chemicals - typepadarlene blum, phd debbie rafael harvey karp, md kristen welker-hood, dsc, msn, rn...
TRANSCRIPT
c h e m i c a l s BAD ACTOR
As Featured in the 2010 TOXIE Awards
a project of led by
©2010 by CHANGE, a coalition of environmental health, policy, labor, environmental justice, interfaith, and other organizations who
are working to create a better system for regulating toxic chemicals in California. The views and opinions expressed may not
necessarily reflect those of the reviewers or all project participants. Visit www.changecalifornia.org for more information.
SECTION I Bad Actors and California’s Chemical Regulation
Policy Recommendations
Acknowledgements _______________ 2
Executive Summary ________________ 3
Why Bad Actors? __________________ 4
Why The Toxies? ___________________ 5
Policy Recommendations __________11
References on Bad Actors _________13
SECTION II Full-Page Bad Actor Chemical Headshots and Bios
Bisphenol-A (BPA)
Polybrominated Flame Retardant (PBDE)
Formaldehyde
Hexavalent Chromium
Hydrofluoric Acid (HF)
Lead
Mercury
Methyl Iodide
N-Methyl Pyrrolidone (NMP)
Perchlorate
Perchloroethylene (Perc)
Perfluorinated Compund (PFC)
Phthalate
Toluene
Trichloroethylene (TCE)
Triclosan
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Production Team
Ana Mascareñas, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles
Amanda Hawes, Worksafe
Andria Ventura, Clean Water Action
Ansje Miller, Center for Environmental Health
Catherine Porter, Commonweal
Christina Medina, Center for Environmental Health
David Chatfield, Californians for Pesticide Reform
Davis Baltz, Commonweal
Gretchen Salter, Breast Cancer Fund
Lisa Russ, Movement Strategy Center
Lisa Fu, Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative
Luis Cabrales, Coalition for Clean Air
Margie Kellly, Safer States
Martha Dina Argüello, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles
Megan Buckingham, Californians for Pesticide Reform
Melissa Walthers, Breast Cancer Fund
Pam Palitz, Environment California
Renee Sharp, Environmental Working Group
Stephenie Hendricks, Coming Clean Collaborative
Reviewers and Expert Advice
Arlene Blum, PhD
Debbie Rafael
Harvey Karp, MD
Kristen Welker-Hood, DSc, MSN, RN
Pam Tau Lee, BS
Pete Myers, PhD
Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MD
Creative Consultants
Jana Díaz Juhl, The Toxies Awards Ceremony Producer, Creative Consultant
John Gannon, Videography, Strikeout Studio, johnfgannon.com
Patricia Mateos Ballestero, Bad Actor Photographer, cargocollective.com/patmateos#106065/
Bad Actor Cast
Alejandro Pérez López, Trichloroethylene (TCE)
Chiara Frenzel , Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether
(PBDE)
Denise Duffield, Perchlorate
Edward Enriquez, Mercury
Holly Ridings, The Toxies Hostess
Iliana Carter, Phthalate
Joel Ulloa, Hydrofluoric Acid
John Hale, Methyl Iodide
Juan Rodriguez, Lead
Kevin Walsh, Triclosan
Lorenia Rangel, Bisphenol-A (BPA)
Luis Lopez, Hexavalent Chromium
Miguel Angel Caballero, Perchloroethylene and
photographer at The Toxies
Patricia Mateos Ballestero, Perfluorinated
Compound (PFC), Formaldehyde at Toxies
Sabrine Dupperai, Formaldehyde in print
Saurabh Kikani, The Toxies Emcee
Tova Fuller, Toluene
William Barker, N-Methyl-Pyrrolidine (NMP)
Toxies Volunteers
Alberto Barboza, Videography
Alegre Rodriquez, Writing Consultant
Paul Muñoz, Security
Dan Ortiz, Security
Danielle Hudson, Intern
Elena Fanjul-Debnam, Intern
Ernesto Quintero, Security
Jazmin Garcia, Photography/Wardrobe Asst.
Michelle Schulte, Intern
Sahand Nikoukar, Videography
Viviane Jacinto, Makeup
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
At no time in human history have we been exposed to so many chemicals. There are an estimated
85,000 chemicals in the stream of commerce, and very little is known about most of them. The health
effects of almost half the major industrial chemicals have not been studied at all. Of those that have been
studied, approximately 1,400 chemicals with known links to cancer, birth defects, reproductive impacts
and other health problems are still in use today.
This report highlights 16 bad actor chemicals in widespread use in California. Some of them are
“household names” and some are less familiar. What they have in common is that they affect the health
of those exposed to them – whether the exposures take place in manufacturing settings, in the home, or
in the general environment – and that there are safer alternatives to all these chemicals.
Chemical Week magazine defines “bad actor” chemicals as those that consistently behave or react
poorly. The chemicals profiled here are formaldehyde, phthalates, toluene, bisphenol-A, lead,
polybrominated flame retardants, trichloroethylene, perchlorate, methyl iodide and mercury. Also
referenced are hexavalent chromium, hydrofluoric acid, N-methyl pyrrolidone, perfluorinated compounds,
perchloroethylene, and triclosan.
Although this report takes a tongue-in-cheek approach, make no mistake about it – these chemicals have
deadly serious health impacts on male and female Californians of all ages, socioeconomic class and
ethnicity. Childhood cancers have increased 20% since 1975, and autism now is so prevalent that it is
diagnosed in one out of every 110 children.
In 2008, California launched the Green Chemistry Initiative, a coordinated, comprehensive strategy for
fostering the development of information on the hazards posed by chemicals, ways to reduce exposure to
dangerous substances, approaches that encourage cleaner and less polluting industrial processes, and
strategies to encourage manufacturers to take greater responsibility for the products they produce. When
an effective Green Chemistry program is in place in California, chemicals such as the ones highlighted
here will be phased out, because of their toxic qualities, and will be replaced by substances or processes
that are just as effective, cost-neutral and safer.
