Persistent, bioaccumulative toxics, commonly known as PBTs, are a group of toxic chemicals that are joined together by some common features. Common PBTs in our lives include mercury, DDT, cadmium, lead, and several groups of chemicals including PCBs, toxic flame retardants (PBDEs) and dioxins. While these chemicals have many different uses in our lives, and different effects on our health, they are joined together by the following facts:

1. PBTs are persistent. These chemicals are often used in manufacturing because of the exact features that cause great, great trouble in our environment: they don't break down, and they stay in the environment for a very long time. PCBs, for instance, are man-made mixtures of chlorinated compounds that are used in manufacturing because they are non-flammable, have a high boiling point, and are insoluble in water: all features that make them very difficult to dispose of.
2. PBTs are bioaccumulative. Once these chemicals are ingested by living creatures, they build up in fatty tissue, and move up the food chain as they are consumed by bigger creatures, eventually making their way into our diets.
3. PBTs are toxic. These chemicals have been associated with all manner of health effects: mercury affects the nervous system of developing fetuses, chronic exposure to DDT affects the liver and kidneys among other parts of the body, cadmium has been labeled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a probable carcinogen, lead exposure in adults results in neurological effects like seizures, PCBs pose a cancer risk, PBDEs have been found to be endocrine disruptors, and dioxins cause reproductive and developmental problems.

Fifty-seven days into the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, the United States is grappling with unfathomable numbers. 60,000 barrels of oil are spilling a day—the equivalent of an Exxon Valdez-sized oil spill every four days. 1.1 million gallons of toxic chemical dispersants have been sprayed in an effort to disperse the oil to break it up and allow it to mix with water and disperse rather than rising to the surface.

The workers for the oil clean-up have a hazardous, nasty job. They are in low boats close to the water. They are in contact with the oil on the water, and the sprayed toxic chemical dispersants that are coming from overhead.

There has been a lot of toxics news coming from the states lately. The Safer States organizations have been doing an amazing job of protecting their state's citizens through legislation restricting toxic chemicals. Moreover, elected officials have been hearing the message from their voters: we deserve to be protected from toxic chemicals in our lives.

Here's what's happening, state by state:

Alaska

This year's legislative calendar included a ban on Deca-BDE in mattresses and electronics. The bill ultimately failed, but the momentum for the bill was encouraging.

This month, the Safe Chemicals Act was introduced into Congress. This bill will be the overhaul to the Toxic Substances Chemicals Act -- the decades-old law that regulates toxic chemical use in this country. Time magazine said it well when the author reminded us that when this law was passed, "Gerald Ford was still President and Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was the No. 1 song of the year."

The Safe Chemicals Act will oversee regulation of Bisphenol-A (BPA), flame retardants, and other toxic chemicals which have proven health effects on babies, children, and vulnerable populations.

You can join us in supporting a strong Safe Chemicals Act by taking action and informing your legislators that you are concerned about protecting the health of your family.

Quick: Picture Alaska in your mind’s eye. We’ll wait.

What did you think of? Photos of glistening streams, brown bears, leaping salmon, bald eagles?

Of course, those are the visions that many of us have because Alaska is a beautiful place. Yet, we are now aware that Indigenous peoples of Alaska and the circumpolar Arctic carry some of the highest levels of toxic chemicals on earth. Alaskan infants have some of the highest rates of birth defects in the nation. People also suffer from unusually high rates of health problems commonly associated with chemical exposure: cancers, diabetes, reproductive problems, thyroid disease, nervous and immune system disorders, and learning disabilities.

We at SAFER states are thrilled with two major developments on the phase out of toxic flame retardants. As a result of action in the SAFER states over the last several years and often mentioned here, the EPA has negotiated an agreement with three large manufacturers who have agreed to phase out decaBDE (deca) in the United States.

Additionally, Representative Chellie Pingree (D - ME) introduced a bill into Congress to ban deca to ensure the phase out takes place and that safe alternatives are used for flame retardants.

Deca is a flame retardant that is used in insulation, electronics and home furnishings and there is concern about its health effects in wildlife and humans. 

Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) released an important study last week. They studied the toxic chemicals found in 20 health professionals for a first-ever look into chemicals in their bodies. The sample study tested major chemical types in ten Safer States: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Main, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, New York and Washington.

Health care professionals are exposed to different, and more, chemicals due to their work environment, and the study confirmed this:

• Eighteen of the same chemicals were detected in every single participant,
• All twenty participants had at least five of the six major types of chemicals tested,