p>\n

Mixtures<\/strong><\/p>\n

When scientists test one such chemical in the lab they may find no harmful impacts. But adding this chemical to others creates combinations that in aggregate can cause harm. Ignoring mixtures can lead us to miss important health effects. \u2018If we don\u2019t take into account the many chemicals out there that have a similar effect on the hormone system, then we are underestimating risk,\u2019 Dr Ruegg said.<\/p>\n

She helped lead a European study called EDC-MixRisk<\/a> that implicated chemical mixtures in harming children\u2019s health and development. This study measured the exposure levels of 41 chemicals in the blood and urine of more than 2,000 pregnant women in Sweden. When the chemicals were tested one by one in cells and in animals, there were few concerning effects.<\/p>\n

However, when mixtures of eight to 15 compounds were tested on animals at the levels and mixtures found in women, the sexual development and metabolism of animals such as zebrafish or mice being tested were affected. \u2018We saw effects in many of our models at levels comparable to what we could measure in the pregnant women,\u2019 said Dr Ruegg.<\/p>\n

A typical mixture might contain bisphenol A, phthalates and pesticides. These mixtures could be used as a short-cut to test the risks<\/a> posed by single compounds in a typical chemical mix.<\/p>\n

Based on levels in the pregnant women, 11% of the children were at risk of having problems with sexual development due to mixtures. This result would have been around 1% if the assessment only looked at single chemicals, one at a time.<\/p>\n

Regulated<\/strong><\/p>\n

Traditionally, chemicals are regulated as single compounds, often under separate laws or by different regulators, which does not reflect how we encounter them.<\/p>\n

\u2018These chemicals are regulated under different legislation, but the organism does not care if it is a pesticide or plasticiser, or if it is in food or drink. It is going to be important to address mixtures, together,\u2019 Dr Ruegg said.<\/p>\n

Dr Marike Kolossa-Gehring, a biologist and toxicologist at the German Environment Agency in Berlin, agrees. \u2018We find from our data that every person living in Europe has 200 to 300 chemicals (detectable in their blood or urine) and so we need to investigate the effect of mixtures,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

Dr Kolossa-Gehring coordinates a project called HBM4EU<\/a> that measures man-made chemicals in people and investigates possible health implications. The project has drawn up a list of 18 priority substances<\/a>, including chemical mixtures, for its scientists to study in order to give better information to policymakers.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our established systems focus on single substances, but we know from experiments (in the toxicological literature) that while one chemical might not exert any effect, if we combine ten such chemicals we do see an effect,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

Mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals, for example, can impact the sexual and neurological development of foetuses, reduce the immune system\u2019s response after vaccination and in adults, can be a factor for metabolic syndrome, which includes obesity, hypertension and diabetes, according to Dr Kolossa-Gehring.<\/p>\n

The aim is to help regulators ensure that European consumers are not exposed to harmful chemicals and that they can get the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions. Good chemical policy requires actions on an EU-wide scale, says Dr Kolossa-Gehring, informed by good science. A total of 117 scientific groups and agencies across 28 countries are collaborating on this project.<\/p>\n

Safe<\/strong><\/p>\n

The project will generate health-based guidance values about the levels of chemicals deemed safe when found in the human body. These levels may become more accurate once the science of mixtures is taken into account, says Dr Kolossa-Gehring.<\/p>\n

She points to glyphosate<\/a>, the controversial agrochemical, whose use the EU renewed for five more years in 2017.<\/p>\n

The chemical properties of this weed killer are known, but they seem to be different from the those we see once it is in the mixture in which it is sprayed, says Dr Kolossa-Gehring.\u00a0 \u2018These differences need to be investigated to protect people in Europe better.\u2019<\/p>\n

Dr Kolossa-Gehring says that legislation in Europe, called REACH<\/a>, puts the responsibility of product safety on industry, but governmental players must check that the control system is working well enough to protect consumers. \u2018With the mixture issue, it seems that we are systemically underestimating the impact of chemical exposure (in the first place),\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

Consumption of fast foods and convenience foods or the high use of cosmetics or body care products is related to significantly greater internal exposure to chemicals, Dr Kolossa-Gehring says. Chemicals may enter food during food processing or may come from material that comes into contact with the food.<\/p>\n

Dr Kolossa-Gehring says the project will also provide information<\/a> via fact sheets for consumers to learn how they can lower their own burden of chemicals and mixtures. \u2018People need to be aware of which behaviours are related to high exposure to chemicals,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

Originally published by <\/em>Horizon<\/em> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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This year, the European Union heavily restricted … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":320,"featured_media":814,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-energy-environment","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\nChemical mixtures pose \u2018underestimated\u2019 risk to human health say scientists - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/813\/chemical-mixtures-pose-underestimated-risk-to-human-health-say-scientists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chemical mixtures pose \u2018underestimated\u2019 risk to human health say scientists\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Each of us harbours hundreds of man-made chemicals inside our bodies because we are exposed to them in our daily lives. 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It\u2019s part of a wave of research into new ways of protecting us against so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which also\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A new filtration system to remove hormone-affecting chemicals from wastewater","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/12\/sewage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/12\/sewage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/12\/sewage.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/12\/sewage.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/12\/sewage.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/12\/sewage.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2531,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2531\/from-womb-to-tomb-tackling-diseases-by-knowing-the-surrounding-influences\/","url_meta":{"origin":813,"position":2},"title":"From womb to tomb: tackling diseases by knowing the surrounding influences","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"October 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Researchers are examining the range of environmental effects on people\u2019s health over their whole lives. By \u00a0Jack McGovan Three decades ago, Professor Martine Vrijheid was investigating the prevalence of birth defects near hazardous waste sites across Europe as part of her PhD work. She found that there was indeed an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/10\/16.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/10\/16.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/10\/16.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/10\/16.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/10\/16.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/10\/16.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":438,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/438\/artificial-forest-air-and-light-based-chemical-reactions-tackle-indoor-pollution\/","url_meta":{"origin":813,"position":3},"title":"Artificial forest air and light-based chemical reactions tackle indoor pollution","author":"Steve Gillman","date":"September 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The air in our offices and homes can contain a higher mix of chemicals than outdoors, but next-generation purifiers are aiming to absorb the harmful particles and let us all breathe a bit easier. Detergents, tobacco, cosmetics, new furniture, paints, printers and even pets \u2013 all these release different chemicals\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"In an office environment, the air could contain over 300 chemicals, according to NAAVA founder Niko J\u00e4rvinen. 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It may even be possible to recover some of these life-saving compounds so they can be reused. Over the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/outfall-3491306_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/outfall-3491306_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/outfall-3491306_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/outfall-3491306_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/outfall-3491306_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/05\/outfall-3491306_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":724,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/724\/bee-diversity-critical-to-worlds-food-supply\/","url_meta":{"origin":813,"position":5},"title":"Bee diversity critical to world\u2019s food supply","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"March 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0Jonathan O'Callaghan Ecosystems that contain only a few bee species underperform in terms of plant production whereas those with many different species thrive, according to research which highlights the importance of bee diversity to securing the world\u2019s food supply. 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