Unfortunately, there is a great deal of uncertainty about whether the Green Chemistry Initiative will be the
robust program envisioned by the legislators who voted for it. The timing of this report coincides with the
anticipated release, this spring, of a final draft of regulations that will implement the Green Chemistry
program. The administrative law process that will put these rules into action provides opportunities to
comment on them and to change them if they are insufficient. If it’s up to the people who peddle
chemicals, who spend whatever it takes in terms of time and money in Sacramento to preserve the status
quo, the regulations will be vague and weak.
Taking a page from the tobacco industry’s playbook, the chemical industry attempts to cast doubt on the
legitimate, peer-reviewed research that indicts toxic chemicals, and then pressures the government so
that any action be taken with such deliberation that nothing ever happens. It is up to the public to fight
back. The more people know about these “bad actors,” the more they will insist that California’s Green
Chemistry program be strong enough to phase out these chemicals quickly and replace them with safer
products or processes.
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WHY BAD ACTORS?
Chemical policy reform is a daunting subject. There are so many chemicals, and so many of them are
useful in our daily life. But environmental health advocates need a tangible way to educate the public
about the current system, which requires so little of chemical manufacturers. While there are safety
requirements for chemicals in food or drugs, there are no safety requirements for the thousands of
chemicals that comprise the vast majority of the products we use every day. Thus, when concerns arise
that a chemical is causing cancer or birth defects, we have to struggle to get it off the market. “Innocent
until proven guilty” is appropriate in the criminal justice system, but not when it comes to chemicals that
harming our children, our workers, our water and our air.
Bad actor … one whose performance makes the viewer wince during a movie, who distracts from an
ensemble scene, who fails to make a fictional character come to life. A “bad actor chemical” is similar,
because its poor behavior and reactions overshadow its usefulness in a product.
The kind of traits that make a chemical a “bad actor” include:
• Toxic or poisonous;
• Causes cancer;
• Changes genetic material;
• Interferes with normal reproduction;
• Disrupts the endocrine system (synthetic hormones);
• Causes serious eye damage;
• Causes hyper-reaction in the airways;
• Causes skin rashes or irritations;
• Accumulates in the body;
• Affects fish and other aquatic organisms;
• Depletes the ozone layer.
Human bodies are the repository for countless chemicals encountered in everyday experiences and
found in common consumer products. For a developing fetus, exposure to these substances is
unavoidable.
At each stage of life, toxic chemicals may hinder normal development. Even before their first breath,
insurmountable challenges, from premature birth to birth defects, await an increasing number of children.
Premature birth, which raises the risk for reduced intelligence and learning and attention problems
throughout life, is 23 percent more common now than in the 1980s in the United States. One potential
factor may be phthalates, since babies exposed to a common phthalate in utero are born a week earlier
on average than babies without exposure.
Birth defects are the leading cause of infant death in the U.S. While the specific causes of most birth
defects are unknown, they could be linked to a variety of chemical exposures, including phthalates and
Bisphenol-A. In male lab rats, phthalate exposure in utero leads to undescended testicles and
malformed urinary tracts. The frequency of these conditions in baby boys doubled from 1970 to 1993 in
the United States. In experiments with mice, bisphenol-A can induce the genetic defect that causes
Down’s syndrome, at levels comparable to those found in women tested to date.
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Neurodevelopmental and mental health disabilities are rapidly rising in California. Autism cases in
California have more than tripled since 1994, and the number of students in public schools with learning
disabilities increased 65% from 1985 to 1999. No one cause has been implicated, but scientific evidence
raises questions regarding numerous potential factors, including exposure to toxic flame retardants,
bisphenol-A, perchlorate, and the well-established culprits lead and mercury. Consider that flame
retardants given to newborn mice in small doses permanently impair their learning and behavior, and
small doses of bisphenol-A produce hyperactivity. Also, the rocket fuel component perchlorate, found in
the drinking water sources of 16 million Californians, affects the thyroid hormone system at very low
levels of exposure. Children born to mothers with thyroid problems have higher rates of learning
disabilities.
As children develop into young adults, they struggle with the rapid changes in their bodies that lead to
sexual maturity. However, several unexplained trends suggest that children face additional health
challenges at this stage of life, including early puberty and obesity. In the last four decades, the number of
obese adolescents in the U.S. has quadrupled, and girls in the U.S. appear to be reaching puberty six
months to one year earlier than in the past, with a small number of girls developing breast tissue when
they are as young as three years of age. Both trends could be tied to endocrine-disrupting chemical
exposures in utero. Rodents exposed to bisphenol-A give birth to female offspring that grow faster,
weigh more, and enter puberty earlier. If applicable to humans, these effects could predispose exposed
children toward obesity and early puberty.
Finally, upon reaching adulthood, many people choose to have children of their own. However, chemical
exposures may be contributing to infertility and other reproductive difficulties.
Sperm density has declined 40% in the U.S. since World War II. Exposure to phthalates and flame
retardants may be contributing to this trend. Men with high levels of phthalates in their urine tend to have
low levels of sperm production; meanwhile, male rats exposed to even a single low dose of PBDE flame
retardants while in the womb have significantly decreased sperm counts.
WHY THE TOXIES?
Every year, households across California, and the entire nation, turn their eyes towards the red carpet at
the Academy Awards to see famous actresses in glamorous gowns, and to root for favorite films and
actors. While many of these Hollywood personalities have no real impact on our daily lives, “The Toxies”
is the first red carpet awards ceremony that highlights bad actor chemicals for the real implications they
have on everyday Californians. While the award categories may sound similar, these bad actors are
dangerous, ubiquitous, and have nefarious careers. Through personifying each chemical and featuring
them on the well known red carpet, we hope that Californians might start to recognize them in their daily
lives, and start connecting their dangerous traits to personal health and their environment. This year’s
Toxie award recipients and their short bios are included here. (For full-page headshots and bios, see
Section II.)
