On 8 October 2004, WWF-UK and The Co-operative Bank released a report containing the shocking results of blood tests for 104 man-made chemicals carried out this summer on 33 people from seven families in England, Scotland and Wales. The report Contaminated: the next generation reveals that some British children have higher numbers and levels of certain industrial chemicals than their parents and grandmothers. Of the 104 chemicals analysed, 80 were detected - children were found to have 75 chemicals in their blood, 75 were found in parents and 56 in grandmothers.

The survey reveals that children as young as nine years old are not only contaminated with a cocktail of hazardous man-made chemicals but can have higher concentrations of certain newer chemicals than older generations. These chemicals are ones that scientists are finding building up in the wider environment, wildlife and in people. These chemicals such as brominated flame-retardants are used in everyday products such as furniture and TVs, and perfluorinated chemicals used in the manufacture of non-stick pans and stain resistant treatments for carpets and clothing. It is time to regulate and restrict their use to stop the contamination of our children.

The indiscriminate use of chemicals in our modern lifestyle means that the contamination of our bodies and those of the next generation is an unacceptable fact of life. The connections observed between products used and diets of those surveyed, and the chemicals detected in their blood, are compelling.

For example, it is widely accepted that oily fish contains high levels of PCBs. The highest numbers of these chemicals were found in family members whose diets are high in such food. In addition, the flame-retardant deca-BDE used in plastic housings for TVs and computers, was found in several people. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the number of electrical appliances in an office and the levels of flame-retardant chemicals in the office air. This may help explain how people become contaminated by these chemicals.

 Download the report Contamination:the next generation
 Family Biomonitoring Tour