| Montreal, 7/10/2005 – The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), with financial assistance from the World Bank, today announced a North America-wide testing program to analyze the blood of first-time mothers for selected environmental chemicals. It is the first such program to be conducted in Mexico at a national level.
Under the program, blood samples from 500 mothers aged 18 to 30 will be tested for chemicals such as dioxins and furans, PCBs, DDT, chlordane and lindane—a pesticide that Mexico is planning to eliminate—as well as metals like arsenic, lead and mercury. Sampling is set to begin next week in 15 sites in Canada and Mexico, and pre-existing data will be submitted by the United States.
The purpose of the study is to obtain a profile of population exposure to these persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals, and assess both baseline values and potential environmental "hotspots" in Mexico (see table below) where elevated concentrations of these chemicals are anticipated.
"This project will allow, for the first time, a basic comparison of the population of all three North American countries using data that were collected in a scientifically consistent manner," says Luke Trip, program manager for the CEC's Sound Management of Chemicals program. "These data can be used to determine future priorities for chemicals management and set a baseline to track our progress in reducing the harmful effects of these contaminants."
Persistent organic pollutants such as DDT, PCBs, lindane, and chlordane accumulate in the blood and soft tissues and can adversely affect the kidneys, liver and other organs. Even in small doses, exposure to certain chemicals and metals has been associated with nervous system damage in fetuses and young children, resulting in learning deficits, behavioral disorders and lowered IQ.
A trinational report, expected in the spring of 2006, will outline the results of the study, including a comparison of maternal levels of contaminants in each country. Columbia University's Children's Center and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center have similar ongoing studies in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Investigators from these studies will share their data with the CEC for its final report.
The working group for this trilateral initiative is being led by Drs Jay Van Oostdam of Health Canada, Mauricio Hernandez of the Mexican National Institute of Public Health and Larry Needham of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
| Canada (5) |
Mexico (10) |
United States (2) |
| Calgary, Halifax, Hamilton, Ottawa, Vancouver |
Hotspots: Córdoba, Coatzacoalcos, Salamanca, Tultitlán, Yaqui Valley
Non-hotspots: Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Mérida, Monterrey, Querétaro
|
Data from ongoing projects in Cincinnati and New York |
For more information, please contact Spencer Tripp at (514) 773-6237
Backgrounder:
Mexico Site Selection
| Hotspot site |
Importance |
| Yaqui Valley,
Sonora
|
In this agricultural area, there is a long history of organochlorine insecticide use. Exposure to arsenic from natural sources has also been reported recently in this zone. One study in children showed neuropsychological alterations and attributed them to exposure to pesticides. |
| Salamanca,
Guanajuato
|
The presence of industry, refineries and organochlorine processing plants allows for the assumption that there are high levels of contamination in the environment. We have detected dioxins and DDT in soil samples in areas of child recreation. |
| Tultitlán,
State of Mexico
|
Tultitlán is an area with many contaminated sites. "Cromatos de México" is an example, but there was a recent environmental emergency due to a fire in a secondary copper smelting plant. When the copper cable burned, it may have generated dioxins (due to the burning of the cables' plastic covering in the presence of the copper catalyst). Lack of studies in the area makes this site one of especially high priority. |
| Córdoba,
Veracruz
|
The study will be done around Anaversa where there is probably dioxin contamination due to a fire that burned large quantities of pentachlorophenol, a common wood preservative for utility poles. |
| Coatzacoalcos,
Veracruz
|
This area is a nucleus of petrochemical processing and other industrial chemicals (the area produces almost all the lead that was used previously in Mexican gasoline). |
| Non-hotspots sites |
Importance |
| Mérida urban area |
Urban area, but as the Yucatán was sprayed with DDT, it might be possible to detect higher POP levels than in other areas. Levels of metals are anticipated to be lower than some industrial sites. |
| Monterrey urban area |
Monterrey has a history of exposure to lead due to the industry in the area, and it would not be surprising to find exposures to other metals. The analysis of POPs will allow us to establish an urban basis for comparison as we do not expect high exposures of these substances. |
| Guadalajara urban area |
In the urban area of Guadalajara, we will select artisan communities such as Tonalá. The evaluation of lead will be of greatest importance. The study of POPs may also allow for comparisons with the other urban areas. |
| Hermosillo urban area |
Urban area, but located in an important zone of intensive agriculture in the northern state of Sonora. POPs levels might be found to be higher than in other urban areas. |
| Querétaro urban area |
Urban area with a big industrial zone. Metals might be higher than in other urban areas. |
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