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Worst Breakthrough
Performance
Bisphenol A (BPA) began her career as an estrogen impersonator in the 1930s,
making her a true a grandame of the craft. After trolling the B list for several years as
a contract player, polymer chemists plucked her from obscurity for a lead role in
polycarbonate plastics. Suddenly BPA was all the rage, every agent in town wanted
her. BPA booked diverse roles in everything from baby bottles, canned food liners,
and reusable food and water containers, in an effort to show her range. Yet with her
phone ringing off the hook, and gift suites packed with eco-friendly water bottles, she
still never forgot where it all started for her. She’s kept to her estrogen impersonating
beginnings, and has been linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer, infertility in men
and women, and early onset puberty in girls. BPA has always said she wanted to
impact humanity. Always one to make the unexpected choice, insiders speculate that
her next ventures may reveal her associations with Type-II diabetes, obesity, ADHD,
autism, and erectile dysfunction. Wonder what her male leads will have to say about
that!
Worst Breathtaking
Performance
Formaldehyde is a classic performer, much lauded by other bad actors for her tour
de force performances. Lest her reputation precede her, Formaldaheyde has shown
that she still has the goods to deliver toxins around the world. Used for 150 years in
embalming fluid, adhesive, fungicide, germicide and disinfectant, she has turned
what should have been the twilight of her career into a resurgence. She has been
tapped to appear in many common products, including particle board used for certain
cribs and changing tables, paints, cleaning supplies, and some beauty products in
which she shines as a member of the "Toxic Trio".
Depending on her specific role, Formaldehyde is an acting chameleon, having been
linked to asthma and various types of cancers. A true veteran, her name has long
graced California's Proposition 65 List.
Worst Performance
in a School Drama
Hexavalent Chromium, also known as Hex Chrome or Chrome 6, smashed onto the
scene making his movie debut in 2000, playing the villain in the movie Erin
Brockovich. His performances in industrial processes earned him a spot on
California's Proposition 65 List in December 2008 and the reputation of a hard hitting
bad boy.
In high demand, Hex Chrome has touched the lives of many through inhalation,
ingestion, and dermal contact around communities and schools. He boasts 2,208
appearances in monitored drinking water sources, and being taken in by more than
33 million Californians between 1998 and 2003. Hex Chrome is a known carcinogen
and reproductive toxicant for both males and females, and holds the record for being
the most toxic form of the element chromium. Hex Chrome has solidified his role as
the go-to bad boy of our generation.
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Worst Performance
in a Horror Film
Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) recently starred in the movie Saw VI, in which he applied
himself to melt body parts during a particularly memorable scene. Considered very
difficult to work with, this diva of a compound is highly corrosive and has a history of
destruction. HF stars in productions of high-octane gasoline, refrigerants, herbicides,
pharmaceuticals, aluminum, plastics, electrical components, and fluorescent light
bulbs.
Volatile and unpredictable, HF's personal life has not been much better. His
marriage woes were splashed all over the tabloids when his wife filed a restraining
order against him after finding out that splashes of HF on the skin can be fatal. HF
has also gained a reputation around town among the ladies as “Creepy-Crawler”--
those who survive after HF inhalation often suffer lingering chronic lung disease.
Lifetime Achievement
in Harm
Lead has solidified his place as one of the most versatile, household names in bad
acting. He has touched and poisoned the lives of millions from Ancient Rome to
today's urban dwellings – Silverlake, watch out! Even though his performances have
been recognized as toxic for hundreds of years, his complex ability to cause damage
has only recently been understood. So subtle were his performances, that before
anyone knew it, Lead had penetrated everything from paint, piping, children's toys,
baby bibs, jewelry, handbags, lunchboxes, artificial turf, wheel weights, candy, and a
range of industrial applications.
Lead has a profound ability to damage children’s intellectual and behavioral
development. Serious, parental discretion is advised. No safe threshold for Lead has
ever been discovered, and his performances continue to be linked with learning
disabilities, infertility, cancer, and increased risk of heart attacks. Lead is a proud,
charter member of California's Proposition 65 List.
Worst Long Running
Performance
Mercury's performances leave maddening effects on audiences around the world.
Although his reputation for causing nervous system damage and birth defects
precedes him, many still don't appreciate just how many performances Mercury
continues to star in. A slick character, his metal beginnings are as a shiny, odorless
liquid, but he's versatile enough to become a colorless, odorless gas when heated.
And with this leading man's temper, that happens all the time. His airborne roles
occur during coal burning and waste incineration.
Keep an eye out for him in fluorescent light bulbs, thermometers, dental fillings,
batteries, auto switches, and more. The build up of Mercury in fish and other animals
gets passed up the food chain. So, combined with airborne effects, Mercury has put
about 60,000 children born each year at risk for his neurodevelopmental effects. This
special kind of actor drives audiences crazy.
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Worst Replacement
Actor in a Series
Fresh off the bus and new to town, Methyl Iodide has only recently appeared on the
scene as a soil fumigant, registered in the final days of the Bush administration for
use as a pesticide. Prior to his agricultural debut, he was used in industrial processes
and laboratory research settings where, among other uses, Methyl Iodide was
employed to induce cancer.
His propensity to produce cancer has landed him a spot on California's prestigious
Proposition 65 List, and he’s associated with neurotoxic effects and thyroid disease.
Methyl Iodide is currently taking method classes at the Ag Actors Warehouse and
auditioning as Methyl Bromide's understudy in California's strawberry fields.
Worst Stripper
Performance
N-Methyl Pyrrolidone (NMP) is an industrial solvent used extensively in chemical
processing, and now makes frequent appearances as a paint stripper and graffiti
remover. NMP has been kicking around for decades – usually in supporting,
character roles or as a ‘catalyst” in chemical mixtures whose other toxic ingredients
got all the headlines. In the 1990s, NMP made up 60% of certain photoresist
mixtures used in the so-called ‘clean industry’ of semiconductor fabrication. NMP has
recently come into his own as his reputation for reproductive and testicular toxicity
has finally come out of the shadows. Currently, NMP is appearing as a graffiti
remover.
