about this participant:

Vivian Chang, a community activist from Oakland, CA, participated in the -0001 biomonitoring investigation entitled "Adult Minority Leader Report." She gave blood and urine for the study on August 20, 2008 at age 38.

Vivian Chang is a community organizing expert and, until recently, the executive director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), based in Oakland, California.

Ms. Chang, who holds a Masters degree in urban planning from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), with a concentration in regional economic and community development, has worked on environmental justice issues for more than a decade.

She has been particularly instrumental in organizing Asian immigrant communities around environmental conditions in Richmond, California, site of a Chevron oil refinery.

As she told ColorLines Magazine last spring, "In many ways, low-income Asian immigrant and refugee communities face the very same economic and environmental issues that other low-income communities of color face. They live in the same dilapidated, overcrowded housing by the freeways that Latinos and African American communities live in. They work in industries rife with hazards and poisons-be it formaldehyde fumes in textiles, or arsenic dust in high-tech chips or caustic cleaning agents in the janitorial jobs."

Location:

Oakland, CA

Participant's groups:

Women of Childbearing Age, Female

Study:

Adult Minority Leader Report

Sample Date:

August 20, 2008

Participant: Vivian Chang
Found 40-45 of 75 tested chemicals

Vivian Chang's blood and urine contained 40-45 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 Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), Nitro- and polycylic- musks, Perchlorate and Mercury, total compared to all others in EWG studies

Summary of chemicals found in Vivian Chang

Test results by chemical family (see each chemical)

polybrominated diphenyl ethers (pbdes)

28-33 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: 120 ng/g (lipid weight) in blood serum
• High vs 116 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (95th %ile)
• High vs 2,337 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (85th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)

1.11	ng/g (lipid weight) in blood serum	314

perfluorochemicals (pfcs)

5 of 13 found — see each chemical

Includes Teflon, Scotchgard, Stainmaster. Linked to cancer and birth defects.

• cumulative level found: 3.96 ng/mL (wet weight) in blood serum
• Low vs 55 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (6th %ile)
• Low vs 3,959 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (8th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)

2.63	ng/mL (wet weight) in blood serum	77.7

perchlorate

1 of 1 found

Perchlorate

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: 1.59 ug/L in urine
• Moderate vs 24 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (67th %ile)
• Low vs 2,818 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (15th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)

	ug/L in urine	5.6

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: 1.42 ng/g (wet weight) in blood serum
• High vs 42 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (84th %ile)

	ng/g (wet weight) in blood serum	4.23

metals

3 of 3 found

Lead

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

Methylmercury

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: 2.2 ug/L (wet weight) in whole blood
• Moderate vs 88 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (49th %ile)
• High vs 8,373 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (88th %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)

	ug/L (wet weight) in whole blood	25.9

Mercury, total

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: 2.72 ug/L (wet weight) in whole blood
• Moderate vs 40 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (60th %ile)
• High vs 8,373 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (91st %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)

7.0E-5	ug/L (wet weight) in whole blood	12

bisphenol a & badge

1 of 1 found

Bisphenol A

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: 1.2 ug/g creatinine in urine
• Moderate vs 17 tested in EWG/Commonweal studies (42nd %ile)
• Low vs 2,612 tested in CDC biomonitoring [1] (23rd %ile) (comparison based on congeners tested by CDC)

	ug/g creatinine in urine	6.06

Chemicals not found in Vivian Chang

30 chemicals

Tetrabromobisphenol A, Celestolide, Cashmeran, Musk ketone, Musk moskene, Phantolide, Musk xylene, Musk tibetene, Traseolide, PFHxA (Perfluorohexanoic acid), PFBS (Perfluorobutane sulfonate), PFBA (Perfluorobutyric acid), PFHpA (Perfluoroheptanoic acid), PFDoA (Perfluorododecanoic acid), PFDA (Perfluorodecanoic acid), PFOSA (Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid), PFPeA (Perfluoro-n-pentanoic acid), PBDE-209, PBDE-11, PBDE-8, PBDE-7, PBDE-10, PBDE-30, PBDE-32, PBDE-35, PBDE-77, PBDE-105, PBDE-126, PBDE-128, PBDE-181

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

• Adult Minority Leader Report
• Women of Childbearing Age
• Female