SEPA: Persistent organic pollutants the danger is not over

[ttweed@wildrockies.org (Tony Tweedale)]

                           SWEDISH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY



Svenska



Press Release: August 12, 1998

                            Persistent organic pollutants the danger is not
over


Despite substantially reduced emissions of most well known persistent organic
pollutants, e.g. PCBs and dioxins, the danger is far from over. The toxic
substances
are still present in the environment and in our bodies. Moreover, a number of
similar pollutants have recently been discovered in the environment,
according to
the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

The Agency is publishing the results of the latest Swedish research on
toxic pollutants in a
new report, Monitor 16. The findings include animal experiments which show
that the brain in
young specimens can be damaged by even extremely small doses of
environmental pollutants.

"There is every reason to continue keeping a vigilant eye on what these
chemicals are doing to
the environment and to ourselves. We know, for example, that they can
disrupt hormonal
systems and we suspect that they can contribute to birth defects and health
damage in infancy.
Furthermore, many factors are still unknown regarding the effects of
organic pollutants. The
picture is much more complex than hitherto believed, and new substances are
being discovered
all the time", says project leader Niklas Johansson at the Swedish
Environmental Protection
Agency.

Brominated flame retardants are one of the more controversial groups of
substances. The total
use of these chemicals is still increasing. They are used, for example, in
electronic equipment.

"It is important that the problems of toxic organic pollutants are
prevented at source, i.e.
making sure that substances with properties which entail a risk are not
produced in the first
place. But we still need to understand better how such substances affect
the central nervous
system, hormonal systems, the immune system and tumour formation",
recommends the project group heading the research programme on persistent
organic pollutants and which has advised the production of the Monitor 16
report.

Briefs from Monitor 16:

Reduced levels of toxic pollutants
For several years, levels of DDT, PCBs, dioxins and hexachlorobenzene have
fallen considerably
in the Swedish natural environment. Levels of brominated flame retardants
were still
increasing in the 1980's, but are now falling. However, practically nothing
is known about how
the abundance of most other persistent organic pollutants is changing in
the environment and in ourselves.

Not more toxic pollutants in the north The general belief that toxic
pollutants accumulate in northern regions can be questioned. The theory is
not supported by Swedish environmental data. On the contrary, levels are
considerably lower in the north of Sweden than in southern regions.
Furthermore, concentrations of for example PCBs, DDT and dioxins appear to
decrease at least as rapidly in northern parts of the country as in the
south.

Alarming brain damage in mice
Even very small doses of toxic pollutants can cause lifelong neurological
disturbances in
laboratory animals. Ten day-old mice exposed to a few micrograms of DDT
will suffer
permanent damage to the central nervous system. There are no external
changes, but for the
rest of their life they will endure reduced learning capacity and
hyperactive behaviour, showing irreparable brain damage. Other toxic
pollutants, such as PCBs and brominated flame
retardants, can also cause similar effects even in small doses.

"Are human babies as sensitive as young mice? We do not know, but we cannot
ignore the risk",
according to Per Eriksson, scientist at the University of Uppsala. (His
findings are also
presented in the new report Prenatal Developmental Neurotoxicity of PCBs,
Swedish
Environmental Protection Agency report 4897).

Monitor 16, a broad-based popular account of ten years of Swedish research
in the field of
persistent organic pollutants, has also been published in English. It is
written by Claes Bernes
at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The intention is to publish
around ten
additional reports in English, which will summarise the experiences from
various aspects of
this field of research.

Next week, 650 scientists from all around the world will meet in Stockholm
to discuss the
latest scientific findings concerning persistent organic polllutants, at
the Dioxin'98
conference. The conference is organised by the Swedish Environmental
Protection Agency, the
National Chemicals Inspectorate, the Karolinska Institute and Stockholm
University. Sweden
has long been in the forefront regarding research on toxic pollutants. For
example, it was the
Swedish scientist Sören Jensen who first identified PCBs as a chemical
hazard in all living
things. Also, Christoffer Rappe was one of the first to be able to analyse
very low levels of
dioxins.

"Monitor 16 Persistent Organic Pollutants, A Swedish perspective on an
international problem"

For further information:
Niklas Johansson, +46-8-698 1438,+46-8-728 75 43, mobil: 010-667 93 02, e-mail:
Niklas.Johansson@environ.se
Claes Bernes, +46-8-698 1305, Claes.Bernes@environ.se
Mats Olsson, Swedish Museum of Natural History, +46-8-666 411,
mats.olsson@nrm.se

Per Eriksson, University of Uppsala, +46-18-471 26 23, Per.Eriksson@Etox.uu.se

Press Service:
Anna Bonta-Anger,+46-8-698 1084, Anna.Bonta-Anger@environ.se
Suzanne Kolare, +46-8-698 1697, Suzanne.Kolare@environ.se

 Contact: Suzanne Kolare

Uppdated: 1998-07-10