Worst Local
Performance
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) is the matriarch of a whole family of flame
retardant performers. If you play with PBDE's fire retardant ways, you just might get
burned. This thespian has a bad tendency to escape many of the products in which
she appears, such as furniture, pillows, and bedding. She accumulates inside people,
animals, and the environment. PBDE's performance in strollers, cribs, and car seats
are virtually required in California, but not in any other state. Stealing the show is one
thing, but PBDE takes it to another level. As PBDE makes her way from the products
into the people who use them, she's associated with impairing attention, learning,
and memory. The town has started to catch on to PBDE's scene stealing ways, but
California's infatuation with this bad actor still has a strong legacy.
Worst Costume
Perchloroethylene, Perc for short, is well known for keeping your clothes
toxic...ahem...dry cleaned. His membership in California's prestigious Proposition 65
List is just one claim to fame. Don't be fooled by his charming smile and good looks -
that dizziness and nausea you feel when you're around him might actually be
damaging your central nervous system, kidneys, liver, and reproductive system.
The industry has lost wardrobe stylists all over town due to their unwillingness to
work with Perc and his diva demands. In California, the dry cleaning industry emits
about 3 million pounds of this bad actor per year. Perc is most often inhaled by the
owners and workers in the dry cleaning industry, which are usually small mom and
pop operations. Unlike most actors, Perc wants you to keep the wardrobe after a
shoot. Beware of that charm, it masks his true intentions.
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Worst Special Effects
Perchlorate's exciting roles as an oxidizer in rocket fuel, explosives, airbags and
fireworks sometimes makes viewers forget about her more insidious role as a
contaminant in drinking water. Her performances as a bad actor chemical interfere
with iodide uptake into the thyroid gland, causing hypothyroidism in mothers, and
negatively impacting proper childhood development such as decreased learning
capability.
While no one denies Perchlorate's ability to light up the sky and screen, she's been
known to make her way into the drinking water sources for over 20 million
Californians, and into the groundwater or soil of 43 states. Unfortunately, her "special
effects" aren't contained, and are toxic to communities who unwillingly catch her
performances in their drinking water!
Worst Revival
Performance
Perfluorinated Compound (PFC) represents a family of industrial strength bad
actors widely used as water, stain and grease repellant for food wrap, carpet,
furniture, and clothing. She is best known for her role as PFOA, aka Teflon, which
can be found flaking off of nonstick pans in kitchens across the country. Once you
see her in action, it will be hard to shake her. That wonderous "nonstick"
performance leaves a lasting impression by accumulating in your body and the
environment, described by the US EPA as combining "persistence, bioaccumulation,
and toxicity properties to an extraordinary degree".
PFC has signed a multipicture deal to harm major organs such as ovaries, liver,
kidney, spleen, thymus, thyroid, pituitary, testis, and she keeps coming back for
repeat performances since no one actually knows how to get rid of her! She has no
known biological or environmental breakdown mechanism, which is good for studio
bosses and bad for us.
Worst Makeup
Phthalate represents a family of chemical bad actors who first entered the business
in the 1920s. Five members of her family have been inducted into California's
Proposition 65 List for causing cancer. Her most prominent roles include softening
the scene in PVC/vinyl products and making plastics more flexible and durable. She's
starred in children's toys, food packaging, vinyl shower curtains, and numerous
medical devices.
After being discontinued in some plastics, Phthalate is receiving widespread attention
for her roles in fragrances, lotions, shampoos, nail polish, and cleaning products. As
softening and sweet-smelling as she may appear to be, Phthalate’s performances in
these roles brings along cancer and reproductive harm, including birth defects of the
penis and other indications of demasculinization. That is some body of work.
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Worst Intoxicating
Performance
Toluene had a starring role 30 years ago in the horror classic, “Fetal Solvent
Syndrome,” in which her appearances to pregnant moms was linked to brain damage
and various birth malformations. She's an organic solvent and thus a common
ingredient in many paints, glues, cleaning products, and even nail polish, and has a
knack for targeting your central nervous system with her toxicity.
Toluene has made a career for herself as the best friend who turns on her costars in
the third act. Her name has graced the Proposition 65 List for several decades, and
when she combines with her favorite bad girl actors (formaldehyde and dibutyl-
phthalate), she more than doubles her damage as a member of the "Toxic Trio".
She's also a close chemical relative of benzene, known for decades to cause
leukemia. With that kind of family legacy, her agents hope to keep Toluene working
for years to come.
Worst Underground
Performance
Trichloroethylene, also known as TCE, is well known for his use as an industrial
solvent. Initially commissioned as an anesthetic, TCE was discovered to cause
cardiac arrhythmias and fetal toxicity, thus ending his explicit career in medical, food,
and pharmaceutical industries and his castability on network hospital dramas.
Unfortunately, he still seems to find work having moved on to other deceptively
macho roles like rogue astronauts and angry drill sargents. His aerospace and
military performances spill over into the groundwater of surrounding communities,
poisoning drinking water.
The consumption of small amounts of TCE over time is tied to impaired immune
system function, liver and kidney damage and impaired fetal development in
pregnant women. For workers and others exposed to TCE through inhalation
performances, he can cause unconsciousness, impaired heart function and death.
Don't get too close, or this bad actor will have you at hello.
Worst Viral Media
Performance
Triclosan (who often goes by such stage names as Microban) is a newcomer on the
scene, but is credited with being a trendsetter and creating the “Antibacterial” craze.
In the absence of any reviews to prove him more skilled than the classic performer
“Soap and Water”, Triclosan has thumbed his nose at critics and become an
explosive fad, permeating homes and schools across the country in soaps,
toothpaste, antiperspirants, household cleaners, and more. What most fans don’t
realize is that Triclosan is a pesticide who brings along toxic entourage characters
such as dioxin, methyl triclosan, and chloroform. When they are together and the
party is over, evidence links them to cancer, thyroid disruption, and even causes
resistance to antibiotics. Your doctor and your plastic surgeon recommend avoiding
this particular bad actor.
