Toxic Games

“Most Americans believe that if a chemical is in their cosmetics, their coat, or their couch, someone is making sure it is safe for their health”. 

This statement came from a recent Science editorial on toxic materials used in consumer products. I have never paid attention to the doom and gloom people ranting about how we are being poisoned by the profit-driven industries. 

However, the article in the respected Science journal was not written by one of these people: it was written by the researcher Arlene Blum, a collaborator of the legendary Dr. Bruce Ames. 

Probably because of its credibility, the article evoked a great dose of thought about the dangerous chemicals to which I expose my family and myself every day. Some of these agents damage the DNA (causing mutations) and increase the risk of cancer. There are approximately 80,000 industrial chemicals used in commerce in the U.S., and their safety is not exactly well established. 

One of the most well-known ways to distinguish harmless agents from substances that damage the DNA and cause mutations is the test designed by Dr. Ames. The test utilizes a bacterial species that grows only when the amino acid histidine is added to the medium. Therefore, in a medium with very little histidine, the bacteria will grow at the beginning, but as the amino acid is depleted, the bacteria would stop proliferating. However, if to the same medium we add the bacteria along with a substance that causes mutations (changes in DNA), some of the many bacterial cells would undergo mutations and continue to grow even in the absence of the amino acid histidine. This test has proven to be an excellent approach to revealing many substances as mutagenic agents. 

The U.S. still has the intellectual and technical power to identify dangerous agents; however, it is mind-boggling how information on the toxicity of some chemicals takes up to half-century to implement and start to phase out of use. In her Science article, Dr. Blum mentions one such compound – perfluorooctanoic acid (C8). 

Another bitter reminder that we are not well protected from harmful agents came from the same issue of Science, and it was about a pesticide produced by Bayer CropScience. This pesticide (called sometimes Synapse) was given a conditional approval for use by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2008, and has been used for more than 200 U.S. crops. Almost eight years later, it seems that we have realized that the insecticide is pretty harmful… The game between the company and EPA is still to take place. 

Anyway, it seems that instead of being immersed in Hunger Games, we are all unwilling participants in the Toxic Games.