Latest news with #Deep Science Ventures
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Experts warn of the cancer-causing chemicals that are a 'threat to humanity'
The human body contains more than 3,600 synthetic toxins, a new report has warned, with chemical exposure now posing a 'threat to humans.' An eight-month investigation by London-based Deep Science Ventures looked at 'how pervasive toxicity threatens human and planetary health,' with some concerning outcomes. Researchers found that the industrial economy has created over 100 million chemicals not found in nature, with somewhere between 40,000 and 350,000 currently in commercial use, and production has increased fifty-fold since the 1950s. Over 3,600 synthetic chemicals from food contact materials alone are found in human bodies, 80 of which have hazard properties of 'high concern'. The report outlines links between toxic chemicals and a range of health conditions including cancer, obesity, Alzheimer's, pregnancy issues, ADHD, fertility problems, heart conditions, and respiratory ailments. The researchers found cancer rates have exploded in the past few decades and early onset cancer in people under the age of 50 increased 79 percent from 1990 to 2019. Pointing to a possible cause, they discovered that PFAS, or 'forever chemicals,' are found in almost all humans tested with 14 percent of European teenagers having blood levels 'high enough to risk adverse health effects'. And men with high levels of certain PFAS have been found to have less than half the normal sperm count of those with low levels. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are microscopic substances that take thousands of years to break down in the environment and human body, earning them the name 'forever chemicals.' Their main purpose is to repel water and oil, which is what makes non-stick cookware easier to clean and why certain jackets and tents can withstand rain. The chemicals can seep into the water supply from washing dishes and can enter food if packaging is made to be grease-resistant or if the non-stick coating on pots and pans begins to deteriorate. PFAS are also common in pesticides used on crops, which produces chemical-rich runoff that can enter the drinking water supply. From an analysis of peer-reviewed scientific papers as well as interviews with researchers, non-profit leaders, entrepreneurs and investors, the researchers found the food and agricultural industries to be the worst offenders. They explain: 'Pesticides and fertilizers can pollute water and affect local ecosystems as well as the food we eat, and one of the most dangerous fertilizers is the sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants which is spread on fields even though it often contains many toxic chemicals.' The researchers warn that PFAS have now 'contaminated the whole world', with levels in rainwater often exceeding safe limits for drinking water. Last year, the EPA set the maximum contaminant levels for PFAS at 4.0 parts per trillion. They note that despite the current level of evidence, there are still 'noticeable gaps' in how industry and regulatory bodies address chemical toxicity. In the US, they highlight how loopholes in regulation have allowed more than 200 new food additives into the food system without undergoing pre-market approval. One report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) reveals that the number is closer to 900 and these additives get through the system through what is referred to as the 'generally recognized as safe,' or GRAS, loophole. 'The loophole lets those companies – not the FDA – decide when a substance is safe,' the expose notes. It adds: 'For the other 863 new food chemicals added to the food supply since 2000, food chemical companies exploited the GRAS loophole so they could make their own safety determinations.' The Deep Science Ventures report reveals that in the FDA's own database, almost 80 percent of chemical additives directly added to food 'lack the relevant information needed to estimate the amount that consumers can safely eat, and 93 percent lack reproductive or developmental toxicity data.' And of the FDA-regulated additives - both directly and indirectly allowed in food - almost two-thirds don't have publicly available data. In the EU, even with a 'precautionary ethos, typically based on the 'no hazard data, no market' principle', they say there are still too many exceptions. 'The majority of commonly used chemicals lack adequate public data for their long-term health and environmental impacts,' they add. While humans can't see chemicals and microplastics with the naked eye, research is increasingly showing they have a big impact on our health. These toxins are estimated to cost the US healthcare system about $290 million per year, as they have been linked to everything from birth defects to cancer, dementia to asthma, and infertility to children's behavioral and learning difficulties. Microplastics smaller than one micrometer, known as nanoplastics, are of most concern, as research has shown they can infiltrate cells. Studies have revealed that microplastics can cause DNA damage and changes in gene activity, known for triggering cancer. Off the backs of the findings, the researchers called for policy makers and industry leaders to take immediate action. Underscoring the need for immediate action, the researchers concluded: 'Based on our findings, failure to act decisively will likely lead to irreversible consequences for both human health and the delicate balance of our planet's ecosystems. 'Policymakers should consider the impact of toxicity on fertility especially as many countries are struggling to boost it using expensive other incentives. This is important because human and planetary health is at stake. 'For us to ensure our continued development and ability to thrive as a human species, we have to accelerate the growth of innovative, technological solutions and ensure these are funded and scaled at pace.'