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POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
Winnowing a list of chemicals for this report was no easy task. There are scores of chemicals that
adversely affect human health in use in California, and the state is trying to develop a comprehensive
approach to identifying toxic chemicals, prioritizing them, studying the options for safer alternatives, and
then phasing out the “bad actors.”
The state’s Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) is responsible for writing the regulations that
will implement California’s Green Chemistry Initiative. The agency will write regulations based on its
interpretation of the legislation passed in 2008. To be meaningful, the Green Chemistry Initiative should
be more than a voluntary, incentive-based program. The state needs to create the regulatory
infrastructure – even if it needs to collect fees from manufacturers – to assess chemical safety and restrict
or phase out the use of the most dangerous substances. The Green Chemistry Initiative should:
Require chemical manufacturers to prove that a chemical is safe before
allowing it on the market.
• Regulators should require companies to provide comprehensive data on the intrinsic hazards of
chemicals that they produce or import into California. Such data should include information on a
chemical’s ability to persist in the environment, accumulate in living organisms, be metabolized
into other hazardous compounds, cause genetic damage, mimic important hormone signals,
interfere with human development or reproduction, weaken the immune system, damage the
nervous system, cause respiratory disease, or otherwise harm human health.
• Chemical testing should include specific consideration of potential impacts on infants, children,
and pregnant women; potential impacts of low-dose exposures; and potential interactions with
other toxic chemicals.
• The reliability and adequacy of the information should be validated by government scientists
and/or an independent third party free of conflicts of interest.
• Allowances for ingredient secrecy based on claims of “confidential business information” should
be limited.
Empower regulatory agencies to restrict or ban the manufacture and use of
chemicals that pose potential dangers to human health or the environment.
• Where chemicals show evidence of intrinsic hazard – such as a tendency to persist in the
environment, accumulate in living organisms, or cause toxic effects – regulators should restrict or
prohibit the use of these chemicals and require the substitution of safer alternatives, particularly in
consumer products or other applications that lead to human exposure. In addition, regulators
should consider possible adverse impacts to ecosystems.
• State agencies should lead the effort to identify and prioritize chemicals of concern and direct an
appropriate regulatory response, based on a chemical’s ability to cause harm.
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• Where there is uncertainty in the evidence, regulators should err on the side of protecting health
and the environment. In other words, “no data, no market.”
Ensure public access to information on chemicals and their uses.
• The public has a right to know about chemicals currently on the market, including their specific
uses, potential hazards to health and the environment, and potential routes of exposure.
California’s Toxics Information Clearinghouse, signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in
2008, should be an easily understood database for all chemicals currently in use. This tool should
enable businesses and consumers to compare the safety of chemicals, identify missing data, and
create demand for safer alternatives.
• Until health and safety data are available for a particular chemical, there should be mandatory
labeling for consumer products indicating the presence of a chemical that has not been tested for
its impact on human health.
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REFERENCES Below is a list of science and policy references used for the bad actor chemicals referenced in this report.
1. Colborn T, Dumanoski D, Myers JP. 1996. Our Stolen Future: Are We Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence, and Survival?—A Scientific
Detective Story. New York: Dutton.
2. Myers JP (Ed). Our Stolen Future: Background on BPA: What is it, how is it used and what does science say about exposure risks. www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/bisphenola/bpauses.htm
3. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). 2006. Endocrine Disruptors. www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/factsheets/pdf/endocrine.pdf
4. Calafat AM, Ye X, Wong LY, Reidy JA, Needham LL. 2008. Exposure of the US population to bisphenol A and 4-tertiary-octylphenol: 2003-2004. Environmental Health Perspectives 116(1): 39-44.
5. Stahlut RW, Welshon WV, and Swan SH. 2009. Bisphenol A Data in NHANES Suggest Longer than Expected Half-Life, Substantial Nonfood Exposure, or Both. Environmental Health Perspectives 117(5): 784-789.
6. Maffini MV, Rubin BS, Sonnenschein C, Soto AM. 2006. Endocrine disruptors and reproductive health: The case of bisphenol-A. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 254-255:179-186.
7. Leranth C, Hajszan T, Szigeti-Buck K, Bober J, MacLusky NJ. 2008. Bisphenol A prevents the synaptogenic response to estradiol in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of ovariectomized nonhuman primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105(37): 14187-14191.
8. Hunt PA, Koehler KE, Susiarjo M, Hodges CA, Ilagan A, Voigt RC, Thomas S. Thomas B, Hassold T. 2003. Bisphenol A exposure causes meiotic aneuploidy in the female mouse. Current Biology 13:546-553.
9. Alonso-Magdalena P, Morimoto S, Ripoll S, Fuentes E, Nadal A. 2006. The estrogenic effect of bisphenol-A disrupts the pancreatic ß-cell function in vivo and induces insulin resistance. Environmental Health Perspectives 114:106-112.
10. Lang IA, Galloway TS, Scarlett A, Henley WE, Depledge M, Wallace RB, Melzer D. 2008. Association of urinary bisphenol A concentration with medical disorders and laboratory abnormalities in adults. Journal of the American Medical Association 300(11): 1303-1310.
11. Maine Revised Statutes. 2008. Title 38, Chapter 16-D: Sections 1691-1699-B. Available: www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/38/title38ch16-Dsec0.html
12. Health Canada. 2008. Government of Canada protects families with bisphenol A regulations. Available: www.hc-sc.gcca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/_2008/2008_167-eng.php
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15. Sjödin A, Wong L-Y, Jones RS, Park A, Zhang Y, Hodge C, Dipietro E, McClure C, Turner W, Needham LL, Patterson Jr. DG. 2008. Serum Concentrations of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and Polybrominated Biphenyl (PBB) in the United States Population: 2003–2004. Environ Sci Technol 42(4): 1377-84.
