Symposium exposes dangerous side of chemicals
Green chemistry focuses on eliminating hazardous chemicals in consumer products.
Published Oct. 8, 2010
The Department of Biological Sciences hosted a symposium, entitled “Green Chemistry: Integrating Environmental Health and Chemical Innovation,” on Wednesday.
This year, Heinz Award recipient Fred vom Saal organized the symposium. The purpose of the event was to bring awareness of the dangers of chemicals that threaten public health and the environment.
“Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and the generation of hazardous compounds, which requires collaborations between chemists, environmental and biomedical scientists,” said Terrence Collins, Thomas Lord professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University.
Collins was also a Heinz Award recipient this year.
“Green chemistry is important because now we now know that there are chemicals in virtually all products we are using that pose health hazards to us and that are also getting into the environment,” vom Saal said.
One of the chemicals green chemistry is focusing on the most is Bisphenol A, a type of “endocrine disruptor” that behaves like the human hormone estrogen, binding to the estrogen receptors in cells and interfering with the body’s signaling system. Bisphenol A can be found in materials made of polycarbonate plastics.
The symposium started off with John Peterson Myers, CEO of Environmental Health Sciences and author of “Our Stolen Future,” who shared some of the bad news related to these types of endocrine disruptors. During the lecture, Myers stressed they could cause serious health problems such as cancer, diabetes and obesity. He also pointed out that if there is a regulation system for these chemicals, many of the health problems associated with the endocrine disruptors can be prevented.
“Developmental exposure can cause effects that persist long after the exposure,” said Jerrold Heindel, scientific program administrator of the division of extramural research and training at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, about the endocrine disruptors.
Heindel said there is evidence that suggests that developmental problems such as early puberty, obesity, child asthma, ADHD and learning disabilities could be caused by prenatal exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
“Now, people don’t ask if lead is toxic anymore,” Collins said. “BPA will be a new lead story.”
He addressed the new approaches to developing chemicals for use. He introduced the new chemical compound mimicking the way nature uses oxidation to decompose things, which could possibly destroy chemicals such as pesticides, estrogen and polymers in our water source more effectively.
“To know what endocrine disruptors are and to discuss endocrine disrupters is hard, but it is essential,” Collins said.
He said green chemistry should form research and educate people so that students can be stronger leaders.
Graduate student Brittany Angle said people could apply what the symposium is about to their daily lives. She said household cleaners can be easily replaced with other things. Instead of using commercially available cleaners, one could just as effectively use vinegar, baking soda or lemon juice.
“Brominated flame-retardant chemicals are applied to every mattress before it gets sold, and our body is absorbing the chemical,” Angle said.
Freshman August Remington said he attended the symposium because he cares about the environment and health.
“When we decide to draw the line, what the threshold is, how much proof do we require are interesting questions to me, but I don’t know what the answers to that would be,” Remington said. “But if you were being poisoned, if your children were being poisoned, you would want to know.”