ANNE UNDERWOOD

Alaskan fisherman, Timothy June, 54, used to think that he was safe from industrial pollutants at his home in Haines with its 20 million acres of protected wilderness nearby. But in early 2007, he agreed to take part in a survey of 35 Americans from seven states. It was a biomonitoring project, in which people’s blood and urine were tested for traces of chemicals — in this case, three potentially hazardous classes of compounds found in common household products like shampoo, tin cans, shower curtains and upholstery. The results—released in November in a report called “Is It in Us?” by a coalition of environmental groups—were not reassuring. Every one of the participants tested positive for all three classes of contaminants.

Clearly, there are chemicals in our bodies that don’t belong there. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found 148 chemicals in Americans of all ages, including lead, mercury, dioxins and PCBs. Other scientists have detected antibacterial agents from liquid soaps in breast milk, infants’ cord blood and the urine of young girls. And in 2005, the Environmental Working Group found an average of 200 chemicals in the cord blood of 10 newborns, including known carcinogens and neurotoxins. “Our babies are being born pre-polluted,” says Sharyle Patton of Commonweal, which cosponsored “Is It in Us?” “This is going to be the next big environmental issue after climate change.”

Bisphenol A is a basic constituent of the polycarbonate plastics found in many baby bottles, sippy cups and juice bottles. A highly versatile compound, it is also found in dental sealants, CDs, DVDs and the resin linings of food and beverage containers, including many cans and takeout cartons. But most scientists say small amounts can leach out and find their way into our bodies when the plastics start to break down under high heat or wear and tear. The CDC has found BPA in 92 percent of Americans age 6 and older who were tested. But the chemical industry says it’s safe—and the Food and Drug Administration agrees.

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