16. Hooper K, McDonald TA. 2000. The PBDEs: An emerging environmental challenge and another reason for breast-milk monitoring programs.Environmental Health Perspectives 108(5):387-392.
17. Eriksson P, Jakobsson E, Fredriksson A. 2001. Brominated flame retardants: A novel class of developmental neurotoxicants in our environment? Environmental Health Perspectives 109(9):903-908.
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19. Mazadai A, Dodder NG, Abernathy MP, Hites RA, Bigsby RM. 2003. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in maternal and fetal blood samples. Environmental Health Perspectives 111(9):1249-1252.
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25. National Cancer Institute. 2009. Formaldehyde and Cancer Risks. Available: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde
26. CARB Rule. 2010. California’s Formaldehyde Air Toxic Control Measures. Available: http://www.carbrule.org/
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28. US EPA. 2009. Drinking Water Contaminants: Chromium. Available: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/pdfs/factsheets/ioc/tech/chromium.pdf
29. US OSHA. 2008. Hexavalent Chromium: Hazard Recognition. Available: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/hexavalentchromium/recognition.html
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31. Dunser, Martin and Reider, Joseph. 2007. Hydrofluoric Acid Burn. NEJM. Available. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/356/6/e5.pdf
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35. Etzel RA, Balk SJ, eds. 2003. Pediatric Environmental Health. 2nd ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.
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39. California Department of Pesticide Regulation.2009. Risk Characterization of Methyl Iodide. Available: http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/risk/methyliodide.htm.
40. Pesticide Action Network North America. 2008. Methyl Iodide. Available: http://www.panna.org/fumigants/mei.
41. US EPA. 2009. Drinking Water Contaminants: Perchlorate. Available: http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw000/contaminants/unregulated/perchlorate.html
42. Clewell RA, Merrill EA, Yu KO, Mahle DA, Sterner TR, Fisher JW, Gearheart JM. 2003. Predicting neonatal perchlorate dose and inhibition of iodide uptake in the rat during lactation using physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling. Toxicol. Sci 74, 416-4362009.
1 5
43. Johns Hopkins University. 2003. The thyroid gland: Functions and malfunctions. Available:www.hopkinshospital.org/health_info/Thyroid_hormonal/reading/malfunctions.html
44. US Congress. 2009. The Safe Drinking Water for Healthy Communities Act of 2009. Available: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3206
45. California Department of Health Services. 2006. N-Methylpyrrolidone. Available: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/hesis/Documents/nmp.pdf.
46. Poet T., Kirman C., Bader M., van Thriel C., Gargas M, and Hinderliter P. 2009. Quantitative risk analysis for N-methyl pyrrolidone using physiologically based pharmacokinetic and benchmark dose modeling. Available: http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/kfp264v1.pdf
47. US EPA. 2009. N-Methylpyrrolidone Test Results. Available: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/chemtest/pubs/mpyrroli.html.
48. Bjorklund JA, Thuresson K, & De Wit CA. 2009. Perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) in indoor dust: Concentrations, human exposure estimates, and sources. Environmental Science and Technology 43: 2276-2281.
49. Washburn ST, Bingman TS, Braithwaite SK, Buck RC, Buxton LW, Clewell HJ, Haroun LA, Kester JE, Rickard RW, Shipp AM. 2005. Exposure assessment and risk characterization for perfluorooctanoate in selected consumer articles. Environ Sci Technol 39: 3904-3910
50. Fromme H, Tittlemier SA, Volkel W, Wilhelm M, & Twardella D. 2009. Perfluorinated compounds – Exposure assessment for the general population in western countries. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 212: 239-270.
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52. Apelberg BJ, Witter FR, Herbstman JB, Calafat A M, Halden RU, Needham LL, Goldman LR. 2007. Cord serum concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in relation to weight and size at birth. Environmental Health Perspectives 115: 1670–1676.
53. EU (European Union), 2006. Directive 2006/122/ECOF of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006. Official Journal of the European Union, L/372/32-34, 27.12.2006. Available: http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:372:0032:0034:en:PDF
54. Environmental Working Group. 2009. Phthalates. Available: http://www.ewg.org/chemindex/term/480
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56. Phthalates Information Centre Europe. 2010. EU Risk Assessments. Available: http://www.phthalates.com/index.asp?page=36.
57. Kim BN, Cho SC., Kim Y., Shin MS. 2009. Pthalates exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in school-age children. Biological Psychiatry 034, 10.1016
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Bisphenol A (BPA) began her career as an estrogen impersona-
tor in the 1930s, making her a true grandame of the craft. After
trolling the B list for several years as a contract player, polymer
chemists plucked her from obscurity for a lead role in polycarbon-
ate plastics. Suddenly BPA was all the rage, every agent in town
wanted her. BPA booked diverse roles in everything from baby
bottles, canned food liners, and reusable food and water contain-
ers, in an effort to show her range.
Yet with her phone ringing off the hook, and gift suites packed
with eco-friendly water bottles, BPA remained true to her craft.
She never forgot where it all started for her. She’s kept true to
her estrogen impersonating beginnings, and has been linked to
breast cancer, prostate cancer, infertility in men and women, and
early onset puberty in girls. BPA has always said she wanted to
impact humanity. With her work, she has. Always one to make
the unexpected choice, insiders speculate that her next ventures
may reveal her associations with Type-II diabetes, obesity,
ADHD, autism, and erectile dysfunction. Wonder what her male
leads will have to say about that!
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Bisphenol-A (BPA)
TOXIE 2010
Worst Breakthrough Performance
Formaldehyde is a classic performer, much lauded by other
bad actors for her tour de force performances. Lest her reputa-
tion preceed her, Formaldaheyde has shown that she still has
the goods to deliver toxins around the world. Used for 150
years in embalming fluid, adhesive, fungicide, germicide and
disinfectant, she has turned what should have been the twilight
of her career into a resurgence. She has been tapped to ap-
pear in many common products, including particle board used
for certain cribs and changing tables, paints, cleaning supplies,
and some beauty products in which she shines as a member of
the "Toxic Trio".
