'Chemical cocktail' poses risk to humans and environment An EU-commissioned research team at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden has looked at the risk factor of 'chemical cocktails' in the human body and the effect that such a mixture has on both humans and the environment. The team analysed current chemical risk assessment prac... An EU-commissioned research team at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden has looked at the risk factor of 'chemical cocktails' in the human body and the effect that such a mixture has on both humans and the environment. The team analysed current chemical risk assessment practices and it now proposes a number of measures that must be implemented. The report is published on the website of the European Commission's Directorate-General (DG) for the Environment. The number of synthetic chemicals that we ingest has skyrocketed within the last 50 years. These chemicals are found in substances ranging from food and drink, medicines, the air we breathe, water, cosmetics, toiletries and household cleaning agents. Even the clothes and shoes we wear are often chemically treated. The results of this barrage of chemicals on the body are alarming. A recent study by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences found 57 pesticides in Swedish rivers and streams, and a 2005 US study revealed an average of nearly 200 synthetic chemicals, including pesticides, dioxins, industrial chemicals and flame retardants, in the bloodstreams of newborn babies. Up to now the risks posed by chemical substances on both the human body and the environment have been assessed singularly; the effects of a complex chemical cocktail have not been taken into account. But latest research shows that the individual approach is too simplistic for assessing chemical risk and may have underestimated the overall effects of chemicals. There is compelling evidence to suggest that different combinations of chemicals react and form compounds in the body that are much stronger than each individual chemical. The University of Gothenburg research, which was carried out with colleagues from the University of London, UK, demonstrated clearly that the combined cocktail effect is more toxic than the effect of individual chemicals. EU environment ministers are now urging the European Commission to make changes to chemical risk assessments and amend existing legislation on the combined effects of chemicals. There are potentially enormous combinations of chemicals and while it is not realistic to test each combination, ministers have asked the Commission to produce new recommendations on how combinations should be dealt with on the basis of existing legislation and assessing legislative changes for 2011. 'The number of chemical combinations that the Earth's living organisms are exposed to is enormous,' said co-author of the report Professor Thomas Backhaus from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg. 'Assessing every conceivable combination is not therefore realistic and predictive approaches must be implemented in risk assessment. We need guidelines on how to manage the chemical cocktail effect so that we can assess the risks to both humans and the environment.' Countries Sweden, United Kingdom
