Toxic Chemicals found in bodies of Mass Nurse and Doctor
Earlier this year, Mimi Pomerleau and Sean Palfrey did a bold thing: they had their blood and urine tested for the presence of toxic chemicals.
Mimi is a OB nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Clinical Professor at Lawrence Memorial Regis College. Sean is professor of pediatrics and public health at Boston University School of Medicine, and medical director of Boston's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Both participated in the Hazardous Chemicals in Health Care bio monitoring project conducted by Physicians for Social Responsibility.
Each of 20 doctors and nurses around the country were tested FOR 62 distinct chemicals in six categories: bisphenol A, mercury, perflourinated compounds, phthalates, polybrominated dipheynl ethers, and triclosan. These chemicals are used in products common to the health care setting, from baby bottles, hand sanitizer, and medical gauges, to industrial paints, IV bags and tubes and stain-resistant clothing.
Having read about and spoken for so many years on my concerns about the presence of environmental toxins in mother’s, fetuses’ and children’s bodies and blood, I welcomed the chance to participate in a high quality study of toxin levels in my own body. Hopefully this research will enable us to bring a greater personal force and urgency to the issues all of us, as professionals in the field, present in our work and advocacy. - Dr. Sean Palfrey
Each doctor or nurse participating in the study had at least 24 individual chemicals present in their bodies, four of which are on the recently released Environmental Protection Agency list of priority chemicals for regulation. There were 18 chemicals that were detected in every single participant. All participants had bisphenol A, phthalates, PBDEs and PFCs, chemicals associated with chronic illness such as cancer and endocrine malfunction.
Read the full reportDownload MA Press release HCPB final
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