The brain development of many children today in Europe has been harmed by man-made chemicals. Details of studies showing that chemicals are seriously impacting on children’s intelligence are highlighted in a new WWF report.
The report, Compromising our Children, brings together the latest research on the impacts of man-made chemicals to which we are all exposed.
Disturbingly, it reveals that chemicals harm children’s brain development and coordination at levels that have been found in some of the general public.
The report shows that in the EU, the impacts of chemicals on children’s brain development include: poorer memory; reduced visual recognition; less well developed movement skills; and lower IQ scores.
It has been calculated that the loss of one IQ point can mean a reduction in lifetime earnings of 2.39 per cent, although the long term implications of the effects seen in children are not known.
In addition, disabilities such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism appear to be increasing, and concern is growing about the role chemicals may play in these disorders.
The European Commission now regards the occurrence of developmental and learning disabilities as a ‘significant public health problem’.
Yet, WWF stresses that most chemicals on the market today lack available safety information, particularly about their ability to cause developmental toxicity or birth defects.
"It seems unbelievable that although science has shown that chemicals are affecting children’s mental abilities and their ability to make sense of their world, we are still missing vital safety data on most chemicals in use today," said Gwynne Lyons, WWF Toxics Advisor. "Even when studies suggest some chemicals can affect brain development, swift action is not taken. In effect we are all living in a global chemical experiment of which we don’t know the outcome. Our children are our future - and our future is under threat."
According to WWF’s report, very little is known about the toxicity of the 70,000 man-made chemicals currently on the market to the brain and the nervous system.
However, a panel of scientists in the US have estimated that 10 per cent of all neurobehavioural disorders are caused wholly or partly by exposures to toxics.
The developing brain and nervous system are particularly sensitive in humans, as they develop over a long period of time, beginning in the womb and continuing through puberty. Studies have shown that brain development in children living in industrialized European countries has been affected by chemicals that have accumulated in their mothers and are passed on from the mother while the baby is in the womb.
The report shows that chemicals reported to cause neurotoxic effects are present in our everyday lives. They include brominated flame retardant chemicals that may be found in videos, TVs, computers, soft furnishings, car seats, and furniture; PCBs which can arise from old industrial transformers and some building materials; and dioxins, emitted by power stations and some factories, and open burning of some plastic wastes.
"Parents have a right to expect that products that are used in the home are not contaminating their children. But even where there are safer alternatives, legislation to phase out the worst chemicals is lacking," added Gwynne Lyons. "There are great emotional costs to the families of children with impaired brain function, as well as costs to society, in terms of schooling and healthcare provision. But these costs are rarely factored in to decisions on chemicals legislation."
For further information: Anthony Field WWF-UK Press Office Tel.: +44 1483 412379 or +44 7768 867274 (mob) E-mail: afield@wwf.org.uk
Olivier van Bogaert WWF International Press Office Tel.: +41 22 364 9554 E-mail: ovanbogaert@wwfint.org
NOTE: The EU is negotiating new legislation (called REACH) to regulate industrial chemicals. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a safer future for our children and wildlife. WWF is calling for the legislation to phase out chemicals that are persistent and bioaccumulative or that can disrupt the endocrine system, and allow their continued use only where there is an overwhelming societal need, where no safer alternatives exist, and where measures to minimise exposure are put in place. WWF therefore considers that the availability of a safer substitute should be grounds, by itself, for banning such chemicals of very high concern.
