scientists call for urgent action to protect children

In a recent article, more than 20 public health experts call for urgent action to protect children from the dangers of chemicals. Their study highlights the worrying links between the exposure of young people to these substances and the increase in childhood illnesses. According to them, it is imperative to change the laws and restructure a chemical and plastic industry which, for too long, has prioritized profits to the detriment of public health, particularly that of children.

A meta-analysis of 1,700 studies previously showed that 5.4 million coronary heart diseases were linked to exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), while 164,000 deaths were attributed to DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate). . The researchers behind this meta-analysis also warn against several chemicals integrated into plastics, suspected of being particularly dangerous.

Recently, in a study published in the journal New England
Journal of Medicinea consortium of more than 20 eminent specialists, including experts from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United Nations, examined the threats posed by these substances to children’s health. “Document calls for strengthened commitment to children’s health“, says Linda Birnbaum, former director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and co-author of the study, in an interview with the Guardian.

Significant increase in harmful effects of chemical exposure

Children are particularly vulnerable to exposure to chemicals, researchers point out. Lead, still present in certain toys, can cause cognitive and behavioral disorders; mercury, used in various industrial products, compromises their neurological development; cadmium, for its part, causes kidney dysfunction. In addition to these heavy metals, other substances, such as pesticides, bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and parabens, seriously affect the endocrine system of children.

The study’s findings are clear: Over the past five decades, the harmful effects of exposure to chemicals and plastics on children’s health have increased significantly. In the United States, pediatric asthma has tripled, while the incidence of childhood cancers has jumped 35%. Additionally, one in six children today suffer from neurodevelopmental disorders, and 1 in 36 are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Non-communicable diseases linked to chemicals have, according to the authors, become the leading cause of mortality among children.

“Inaction is no longer an option”

According to the consortium, global production of synthetic chemicals, which currently includes 350,000 products, has increased 50-fold since 1950. This figure is increasing by 3% each year and is expected to triple by 2050.The evidence is so overwhelming and the effects of manufactured chemicals are so disruptive to children that inaction is no longer an option», Alerts Daniele Mandrioli, director of the Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center, at the Ramazzini Institute in Italy, and co-author of the study.

The report also criticizes American legislation, notably the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1977 (TSCA) and its amendments, deemed ineffective. Although it was designed to protect the public from “unreasonable risks” from chemicals, the Environmental Protection Agency would not have the means to achieve this goal.

« Identified hazards were downplayed or ignored, and the responsible chemicals were permitted with no or insufficient restrictions», Write the researchers in their document. In Europe, although regulations are stricter, they remain, according to them, insufficient to protect children from massive exposure to these substances.

The authors of the study call for a paradigm shift: rigorously testing each chemical before it is placed on the market. “Each substance should be considered innocent only after it has been proven that it poses no danger to children“, insists Phil Landrigan, director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College.

Finally, the researchers recommend a review of the laws governing the chemical industry, accompanied by a global agreement requiring manufacturers to disclose the risks associated with their products. To support these reforms, they founded the Institute of Preventive Health, charged with promoting research and funding for innovative solutions.

Source : New England Journal of Medicine