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New research proves that PVCsand phthlalates contaminate our environment and the food we eat, causing disruption of our hormonal and glandular systems. 'b¥1Barry Densley © 1996 ·rj,;,~WTJ Melboume,A~str~a 'Te.1~phone: '+61 {O}3929214l1 :~!lx: +61 (013 9292 E-ovifl:lil:Ii/nsley@newsmrp.mm.au OCTOBER -NOVEMBER 1996 'The agreements between the big oil companies, in particular, show that any law of the statebecomesmeaningless forthem, andthatallforms ofjurisdiction ofthenationalstate are done away with. " -Dr Fritz Werr, National Socialist economist, 1936, quoted in Reimann's Patents for Hitler (1942) As consumers, we implicitly trust food manufacturers and governments to main tain appropriate safeguards to prevent food contamination and its toxic or chronic effects. Australian health officials recently ordered an investigation of locally manufactured baby mHk formula, following the discovery of PVC plas ticisers or phthalates (,'thal-ates") in UK varieties. The Secretary for Health and Family Services, Senator Robert Woods, announced there was no immediate risk to Australians: "This situation in the United Kingdom does not mean we have any reason for concern...we must quickly investigate to see if these substances are present at all in Australian products." Results from Senator Woods' enquiry into phthalates in infant for mula in Australia have not been released to date. A toxic by-product of the petroleum industry, naphthalates (phthalates) were first dis covered in the 1850s, From the early 1900s through the 1930s, a number of companies, most notably I. G. Farben (now known as Hoechst, Bayer, Roche and BASF), Standard Oil (EXXON and ESSO) and Shell, developed a wide range of synthetic oil-based prod ucts under umbrella patents for commercial use. One of these products, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), is now used in an enormous range of applications in building, electrical, health care and transport.' No known long-term research was ever carried out on the possible systemic effects on either humans or the environment. A deadly cocktail of chemicals and compounds, such as DEHP, or di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and p-nonylphenol (used to make PVC more stable and impact-resistant), is used in the manufacture of most PVC products. Of these, DEHP accounts for up to 90 per cent of annual global phthalate production (over 3.25 million tonnes), Both DEHP and nonylphenol are potential carcinogens and may disrupt normal hormonal function. There are other possible side-effects which adversely affect reproductive ability, the developing embryo and foetus, and the reproductive ability of offspring, as well as disorders which cause delay or lack of conception, such as menstrual disorders, hormonal problems, impo tence, sperm abnormalities, and uterine fibroid and tubal defects. Adverse birth effects may include spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, toxaemia, low birthweight, congenital defects and childhood cancer. Phthalates and the stabiliser nonylphenol are xeno-oestrogens, in that they mimic natu rally-occurring oestrogens, and are thought to disrupt the body's complex chemical com munications (endocrine) system. This system consists of a number of glands-pituitary, thyroid, paralhyroid and adrenal glands-and part of the pancreas, testes and ovaries. Each gland secretes hormones to signal specific changes in cells affecting body function, development, mineral balance and metabolism. Natural hormones, including those we get from plants and vegetables (phylo-oestrogens), complete their tasks and then break down inside the body. Humans and animals have consumed phyto-oestrogens for millions of years and adapted accordingly. Xeno-oestrogens have been consumed involuntarHy for the past 50 years, but at what cost? In 1987, Choice magazine reported high levels of phthalates in cheeses wrapped with PVC film (430 mglkg in some brands). Following this, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) set up a working group to examine phthalate levels in food. Despite the group's toxicologists stressing that toxicology was not a defin! NEXUS' 11