March 21, 2001 ATLANTA (AP) - Americans' bodies harbor surprisingly high amounts of a chemical used in soap and cosmetics, federal health officials reported Wednesday in the first nationwide study to measure levels of 24 environmental toxins in people's blood and urine.
Animal studies suggest that large amounts of the chemical, diethyl phthalate, may disrupt normal hormone function and cause birth defects. The government is studying whether repeated exposure is harmful to humans.
Previous studies of environmental toxins have measured levels only in air, soil and water. Measuring how much of certain chemicals Americans absorb is crucial to determining if specific diseases are caused by pollutants.
Levels of diethyl phthalate were ``considerably higher than one would have predicted,'' said Dr. Richard Jackson, director of the National Center for Environmental Health.
``It may mean that the compound is able to get into humans better because it's directly applied to the skin,'' said Dr. Jim Pirkle, deputy director of laboratories for NCEH.
The Consumer Product Safety Council has recommended that toy makers stop using phthalates, used in plastics to soften such things as doll heads and teething rings.
The numbers, based on a 1999 study of 3,800 people across the country, may affect government regulation of toxins such as lead, mercury and pesticides. In many cases, there are no previous numbers available for comparison.
The government plans to conduct the study annually, expanding it to more than 100 chemicals. Those reports will be broken down by demographic categories such as race, age, education and geographic region.
``It could be revolutionary in terms of environmental health in the United States,'' Jackson said.
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
