US:Chlorine Chemicals-Human Reproduction Problems

[The.Greenbase@gb.greenpeace.org]

>> CHLORINE CHEMICALS DISRUPTING HUMAN REPRODUCTION

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                    GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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>> CHLORINE CHEMICALS DISRUPTING HUMAN REPRODUCTION
 GREENPEACE REPORT COMPILES EVIDENCE OF HEALTH EFFECTS

US, May 31, 1995 (GP) The ability of humans to reproduce is being
threatened by the release of a group of synthetic chemicals
produced from chlorine, said a report released today by
Greenpeace.

Infertility, birth defects and altered levels of sex hormones are
some of the cases cited in the report "Body of Evidence
- The Effects of Chlorine on Human Health".

The report is the first assessment of all the current evidence on
the effects of organochlorines on human health.  Looked at
together, the data overwhelming shows that organochlorines can
cause damage to human reproductive systems, from the womb to
adulthood.

Greenpeace is calling for immediate action to ban organochlorines
worldwide.  Several political fora are moving toward
implementation plans this year to phaseout these substances in
the North Sea, the Mediterranean, the Great Lakes and within
countries of the United Nations.

"Urgent international action is imperative to ban
organochlorines.  Not only are we threatening the environment but
risking the very future of the human race.  The choice between
the future of our children's health and our ability to reproduce,
or the right of companies to use our seas, land and air as their
dumping ground is clear.  We choose life," said Lisa Finaldi, of
Greenpeace International.

Organochlorines, which interfere with crucial hormone levels in
the body, can now be measured in the blood, breast milk, muscle
and body fat of people the world over.

Organochlorines are produced in large quantities by such
multinationals as ICI, Dow, Occidental Petroleum, PPG Industries,
Elf Atochem, Olin, Vulcan Materials, Enichem, Bayer and Hoechst.
They are used widely in PVC plastics, solvents and pulp and paper
production.  They are now found throughout the global
environment, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.

In the last 50 years the incidence of human reproductive problems
has risen dramatically.  Evidence is now overwhelming that
organochlorines are a major factor in the following wide range of
problems.

*  The unborn foetus is most vulnerable to the effects of toxic
chemicals.  Exposure to organochlorines during pregnancy can
cause:  reproductive effects, foetal death and spontaneous
abortion, low birth weight, effects on intelligence and
behavioural problems.

*  Sperm counts in men have fallen dramatically.  Two recent
uropean studies have shown a fall of 2 per cent a year over the
past 20 years.  The quality of sperm is also reduced, with
sperm mobility declining and the proportion of abnormal sperm
rising.

*  The incidence of testicular cancer has increased over the last
50 years on a worldwide scale.  During the same period, the
incidence of undescended testicles and urethral abnormalities has
also been reported to have increased in some countries.

*  Women's reproductive problems have increased dramatically over
the past 50 years in industrialised countries.  Girls are
reaching puberty earlier; cases of endometriosis, and of cancers
of the breast, and other reproductive cancers are rising, as are
cases of infertility.

"Many organochlorines can disturb hormones and other bio-chemical
processes in the body.  This means that they cause a diverse
array of adverse effects, particularly on the next generation"
said Dr. Michelle Allsopp, co-author of the report.  "We cannot
leave this legacy to future generations.  Chlorinated substances
must be eliminated."

ENDS

For more information:  Contact your GP office, Exeter Lab at 44 1
392 263782 or 917 or Pat Costner in the US 501-253-8440.
Copies of the report can also be obtained from all national GP
offices.