[Pharmwaste] Animal tests raise chemical concern
Tenace, Laurie
Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us
Thu, 28 Apr 2005 10:04:56 -0400
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You may want to forward this to coworkers dealing with land application =
of
sludge.
Laurie
=20
Animal tests raise chemical concern=20
By Jolyon Jenkins
=20
The BBC's Costing The Earth programme investigates the safety of =
chemicals in
the environment and how they could be altering the behaviour of wild =
animals.
The humble stickleback lives under constant threat from predators such =
as
herons.=20
Many times a day, a stickleback, eyeing a piece of food, will have to =
decide
whether it is worth breaking cover to get the food, and risk getting =
eaten
itself.=20
The over-bold stickleback will not live long, but the excessively timid =
will
starve.=20
Just how bold the little fishes are depends, it seems, on what kind of =
water
they were brought up in.=20
Alison Bell, from Glasgow University, UK, has reared sticklebacks in =
water
that contains tiny concentrations of a synthetic oestrogen - the kind of
level of pollution that you might easily find in the environment.=20
She found these fish were significantly more willing to take risks than =
those
that were reared in pure water.=20
Alison Bell's work is one of a growing number of studies that show that
animal behaviour can be influenced by environmental chemicals.=20
Inquisitive lambs=20
And it suggests that these effects might be seen at very low =
concentrations
of chemicals - levels which, until now, everyone thought were simply too =
low
to have an effect.=20
"There are now lots of studies that show exposure to low levels of =
chemicals
can affect behaviour," she tells BBC Radio 4's Costing The Earth =
programme.=20
"We are barely scratching the surface."=20
Stuart Rhind and colleagues, at the Macaulay Land Research Institute =
near
Aberdeen, did something similar.=20
They took two sets of sheep, and grazed one set on ordinary grass. The =
second
group they grazed on land that had been fertilised with sewage sludge.=20
Sewage sludge contains a complex mixture of chemicals that go under the
general description of "endocrine disrupters" - chemicals that somehow =
fool
the body into thinking they are natural hormones (again, the levels in =
the
sludge are very low).=20
Stuart Rhind could find no differences at all in the bodies of the two =
sets
of sheep, or their lambs. What he did find, however, was that the lambs =
born
to the ewes grazed on the sewage sludge behaved differently to their
uncontaminated counterparts.=20
The male lambs behaved in a much more "feminine way" - which, in lambs, =
means
being more inquisitive.=20
"It's not the fact that there has this been this particular change of
behaviour that matters," explains Rhind. "It's the fact that behaviour =
has
been altered in some way that matters, because it implies that the =
developing
offspring have had their brains altered."=20
Boys and girls=20
If tiny amounts of these chemicals, applied to animals while in the =
womb, can
alter their brains, what about humans?=20
It is much harder to do a controlled experiment with babies, but there =
is one
intriguing piece of research from the Netherlands.=20
Paediatricians there measured the concentration of two =
endocrine-disrupting
chemicals in the blood of pregnant women. The levels were in the range =
you
would expect to get from eating a normal mixed diet.=20
Then they looked at the behaviour of the children once they reached =
school
age.=20
They found that the boys whose mothers had had the most exposure were =
more
likely to play in a "girly" way - with jewellery, and dolls, for =
instance;
while the girls whose mothers had been most exposed were drawn to boyish =
toys
such as guns and trains.=20
According to investigator Dr Nynke Weisglas Kuperis, "it was a =
significant
effect, but it is very subtle".=20
Replicating results=20
These and many other results with laboratory animals have led some =
scientists
to call for a radical overhaul of the way chemicals are tested for =
safety.=20
They claim to be able to detect adverse effects at levels far below =
those
deemed safe by the regulators.=20
So why aren't the rules changing? Perhaps because this is an =
extraordinarily
tricky area of science.=20
While some researchers find these effects, others who have tried to =
repeat
the experiments in large, well-controlled trials, have found none at =
all.=20
The people who do not find the effects are, by and large, those working =
in
industry - a fact that leads some academic scientists to suspect a
conspiracy.=20
But the fact remains that, until these low-dose effects can be =
consistently
replicated, we are left with worries and suspicions, but not proof.=20
=20
=20
=20
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4492721.stm
=20
=20
Laurie J. Tenace
Environmental Specialist
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4555
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400
PH: (850) 245-8759
FAX: (850) 245-8811
Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us
=20
view our mercury web pages at:=20
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm
=20
=20
=20
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<div class=3DSection1>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>You may
want to forward this to coworkers dealing with land application of =
sludge.</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Laurie</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<table class=3DMsoNormalTable border=3D0 cellspacing=3D0 cellpadding=3D0 =
width=3D629
style=3D'width:377.4pt'>
<tr>
<td colspan=3D3 style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack =
face=3DVerdana><span
=
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black;font-weight:bol=
d'>Animal
tests raise chemical concern </span></font></b></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack =
face=3DVerdana><span
=
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black;font-weight:bol=
d'>By Jolyon
Jenkins</span></font></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=3D520 valign=3Dtop style=3D'width:312.0pt;padding:0in 0in =
0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><!-- =
S BO --><!-- S IBYL --><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><img =
width=3D416
height=3D1 src=3D"cid:image001.gif@01C54BD9.BA812760" =
border=3D0></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack =
face=3DVerdana><span
=
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black;font-weight:bol=
d'>The
BBC's Costing The Earth programme investigates the safety of chemicals =
in the
environment and how they could be altering the behaviour of wild =
animals.</span></font></b><font
size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
Verdana;color:black'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>The humble
stickleback lives under constant threat from predators such as herons. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Many times =
a day, a stickleback,
eyeing a piece of food, will have to decide whether it is worth =
breaking
cover to get the food, and risk getting eaten itself. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>The =
over-bold
stickleback will not live long, but the excessively timid will starve. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Just how =
bold the
little fishes are depends, it seems, on what kind of water they were =
brought
up in. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Alison =
Bell, from Glasgow University, UK, has reared sticklebacks in water that =
contains tiny concentrations
of a synthetic oestrogen - the kind of level of pollution that you =
