Background: 10yr old Active, healthy male

SYMPTOMS:• General Malaise, always in pain, joints hurt, developed

Juvenile Arthritis

• Severe headaches; unable to attend school• Extremely tired, drowsiness, apathy and general

weakness• Loss of appetite, losing weight; when ate food/water

got severe stomach cramps• Lost urge to thrive, listless, just laid in bed all day• Blood work: elevated TA1 cells , decreased B

lymocytes, markers for autobodies • rheumatoid arthritis markers

Result:• Saw 9 specialists at Children's and UW : “flu”

“Medical Mystery”Case study #1:

Risk Assessment for theExposure to Isocyanates (in carpets)

Isocyanate Monitoring System

What are Isocyanates?

The Compound

Carpets (newly installed)

Upholstery Foam Mattresses Paints/Auto finish Surface coatings

(laminates) Adhesives

Isocyanate molecules have the functional group -N=C=O.

Dream HOME ?

“I wanted the house to be so nice, and then I poisoned my son with it.”

Partial list of Some of the Over 200 Chemicals Found in Manufactured

Carpet

ethylbenzeneformaldehydemethacrylate acidmethyl methacrylateacrylic oligomerstetrachloroethylenetoluenexylenes4-phenylcyclohexeneacetonitrileazulenebenzenebiphenyl2-butyloctanol-1cyclopentadiene-ethenyl-2-ethylene1,3,5-cycloheptatriene1-chloronaphthalenediphenyl etherdodecane1,4-dihydroxyacenophtheneethylxylene

1-ethyl-3-methylbenzenehexadecanolhexamethylene triamine1-h-indene1-methylnaphthalene2-methylnaphthalene1-methyl-3 propylbenzene2-methyl-4-tridecene5-methyltridecaneoctadecenyl amine (oleylamine)oxariumpolyacrylates1-phenylcyclopentanol2-propylheptanolphthalic estersstyrene1,2,3,-trimethylbenzene1,2,4,-trimethylbenzenetetradecene2,3,7-trimethyldecaneundecane,2,6-dimethyl

(provided by a carpet manufacturer)

*By selecting Green Label Plus carpet or adhesive, you are assured one of the lowest emitting products on the market, and you may be able to earn LEED or Green Guide for Health Care points.

!! HAZARDS!!

• eye irritation• throat cancer• blurred vision• eyes sensitive to light• throat irritation• loss of voice• cough• dry or thirsty mouth• lips burning• tongue burning• nose burning or

bleeding• loss or increase of

smell• moodiness• respiratory tract

irritation

•rash or itching•hair loss•weight loss or gain•flu-like symptoms•aggravated asthma•aggravated allergies•joint pain•muscular aches•abdominal pain•memory loss•poor concentration•nervous system

disorders•unusual depression•Irritability

•headaches•dizziness,•disorientation•vomiting•nausea•chest pains•shortness of breath•irregular heart beat•high blood pressure•drowsiness•unusual fatigue•chemical sensitivity•jerking in sleep•menstrual irregularities•sexual dysfunction

Symptoms associated with exposure to the chemicals

(provided by industrial hygienists)

Chemical Health Effects

Benzene, formaldehyde, ethyl benzene, styrene, acetone

CANCER

4-PC (used in the latex backing of 95% of US carpets)

Eye, nose and upper respiratory problems

Scotchgard (perflouro-octanyl salphonate)

Reproductive problems in rats

Naphthalene (mothproofing chemicals) Produce toxic reactions, especially in newborns

PBDE’s (fire retardants) Damage to thyroid, immune system and brain development functions in humans

Catastrophic Chemical Leak and Explosion

Bhopal, India

Bhopal, India Gas Leak Disaster 1984

Cauldron of Chemical Soup

Isocyanates

BENZENE acetonitrileacetonitrile

P.B.D.E.

PFC’s

PFOA

Micron(pesticide)

Toxic “ Cocktail ”

C-8

Case study #2: Mr. Braithwaite:-Started laying carpets at 10 with father-Disabled at 39 yrs. old-Father died of lung cancer at 58

Symptoms: -severe concentration problems -memory loss-ringing in his ears-erratic heartbeats-shortness of breath-recurring nosebleeds-coordination problems-gastrointestinal problems-numbness in lower arms/hands.

Neurological testing: -SPECT scan verified damage to his brain- Doctors convinced solvents/other chemicals in carpets/glues he worked with are cause

Case Study #2: (cont.)

Exposure: foam mattress

•Worked at a foam mattress factory, the chemicals used are quite

nasty

•Main chemical to worry about: TDI, which I believe is from the

isocyanate family

•Remnants of this chemical remain in the mattress

•Have regular drills in case of a spill or a leakage. The gas given off

by this chemical was odorless and lethal

•Carry a gas mask

•Sirens during leakage

•100 yards long ventilation warehouse, emergency exits every 10

yards to escape!!

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/3496/Memory-Foam-or-Foamy-Memory 

Case Study #3:

Case Study #410 month boy, Christopher, on the carpet.