Depending on her specific role, Formaldehyde is an acting cha-
meleon, having been linked to asthma and various types of
cancers. A true veteran, her name has long graced California's
Proposition 65 List.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Formaldehyde
TOXIE 2010
Worst Breathtaking Performance
Hexavalent Chromium, also known as Hex Chrome or
Chrome 6, smashed onto the scene making his movie debut
in 2000, playing the villain in the movie Erin Brockovich. His
performances in industrial processes earned him a spot on
California's Proposition 65 List in December 2008 and the
reputation of a hard hitting bad boy.
In high demand, Hex Chrome has touched the lives of many
through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact around
communities and schools. He boasts 2,208 appearances in
monitored drinking water sources, and being taken in by
more than 33 million Californians between 1998 and 2003.
Hex Chrome is a known carcinogen and reproductive toxicant
for both males and females, and holds the record for being
the most toxic form of the element chromium. Hex Chrome
has solidified his role as the go-to bad boy of our generation.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Hexavalent Chromium
TOXIE 2010
Worst Performance in a
School Drama
Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) recently starred in the movie Saw VI,
in which he applied himself to melt body parts during a par-
ticularly memorable scene. Considered very difficult to work
with, this diva of a compound is highly corrosive and has a
history of destruction. HF stars in productions of high-octane
gasoline, refrigerants, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, alumi-
num, plastics, electrical components, and fluorescent light
bulbs.
Volatile and unpredictable, HF's personal life has not been
much better. His marriage woes were splashed all over the
tabloids when his wife filed a restraining order against him
after finding out that splashes of HF on the skin can be fatal.
HF has also gained a reputation around town among the la-
dies as “Creepy-Crawler”-- those who survive after HF inhala-
tion often suffer lingering chronic lung disease.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Hydrofluoric Acid (HF)
TOXIE 2010
Worst Performance in a Horror Film
Lead has solidified his place as one of the most versatile,
household names in bad acting. He has touched and poi-
soned the lives of millions from Ancient Rome to today's ur-
ban dwellings – Silverlake, watch out! Even though his per-
formances have been recognized as toxic for hundreds of
years, his complex ability to cause damage has only recently
been understood. So subtle were his performances, that be-
fore anyone knew it, Lead had penetrated everything from
paint, piping, children's toys, baby bibs, jewelry, handbags,
lunchboxes, artificial turf, wheel weights, candy, and a range
of industrial applications.
Lead has a profound ability to damage children’s intellectual
and behavioral development. Serious, parental discretion is
advised. No safe threshold for Lead has ever been discov-
ered, and his performances continue to be linked with learn-
ing disabilities, infertility, cancer, and increased risk of heart
attacks. Lead is a proud, charter member of California's
Proposition 65 List.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Lead
TOXIE 2010
Lifetime
Achieve
ment in
Harm
Mecury's performances leave maddening effects on audi-
ences around the world. Although his reputation for causing
nervous system damage and birth defects precedes him,
many still don't appreciate just how many performances Mer-
cury continues to star in. A slick character, his metal begin-
nings are as a shiny, odorless liquid, but he's versatile
enough to become a colorless, odorless gas when heated.
And with this leading man's temper, that happens all the time.
His airborne roles occur during coal burning and waste incin-
eration.
Keep an eye out for him in fluorescent light bulbs, thermome-
ters, dental fillings, batteries, auto switches, and more. The
build up of Mercury in fish and other animals gets passed up
the food chain. So, combined with airborne effects, Mercury
has put about 60,000 children born each year at risk for his
neurodevelopmental effects. This special kind of actor drives
audiences crazy.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Mercury
TOXIE 2010
Worst and Lo
ngest Run
ning Perf
ormance
Fresh off the bus and new to town, Methyl Iodide has only
recently appeared on the scene as a soil fumigant, regis-
tered in the final days of the Bush administration for use as a
pesticide. Prior to his agricultural debut, he was used in in-
dustrial processes and laboratory research settings where,
among other uses, Methyl Iodide was employed to induce
cancer.
His propensity to produce cancer has landed him a spot on
California's prestigious Proposition 65 List, and he’s associ-
ated with neurotoxic effects and thyroid disease. Methyl Io-
dide is currently taking method classes at the Ag Actors
Warehouse and auditioning as Methyl Bromide's understudy
in California's strawberry fields.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Methyl Iodide
TOXIE 2010
Worst Rep
lacemen
t Actor in
a Series
N-Methyl Pyrrolidone (NMP) is an industrial solvent used
extensively in chemical processing, and now makes fre-
quent appearances as a paint stripper and graffiti remover.
NMP has been kicking around for decades – usually in
supporting, character roles or as a ‘catalyst” in chemical
mixtures whose other toxic ingredients got all the head-
lines.
In the 1990s, NMP made up 60% of certain photoresist
mixtures used in the so-called ‘clean industry’ of semicon-
ductor fabrication. NMP has recently come into his own as
his reputation for reproductive and testicular toxicity has
finally come out of the shadows. Currently, NMP is appear-
ing as a graffiti remover.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
N-Methyl Pyrrolidone
(NMP)
TOXIE 2010
Worst Stripp
er Perform
ance
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) is the matriarch of a
whole family of flame retardant performers. If you play with
PBDE's fire retardant ways, you just might get burned. This
thespian has a bad tendency to escape many of the products
in which she appears, such as furniture, pillows, and bedding.
She accumulates inside people, animals, and the environ-
ment.
PBDE's performance in strollers, cribs, and car seats are vir-
tually required in California, but not in any other state. Steal-
ing the show is one thing, but PBDE takes it to another level.