The Guardian
06-08-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Chemical pollution a threat comparable to climate change, scientists warn
Chemical pollution is 'a threat to the thriving of humans and nature of a similar order as climate change' but decades behind global heating in terms of public awareness and action, a report has warned. The industrial economy has created more than 100 million 'novel entities', or chemicals not found in nature, with somewhere between 40,000 and 350,000 in commercial use and production, the report says. But the environmental and human health effects of this widespread contamination of the biosphere are not widely appreciated, in spite of a growing body of evidence linking chemical toxicity with effects ranging from ADHD to infertility to cancer. 'I suppose that's the biggest surprise for some people,' Harry Macpherson, senior climate associate at Deep Science Ventures (DSV), which carried out the research, told the Guardian. 'Maybe people think that when you walk down the street breathing the air; you drink your water, you eat your food; you use your personal care products, your shampoo, cleaning products for your house, the furniture in your house; a lot of people assume that there's really great knowledge and huge due diligence on the chemical safety of these things. But it really isn't the case.' Over eight months, as part of a project funded by the Grantham Foundation, Macpherson and colleagues spoke to dozens of researchers, non-profit leaders, entrepreneurs and investors, and analysed hundreds of scientific papers. According to the DSV report, more than 3,600 synthetic chemicals from food contact materials – the materials that are used in food preparation and packaging – alone are found in human bodies, 80 of which are of significant concern. Pfas 'forever chemicals', for example, have been found in nearly all humans tested, and are now so ubiquitous that in many locations even rainwater contains levels regarded as unsafe to drink. Meanwhile, more than 90% of the global population breathes air that breaches World Health Organization (WHO) pollution guidelines. When these chemicals contaminate our bodies, the results can be disastrous. The report found there were correlational or causal data linking widely used chemicals with threats to human reproductive, immune, neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, liver, kidney and metabolic systems. 'One of the main things that came out quite strongly was links between pesticide exposure and reproductive issues,' said Macpherson. 'We saw quite strong links – correlation and causation – for miscarriage and people basically struggling to conceive.' The DSV research adds to previous findings by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research that we have already far exceeded the safe planetary boundary for environmental pollutants, including plastics. On Sunday, another report warned that the world faces a 'plastics crisis', which is causing disease and death from infancy to old age amid a huge acceleration of plastic production. The report also highlights critical shortcomings in current toxicity assessment, research and testing methods, exposing the ways in which existing checks and balances are failing to protect human and planetary health. 'The way that we've generally done the testing has meant that we've missed a lot of effects,' Macpherson said. He singled out the assessment of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which are substances that interfere with hormones, causing problems ranging from infertility to cancer. These have been found to confound the traditional assumption that lower doses will invariably have lesser effects. 'One of the things is that when you have a chemical which is interfering with the endocrine system, it sometimes has a nonlinear response. So you'll see that there'll be a response at a very low dose, which you wouldn't be able to predict from its behaviour at a high dose.' DSV describes itself as a 'venture creator' that spins out companies aimed at tackling big problems in environmental and human health issues. Part of the purpose of the report is to identify problem areas that can be tackled by innovation. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion Currently, chemical toxicity as an environmental issue receives just a fraction of the funding that is devoted to climate change, a disproportionality that Macpherson says should change. 'We obviously don't want less funding going into the climate and the atmosphere,' he said. 'But this we think – really, proportionally – needs more attention.' However, there were features of the problem that mean it lends itself more easily to solutions. 'The good thing is that this can be potentially quite easily consumer-driven if people start to worry about things they're personally buying,' Macpherson said. 'There isn't necessarily the need for a massive collective action; it can just be demand for safer products, because people want safer products.' For his part, since starting the research, Macpherson is careful about what touches his food. He cooks with a cast-iron skillet. He especially avoids heating food in plastic. 'Unfortunately, it is a recommendation to eat more organic food, but it is more expensive in general. So at least washing fruit and vegetables before eating them, but organic if you can afford it.'