• Went into strange seizure-like reaction

• Upper body tensed up, arms started shaking, and his jaw moved awkwardly

• Doctors ruled out multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and tumors• "tremors of unknown origin" • Doctors tried drugs but didn't stop the tremors.• Parents had carpet tested in a lab: “the mice were rolling over and shaking just like Christopher• Ripped out the carpet, the tremors stopped.

Testing on Christopher showed:• Immune system damage consistent with chemicals exposure, • Autoimmune disease, myelin in his nervous system -- a sign of nerve tissue damage

Risk Assessment

Chronic Human Respiratory andImmune Exposure to

Isocyanates

Isocyanates Inhalation Exposure

Human Immune NOAEL..0006ppm=.oo14mg HumanResp. NOAEL.0002ppm=.0061 mg/m3

Conversions for human Inhalation Exposure

1 ppm = 2.34 mg/m3

1 mg/m3 = .4274 ppm

Example:LOAEL for respiratory system is .0006ppm.0006ppm x 1mg/m3/.4274 ppm =.0014mg/m3

Assessment/Exposures: using BioMarkersnotes from Dr.Costa’s lecture Feb 10, 2010

Adverse Affects:

• Nervous system, O2 and glucose requirements

• Memory loss

• Cognitive Impairment

Humans now have this “ neurotox index”. Neurotoxins affect cell to cell interaction biomarkers: Polymorphisms

On cell surface have structures made out of glycoprotein, that after toxic exposures: have missing parts. If our body can not replace those missing parts (called glyconutrients) then it destroys those structures. This is what causes “auto-immune” (where body attacks itself). It’s a response that a lot of people have and most carpet layers have.

• sugars that a stressed body can’t make, then have to come from our food, which can be depleted of these sugars. (Castor).

• Mannose is one of those key sugars, our body uses to repair and restore the cell-cell communication. Stop body self-destruction, or auto immune response } .

• 5 of the 8 necessary sugars are present in human breast milk .

* Manifests: chronic fatigue, lupus, fibromyalgia, brain fog, severe headaches, Multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), hearing loss, memory loss (see symptom list)

Study of GlycobiologyOne solution of toxic exposures

"Carbohydrates are the glue that pulls things together, the cell surface matrix in which cells communicate, and they provide the connections for signal transduction. It's only been within the last decade that we've realized that such structures are critical for all kinds of biological function."

ScienceDaily.com- May 15, 2008

In 1996 Harper's Biochemistry, a medical text, introduced "the eight principal sugars found in human glycoproteins." Eight specific sugars were identified on human cell surface glycoforms which are involved in

cellular recognition processes.

Precautionary Risk Assessment

Hazard, Community, Exposure Issues

Community/Social IssuesParameter Score

G = Goal 3 – does NOT move forward the goal of human and environmental health

N = Need 3 – we do NOT need this

F = Future generations 3 – there is VERY HIGH potential impact on future generations

D = Democratic community based process

3 – hardly anyone knows about the risks and hazards

A = Alternatives 3 – some companies switched out formaldehyde for isocyanates...

Total 15/15 – NOT SUPPORTIVE OF HEALTH OR COMMUNITY

Exposure IssuesParameters ScoreE = Exposure 1 – we have LITTLE control over

exposure from carpets

M = Multiple exposure 3 – very WIDE range of chemicals in carpets

Ch = Children exposed 5 – children, especially infants are at the greatest risk, in their breathing zone

CP = Consumer products 3 – carpets are in almost every home/work place, and many other products

O = Occupational exposure 3 – insocyanates are everywhere

F = Food exposure 0 – not found in food

Total 15/20 – serious concern

Hazard/Toxicity IssuesParameters Score

Hazard 10 – very toxic, very hazardous

Individual sensitivity 3 – young children, infants sick within a couple hours

Ecological hazard 3 – same health effects seen in mammalian studies

Volume 5 – extreme concentrations

Persistent 3 – stays around

Bioaccumulation 2 – some, most neurotoxins

Uncertainty 2 – not very much official research, but many real-life case studies

Total 28/30 – LIKE SO HAZARDOUS!!

 "The carpet industry has mounted a massively deceptive merchandising campaign that intentionally mislead the public by implying that all carpets with the green tag have met safety standards," says New York Attorney General Robert Abrams. He had petitioned CPSC(Consumer Product Safety Commission) to require warning labels on carpets. Because of the large number of carpet complaints, the attorneys general of twenty-five other states signed the petition as well. (9) CPSC refused to even consider their petition. • there are no such recognized standards of safety. The Carpet and Rug Institute its own arbitrary standards. • CRI's testing program is completely inadequate because it measures only a small percentage of the chemicals emitted from carpets. • a manufacturer can get a green tag for an entire product line simply by having one small piece of carpet tested once a year." • One of the carpets to pass the green tag testing is associated with disabling the members of the Charles Fitzgerald family of West Friendship, Maryland,who were exposed to it in their lighting store in 1992.  When tested by Anderson Labs, the Fitgeralds' carpet caused gross nervous system abnormalities in mice." • The Consumer Product Safety Commission receives hundreds of complaints and inquiries each year about the adverse health effects associated with the materials used to make carpet,"said Abrahms. Yet the government has chosen to sweep this problem under the rug by ignoring the public's health concerns as well as my request to disseminate meaningful information about potential carpet hazards." 

