about this participant:
Dr. Beverly Wright, a community activist & sociology professor from New Orleans, LA, participated in the -0001 biomonitoring investigation entitled "Adult Minority Leader Report." She gave blood and urine for the study on August 19, 2008 at age 61.
Beverly Wright, Ph.D. is a sociology professor and a founding director of the New Orleans-based Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ), formed in 1992.
A New Orleans native whose neighborhood was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Wright is the author of In the Wake of the Storm (2006) and Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty (2007).
In her forthcoming book, Race, Place, and Environmental Justice After Hurricane Katrina, with Robert D. Bullard, director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University and author of Dumping in Dixie (2000), Dr. Wright recounts how a visit to "Cancer Alley," as many residents call the Lower Mississippi River Industrial Corridor, an 85-mile stretch of oil refineries and petrochemical plants between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, moved her to join the environmental justice movement founded by Bullard. Whites had fled the area, she wrote, but poor African Americans remained, signifying what she calls "a pattern of discrimination and exclusion based on a culture of segregation and racism that allowed these polluting facilities and local government to respond to the needs of white citizens while ignoring the needs of black citizens. The results were that the health and well-being of black citizens had been compromised."
Location:
New Orleans, LA
Participant's groups:
Study:
Sample Date:
August 19, 2008
health & safety concerns: |
chemicals found in this person |
| Brain and nervous system | 27 |
| Reproduction and fertility | 26 |
| Birth defects and developmental delays | 3 |
| Endocrine system | 3 |
| Hematologic (blood) system | 2 |
| Cancer | 2 |
| Immune system (including sensitization and allergies) | 2 |
| Chronic effects, general | 2 |
Participant: Dr. Beverly Wright
Found 36-39 of 75 tested chemicals
Dr. Beverly Wright's blood and urine contained 36-39 of 75 industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals tested, including chemicals linked to brain and nervous system toxicity, reproductive toxicity and fertility problems, and birth defects and developmental delays.
- This participant's samples show above average levels of Perfluorochemicals (PFCs), Nitro- and polycylic- musks, Bisphenol A and Perchlorate compared to all others in EWG studies
Summary of chemicals found in Dr. Beverly Wright
| chemical family | level found | health effects | exposure routes |
| Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) | moderate | Reproduction and fertility, Brain and nervous system | Foam furniture, carpet padding, computers, televisions, contaminated house dust, food |
| Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) | high | Birth defects and developmental delays, Cancer, Endocrine system | Stain- and grease-proof coatings on food packaging, couches, carpets, pans |
| Perchlorate | low | Hematologic (blood) system, Birth defects and developmental delays | Contaminated food and drinking water |
| Nitro- and polycylic- musks | high | Endocrine system | Cosmetics, perfumes, cleaning agents, detergents, soaps |
| Lead | moderate | Lead-based paint in older homes, household dust, vinyl products, tap water | |
| Methylmercury | high | Dietary sources, particularly seafood | |
| Mercury | high | Brain and nervous system | Seafood, flu shots/vaccines, dental fillings |
| Bisphenol A | moderate | Polycarbonate plastics, food can linings, dental sealants |
Test results by chemical family (see each chemical)
polybrominated diphenyl ethers (pbdes)
22-25 of 46 found — see each chemical
Fire retardants in furniture foam, computers, and televisions. Accumulate in human tissues. May harm brain development.
- cumulative level found: 16.6 ng/g (lipid weight) in blood serum
- Moderate vs 116 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (38th %ile)
- Moderate vs 2,337 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (26th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)
| 1.11 | ng/g (lipid weight) in blood serum | 314 |
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Total Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
perfluorochemicals (pfcs)
7 of 13 found — see each chemical
Includes Teflon, Scotchgard, Stainmaster. Linked to cancer and birth defects.
- cumulative level found: 54.4 ng/mL (wet weight) in blood serum
- High vs 55 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (95th %ile)
- High vs 3,959 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (87th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)
| 2.63 | ng/mL (wet weight) in blood serum | 77.7 |
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Total Perfluorochemicals (PFCs)
perchlorate
1 of 1 found
Explosive component of solid rocket and missile fuel. Widespread contaminant of food, drinking water, and people. Disrupts thyroid hormones, particularly in women with lower iodide intake; may harm brain development.
- level found: 1.03 ug/L in urine
- Moderate vs 24 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (55th %ile)
- Low vs 2,818 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (8th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)
| ug/L in urine | 5.6 | |
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nitro- and polycylic- musks
2 of 10 found — see each chemical
Fragrance ingredients. Build up in human tissues. May harm hormone system.
- cumulative level found: 1.79 ng/g (wet weight) in blood serum
- High vs 42 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (89th %ile)
| ng/g (wet weight) in blood serum | 4.23 | |
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Total Nitro- and polycylic- musks
metals
3 of 3 found
Neurotoxic heavy metal linked to IQ deficits and behavioral problems. Found in dust from chipping lead paint in older homes, and in some tap water.
- level found: 1.6 ug/dL (wet weight) in whole blood
- Moderate vs 71 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (44th %ile)
- Moderate vs 8,373 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (58th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)
| 0.222 | ug/dL (wet weight) in whole blood | 4.7 |
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Forms from mercury, a pollutant from coal-fired power plants and other sources. Methylmercury accumulates in seafood and harms brain development and function.
- level found: 1.58 ug/L (wet weight) in whole blood
- Moderate vs 88 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (43rd %ile)
- High vs 8,373 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (80th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)
| ug/L (wet weight) in whole blood | 25.9 | |
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Mercury is used in dental fillings and to preserve vaccines; it is also a common pollutant in seafood. Mercury harms brain development and function.
- level found: 2.1 ug/L (wet weight) in whole blood
- Moderate vs 40 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (50th %ile)
- High vs 8,373 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (87th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)
| 7.0E-5 | ug/L (wet weight) in whole blood | 12 |
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bisphenol a & badge
1 of 1 found
Detected in polycarbonate plastic, dental sealants, and resins that line metal cans. Linked to hormone disruption, birth defects, cancer with effects at very low doses.
- level found: 2.61 ug/g creatinine in urine
- Moderate vs 17 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (65th %ile)
- Moderate vs 2,612 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (54th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)
| ug/g creatinine in urine | 6.06 | |
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Chemicals not found in Dr. Beverly Wright
36 chemicals
Tetrabromobisphenol A, Traseolide, Phantolide, Musk xylene, Musk tibetene, Musk moskene, Musk ketone, Celestolide, Cashmeran, PFBS (Perfluorobutane sulfonate), PFBA (Perfluorobutyric acid), PFDoA (Perfluorododecanoic acid), PFHpA (Perfluoroheptanoic acid), PFHxA (Perfluorohexanoic acid), PFPeA (Perfluoro-n-pentanoic acid), PBDE-120, PBDE-13, PBDE-11, PBDE-75, PBDE-181, PBDE-207, PBDE-203, PBDE-128, PBDE-126, PBDE-116, PBDE-105, PBDE-77, PBDE-209, PBDE-51, PBDE-35, PBDE-32, PBDE-119, PBDE-7, PBDE-10, PBDE-8, PBDE-12
References/Notes
[1] CDC (2005). National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, Centers for Disease Control. http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/. (Methylmercury results have been compared to total mercury in CDC biomonitoring.)
See results for this participant's group