might easily
find in the environment. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>She found =
these fish
were significantly more willing to take risks than those that were =
reared in
pure water. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Alison =
Bell's work
is one of a growing number of studies that show that animal behaviour =
can be
influenced by environmental chemicals. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack =
face=3DVerdana><span
=
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black;font-weight:bol=
d'>Inquisitive
lambs</span></font></b><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack =
face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'> =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>And it =
suggests that
these effects might be seen at very low concentrations of chemicals - =
levels
which, until now, everyone thought were simply too low to have an =
effect. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>"There =
are now
lots of studies that show exposure to low levels of chemicals can =
affect
behaviour," she tells BBC Radio 4's Costing The Earth programme. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>"We =
are barely
scratching the surface." </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Stuart =
Rhind and
colleagues, at the Macaulay Land Research Institute near Aberdeen, did
something similar. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>They took =
two sets
of sheep, and grazed one set on ordinary grass. The second group they =
grazed
on land that had been fertilised with sewage sludge. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Sewage =
sludge
contains a complex mixture of chemicals that go under the general =
description
of "endocrine disrupters" - chemicals that somehow fool the =
body
into thinking they are natural hormones (again, the levels in the =
sludge are
very low). </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Stuart =
Rhind could
find no differences at all in the bodies of the two sets of sheep, or =
their
lambs. What he did find, however, was that the lambs born to the ewes =
grazed
on the sewage sludge behaved differently to their uncontaminated
counterparts. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>The male =
lambs
behaved in a much more "feminine way" - which, in lambs, =
means
being more inquisitive. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>"It's =
not the
fact that there has this been <i><span =
style=3D'font-style:italic'>this</span></i>
particular change of behaviour that matters," explains Rhind. =
"It's
the fact that behaviour has been altered <i><span =
style=3D'font-style:italic'>in
some way</span></i> that matters, because it implies that the =
developing
offspring have had their brains altered." </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack =
face=3DVerdana><span
=
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black;font-weight:bol=
d'>Boys
and girls</span></font></b><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack =
face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'> =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>If tiny =
amounts of
these chemicals, applied to animals while in the womb, can alter their
brains, what about humans? </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>It is much =
harder to
do a controlled experiment with babies, but there is one intriguing =
piece of
research from the Netherlands. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
=
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Paediatricians=
there
measured the concentration of two endocrine-disrupting chemicals in =
the blood
of pregnant women. The levels were in the range you would expect to =
get from
eating a normal mixed diet. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Then they =
looked at
the behaviour of the children once they reached school age. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>They found =
that the
boys whose mothers had had the most exposure were more likely to play =
in a
"girly" way - with jewellery, and dolls, for instance; while =
the
girls whose mothers had been most exposed were drawn to boyish toys =
such as
guns and trains. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>According =
to
investigator Dr Nynke Weisglas Kuperis, "it was a significant =
effect,
but it is very subtle". </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack =
face=3DVerdana><span
=
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black;font-weight:bol=
d'>Replicating
results</span></font></b><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack =
face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'> =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>These and =
many other
results with laboratory animals have led some scientists to call for a
radical overhaul of the way chemicals are tested for safety. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>They claim =
to be
able to detect adverse effects at levels far below those deemed safe =
by the
regulators. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>So why =
aren't the
rules changing? Perhaps because this is an extraordinarily tricky area =
of
science. </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>While some
researchers find these effects, others who have tried to repeat the
experiments in large, well-controlled trials, have found none at all. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>The people =
who do
not find the effects are, by and large, those working in industry - a =
fact
that leads some academic scientists to suspect a conspiracy. =
</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>But the =
fact remains
that, until these low-dose effects can be consistently replicated, we =
are
left with worries and suspicions, but not proof. </span></font></p>
</td>
<td style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New =
Roman"'> </span></font></p>
</td>
<td style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New =
Roman"'> </span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><a
href=3D"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4492721.stm">http://news.bbc.=
co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4492721.stm</a></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Laurie
J. Tenace</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Environmental
Specialist</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Florida
Department of Environmental Protection</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>2600</span></font><font
size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> Blair Stone Road, =
MS</span></font><font
size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> 4555</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Tallahassee</span></font><font
size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>, Florida =
32399-2400</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>PH:
(850) 245-8759</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>FAX:
(850) 245-8811</span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><a
href=3D"mailto:Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us">Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.=
us</a></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>view
our mercury web pages at: </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><a
href=3D"http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm">=
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm</a></span=
></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'> </span></font></p>
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