•“Nothing has been proven to date that links carpet and ill health effects," says the CRI's Kathryn Wise.

COVER UP by the CRI (Carpet Rug Institute)

Cover up (con’t)

EPA cover-up• a thousand complaints were reported by EPA workers who were made ill by new carpet in the EPA headquarters building. The CRI were, at a minimum, well aware of neurological complaints and very

serious pulmonary complaints from a number of EPA workers." • Despite its own study, and the removal of 27,000 square yards of carpet from the headquarters building in 1989, EPA published a public information brochure, "Indoor Air Quality and New Carpet: What You Should Know," which states, "Limited research to date has found no links between adverse

health effects and the levels of chemicals emitted by new carpet." http://www.holisticmed.com/carpet/ • When EPA returned to its own labs, "instead of duplicating what Rosalind Anderson did, as they were charged to do at the October '92 carpet hearing, EPA created its own protocol," bottled air in their own lab and bubbled it through water to add humidity, the humidity changed the result. What they found was that humidity reduced the toxicity, so apparently whatever the toxins are, they are soluble in water at low levels." After Anderson Labs changed their protocol to humidify the air in the same manner as EPA had done," we found it removed the toxic effect as well," said Anderson. When they passed air over a toxic carpet sample and bubbled it through water, the air was not toxic to the mice. • took that water and exposed the mice to it in the form of a mist. "Lo and behold, the toxic effect had been removed from the air and put into the water. •We were now seeing the same enurotoxic effects from the water, including death, said Anderson.

Recommendation:• Do not contact the EPA or Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) with the expectation of getting help with the problem. While they may do good work on other issues, they are in bed with the industry on this issue, so do not trust anything they say. http://www.holisticmed.com/carpet/

Peer –reviewed articles and journals are mistakenly presented to be of high quality. Product defense firms establish their own journals, using their own scientists, that present themselves to the unwary as independent sources of information and science.

Example: Indoor and Built Environment Journal

Cover up (con’t)

Resources:

• To understand how PR techniques are sometimes used to by Monsanto, Dupont and others to con the general public, please purchase and read the excellent new book: Toxic Sludge is Good For You! (Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton Common Courage Press, Monroe, Maine (USA), c1995 ISBN 1-56751-061-2 or ISBN 1-56751-060-4 (pbk.) This book will help you understand what tricks to expect from Monsanto, Dupont, and others as scientists and the general population recognizes the dangers from exposure to toxic carpeting.

•Doubt is Their Product David Michaels, 2008 by Oxford Press Peer –reviewed articles and journals are mistakenly presented to be of high quality.Product

defense firms establish their own journals, using their own scientists, that present themselves to the unwary as independent sources of information and science.

Examples: JOURNAL: Indoor and Built Environment , financed by the tobacco industry to promote that inadequate ventilation, not second hand smoke, is the problem. JOURNAL : Regulations, Toxicology and Pharmacology An association dominated by

scientist who work for industry trade groups and consulting firms.

Cindy Duehring(1962 - 1999)

Researcher, Activist, Writer, Editor1997 Right Livelihood Award Winner

• In 1986 Duehring founded the Environmental Access Research Network (EARN).

•1991, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry designated CIIN a clearinghouse to aid communities and individuals on the toxic health effects associated with low levels of chemical exposure

• In 1994 became Chemical Injury Information Network (CIIN).CIIN is a support and advocacy organization for the benefit of the chemically injured with over 5,000 members in 35 countries. Its primary focus is education, credible research, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), and the empowerment of the chemically injured.

She was awarded The Right Livelihood Award “...for putting her personal tragedy at the service of humanity by helping others understand and combat the risks posed by toxic chemicals.” CIIN works with

healthcare professionals and governments in many countries, and the United Nations Environment Program and the European Union have both recognized CIIN/EARN's work. .

Sources

www.ciin.org The Chemical Center Information Network http://www.inspiredliving.com/airpurification/a~toxic-carpets1.htm http://www.naturalhomeproducts.com/1430chemicals.html Natural

Home Design Center Journal of nutritional medicine   ISSN 0955-6664  Source / Source

1995, vol. 5, no4, pp. 375-386 (24 ref. ) http://webmail.aol.com/30746-111/aol-1/en-us/Suite.aspx

CARPET CONCERNS: Carpet Installers Speak OutAs the Medical Evidence Mounts.by Cindy Duehringhttp://www.inspiredliving.com/airpurification/a~toxic-carpets2.htm

Methyl Isocyanate. Technology Transfer Network., EPA. November 6, 2007. January 32, 2010. http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/methylis.html

Lecture: Sam Castor, On History of Glycoproteins, a New Biology. Feb 19, 2010. Seattle , WA

Lecture: Dr. Costa, UW , Seattle, WA Feb 17, 2010 http://www.glycoscience.co.za/index.htm http://www.rightlivelihood.org/uploads/tx_templavoila/Kopbilder_Recipients_01.jpg http://www.holisticmed.com/carpet/ summary of cover-up,examples of disable carpet

layers