The Chemical Tsunami We're Not Testing

Every 60 seconds, 20 new chemicals are registered on the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) — the world's largest chemical database, founded in 1907. That adds up to around 200,000 new chemicals every single week. The CAS Registry now holds more than 300 million chemicals, spanning both man-made (anthropogenic) chemicals and those produced naturally (CAS, 2026). Of these, the number of industrial chemicals actually in global commerce is estimated at 40,000 to 60,000 — with just 6,000 of them accounting for more than 99% of total volume (United Nations Environment Programme, 2019). According to the European Environment Agency, 62% of the total volume of chemicals consumed in the EU in 2016 were classified as hazardous to health.

The Human Cost Is Not Small

Large population biomonitoring studies are identifying chemicals in all humans from teh cradle to the grave at levels known to result in adverse health outcomes. Three to five year olds hold the highest burden, most likely due to fact they are still developing, they are closest to the floor (where most of the toxicants settle in household dust), they have a faster breathing rate and a higher hand to mouth ratio (ingesting household dust) compared with adults. The World Health Organization estimates that 23% of all deaths worldwide, roughly 4.9 million deaths and 86 million disability-adjusted life years in 2011 alone, were attributed to environmental chemical exposure. For children under five, modifiable environmental factors account for an estimated 28% of deaths globally.

The financial cost is staggering too: a review estimated that disease burden in the European Union linked to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) alone costs $209 billion annually, or 1.28% of Europe's GDP — comparable to the 1.07% of China's GDP attributed to phthalate exposure. Broken down further, EDC-related costs in Europe include an estimated €150 billion a year for neurobehavioural deficits and disease, €15 billion for male reproductive disorders, and €1.5 billion for female reproductive disorders.

Even before birth, exposure has already begun. A landmark study by the Environmental Working Group identified 287 industrial chemicals in umbilical cord blood, and a Canadian "pre-polluted" study found 137 chemicals in cord blood — 132 of which are linked to cancer and 133 linked to developmental or reproductive harm in mammals. Because a foetus's brain and nervous system are a major repository for fat, and many environmental toxicants are fat-soluble (lipophilic), the developing child is especially vulnerable.

Why "Regulated" Doesn't Mean "Tested"

Despite regulatory frameworks like the European Union's REACH Directive and the US Toxic Substances Control Act, the majority of man-made chemicals used in everyday consumer products have never been adequately assessed for their impact on human health. Hazards that have been regulated, relate to workplace exposures and often undertaken in consultation with industry to determine what is practicable, taking into consideration the economic burden of regulation (for shareholders, industry and consumer convenience). Indoor air quality standards for residential homes donot exist for most countries including Australia. Here's the uncomfortable reason why: the burden of proof isn't on industry to demonstrate a new chemical is safe before it goes to market. Instead, it falls to researchers, governments and non-government organisations to prove — after the fact — that a chemical is harmful. That process can take years, decades, or even generations, while human exposure continues in the meantime.

History Keeps Repeating Itself

This isn't a new problem, and history shows how costly it can be. Tobacco smoke, asbestos, leaded paint, benzene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, vinyl chloride and BPA are just some of the substances where early warning signs were ignored for decades before the full scale of harm became undeniable. The European Environment Agency's Late Lessons from Early Warnings report documents this pattern in detail — case after case where regulatory systems failed to act on available evidence until the human cost had already mounted.eea.europa

My Research on This Topic

1. My PhD thesis, Environmental Medicine and Clinical Practice (RMIT University, 2021), reviews the global rise in chemical and electromagnetic field exposure and its implications for clinical practice.

2. Bijlsma N & Cohen M. (2018). Expert Clinician's Perspective on Environmental Medicine and Toxicant Assessment in Clinical Practice. Environmental Health Preventive Medicine. 23(1) 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12199-018-0709-0

3. Bijlsma N & Cohen M. (2016). Environmental Chemical Assessment in Clinical Practice: Unveiling the Elephant in the Room. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(2), 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13020181