DH has the highest levels of mercury (2,000 ppb) while DA has the lowest mercury levesl (about 50 ppb).

PD has the highest levels of DDT (about 12.5 ppb of p,p’DDE) while BF and LV show no DDT.

Study participants whose mercury levels are at least twice the national median: DH — 2,000 ppb which is 1,400 ppb above the upper range of the National Median; and BF and KB — both about 1,850 ppb which is 1,250 ppb above the upper range of the National Median.

Study participants whose DDT levels are at least twice the national median:

AR — almost 9 ppb that is about 7.5 ppb of p,p’DDE higher than the national median, and PD — almost 13 ppb that is about 11.5 ppb of p,p’DDE higher than the national median.

Study participants whose mercury levels are above the EPA “safe dose” value:

DH — 2,000 ppb which is 900 ppb above the EPA “safe dose” value; and BF and KB — both about 1,850 ppb which is 750 ppb above the EPA “safe dose” value.

This study was conducted by the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition, an “alliance of organizations across Washington state that rejects the trespass of toxic chemicals in our environment and our bodies.” The stated purpose was “to determine which chemicals were getting into our bodies, and at what levels, to better understand the potential harm posed by poor regulation of chemicals, and to develop better solutions.”

This data represents a type of epidemiological study. However, it is really more an exploratory case study as the sample size is very small. Also, the study was not specifically trying to figure out the cause-and-effect relationships between specific chemicals and particular health effects, but to broadly look at the chemical fingerprints of our current lifestyles.

Though the study was conducted by an organization with a specific agenda (a toxics free environment) the data appears reliable. For one thing, the report is a primary source. While it was not published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, the report was reviewed by scientists. Also, as the methods section explains, the chemical analysis was conducted by independent labs that specialize in this type of chemical analysis. Finally, in analyzing the findings data from the Centers for Disease Control or other peer-reviewed studies were used as benchmarks.

First, DDT is a toxin with high persistence, so of the millions of pounds of DDT that were used in the U.S. some is still around in our soil and water and so we still get it in the food we eat. Second, it is a fat-soluble chemical, so is easily absorbed by our cells and gets stored in our fatty tissue, where it bioaccumulates. Third, when the DDT enters food chains, it biomagnifies providing a bigger dose of the toxin when we eat higher on the food chain (i.e., meat, dairy, and fish).