As PBDE makes her way from the products into the people
who use them, she's associated with impairing attention,
learning, and memory. The town has started to catch on to
PBDE's scene stealing ways, but California's infatuation with
this bad actor still has a strong legacy.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Polybrominated Flame Retardant
(PBDE)
TOXIE 2010
Worst Local
Performance
Perchlorate's exciting roles as an oxidizer in rocket fuel, explo-
sives, airbags and fireworks sometimes makes viewers forget
about her more insidious role as a contaminant in drinking wa-
ter. Her performances as a bad actor chemical interfere with
iodide uptake into the thyroid gland, causing hypothyroidism in
mothers, and negatively impacting proper childhood develop-
ment such as decreased learning capability.
While no one denies Perchlorate's ability to light up the sky and
screen, she's been known to make her way into the drinking
water sources for over 20 million Californians, and into the
groundwater or soil of 43 states. Unfortunately, her "special
effects" aren't contained, and are toxic to communities who un-
willingly catch her performances in their drinking water!
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Perchlorate
TOXIE 2010
Worst Special Effects
Perchloroethylene, Perc for short, is well known for keeping
your clothes toxic...ahem...dry cleaned. His membership in
California's prestigious Proposition 65 List is just one claim to
fame. Don't be fooled by his charming smile and good looks -
that dizziness and nausea you feel when you're around him
might actually be damaging your central nervous system, kid-
neys, liver, and reproductive system.
The industry has lost wardrobe stylists all over town due to
their unwillingness to work with Perc and his diva demands.
In California, the dry cleaning industry emits about 3 million
pounds of this bad actor per year. Perc is most often inhaled
by the owners and workers in the dry cleaning industry, which
are usually small mom and pop operations. Unlike most ac-
tors, Perc wants you to keep the wardrobe after a shoot. Be-
ware of that charm, it masks his true intentions.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Perchloroethylene (Perc)
TOXIE 2010 Worst C
ostume
Perfluorinated Compound (PFC) represents a family of indus-
trial strength bad actors widely used as water, stain and grease
repellant for food wrap, carpet, furniture, and clothing. She is
best known for her role as PFOA, aka Teflon, which can be
found flaking off of nonstick pans in kitchens across the coun-
try. Once you see her in action, it will be hard to shake her.
That wonderous "nonstick" performance leaves a lasting im-
pression by accumulating in your body and the environment,
described by the US EPA as combining "persistence, bioac-
cumulation, and toxicity properties to an extraordinary degree".
PFC has signed a multipicture deal to harm major organs such
as ovaries, liver, kidney, spleen, thymus, thyroid, pituitary, tes-
tis, and she keeps coming back for repeat performances since
no one actually knows how to get rid of her! She has no known
biological or environmental breakdown mechanism, which is
good for studio bosses and bad for us.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Perfluorinated Compound
(PFC)
TOXIE 2010
Worst Stripp
er Perform
ance
Phthalate represents a family of chemical bad actors who first
entered the business in the 1920s. Five members of her fam-
ily have been inducted into California's Proposition 65 List for
causing cancer. Her most prominent roles include softening
the scene in PVC/vinyl products and making plastics more
flexible and durable. She's starred in children's toys, food
packaging, vinyl shower curtains, and numerous medical de-
vices.
After being discontinued in some plastics, Phthalate is receiv-
ing widespread attention for her roles in fragrances, lotions,
shampoos, nail polish, and cleaning products. As softening
and sweet-smelling as she may appear to be, Phthalate’s
performances in these roles bring along cancer and repro-
ductive harm, including birth defects of the penis and other
indications of demasculinization. That is some body of work.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Phthalate
TOXIE 2010 Wor
st Makeup
Toluene had a starring role 30 years ago in the horror classic,
“Fetal Solvent Syndrome,” in which her appearances to preg-
nant moms was linked to brain damage and various birth mal-
formations. She's an organic solvent and thus a common in-
gredient in many paints, glues, cleaning products, and even
nail polish, and has a knack for targeting your central nervous
system with her toxicity.
Toluene has made a career for herself as the best friend who
turns on her costars in the third act. Her name has graced
the Proposition 65 List for several decades, and when she
combines with her favorite bad girl actors (formaldehyde and
dibutyl-phthalate), she more than doubles her damage as a
member of the "Toxic Trio". She's also a close chemical rela-
tive of benzene, known for decades to cause leukemia. With
that kind of family legacy, her agents hope to keep Toluene
working for years to come.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Toluene
TOXIE 2010
Worst Intox
icating P
erformance
Trichloroethylene, also known as TCE, is well known for his
use as an industrial solvent. Initially commissioned as an an-
esthetic, TCE was discovered to cause cardiac arrhythmias
and fetal toxicity, thus ending his explicit career in medical,
food, and pharmaceutical industries and his castability on
network hospital dramas. Unfortunately, he still seems to find
work having moved on to other deceptively macho roles like
rogue astronauts and angry drill sargents. His aerospace and
military performances spill over into the groundwater of sur-
rounding communities, poisoning drinking water.
The consumption of small amounts of TCE over time is tied to
impaired immune system function, liver and kidney damage
and impaired fetal development in pregnant women. For
workers and others exposed to TCE through inhalation per-
formances, he can cause unconsciousness, impaired heart
function and death. Don't get too close, or this bad actor will
have you at hello.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Trichloroetheylene (TCE)
TOXIE 2010
Worst Und
erground
Performan
ce
Triclosan (who often goes by such stage names as Microban)
is a newcomer on the scene, but is credited with being a
trendsetter and creating the “Antibacterial” craze. In the ab-
sence of any reviews to prove him more skilled than the clas-
sic performer “Soap and Water”, Triclosan has thumbed his
nose at critics and become an explosive fad, permeating
homes and schools across the country in soaps, toothpaste,
antiperspirants, household cleaners, and more. What most
fans don’t realize is that Triclosan is a pesticide who brings
along toxic entourage characters such as dioxin, methyl tri-
closan, and chloroform. When they are together and the party
is over, evidence links them to cancer, thyroid disruption, and
even causes resistance to antibiotics. Your doctor and your
plastic surgeon recommend avoiding this particular bad actor.
BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL
Triclosan
TOXIE 2010
Worst Viral Media Performance