Health Impacts of Toxic Chemicals in the Pearl River Delta: The Need for Healthcare Reform? - Environmental Contamination: Health Risks and Ecological Restoration - page 21

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Health Impacts of Toxic Chemicals
in the Pearl River Delta: The
Need for He althcare Reform?
PaulK.L.LamandMingHungWong
CONTENTS
Introduction:.Background.on.Toxic.Chemicals.in.the.Pearl.
River.Delta.Region................................................................................................. 21
Heavy.Metals..................................................................................................... 22
Stockholm.Convention.POPs.......................................................................... 23
Emerging.Chemicals.of.Concern.................................................................... 25
Health.Impacts.of.Toxic.Chemicals..................................................................... 26
Chronic.Diseases............................................................................................... 26
Environmental.Pollution.and.Health.Impacts.............................................. 27
Nutritional.Therapy.......................................................................................... 28
Conlict.of.Interest.and.Political.Reasons.for.Downplaying.Mercury.
Toxic.Effects............................................................................................................ 29
Conclusion.............................................................................................................. 30
Acknowledgments................................................................................................. 30
References............................................................................................................... 31
Introduction:BackgroundonToxicChemicals
inthePearlRiverDeltaRegion
On.behalf.of.the.Hong.Kong.government,.a.consulting.company.conducted.a.
study.of.toxic.chemicals.pollution.in.Hong.Kong.(CH2M-IDC.2003)..The.major.
aim.of.the.study.was.to.identify.and.characterize.toxic.chemicals.of.potential.
concern. to. Hong. Kong. and. their. ecological. and. incremental. human. health.
risk.assessments..Among.the.preliminary.Priority.Toxic.Substance.List.of.135.
chemicals,.two.organic.compounds.(DDD.and.DDE).and.one.metalloid.(inor-
ganic.arsenic).were.identiied.as.chemicals.of.potential.concern,.based.on.the.
human.health.risk.assessment..However,.most.of.the.Stockholm.Convention.
POPs.and.emerging.chemicals.of.concern.have.not.been.covered.in.the.study.
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