By Janet Raloff
Though toxic compounds pervade the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the foods we eat, they only pose risks if they enter our bodies in biologically active quantities. To evaluate people’s uptake of 27 would-be poisons, federal scientists surveyed blood and urine from 3,800 randomly chosen children and adults. The findings, released March 21, show that most people carry traces of the toxic pollutants.
Researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta analyzed samples collected in 1999 as part of its ongoing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).