Women and Chemicals

Where are women exposed to chemicals?
Women in their environment
We are all exposed to chemicals which are in the air we
breathe, the soil we harvest our food from, and the water we
drink. Air pollution via chemicals can occur via industrial emissions,
chemical accidents and other sources. Air serves as a
long-range transporting vehicle for some pollutants, which
makes chemical pollution a trans-boundary concern. Many of
the toxins initially emitted to air are later deposited to water.
Other chemicals are directly released to water or enter the
water system via consumer products, agricultural products,
leaking landfills, and industrial discharges. Contaminated soil
results mostly from atmospheric deposition, waste dumping,
spills from industrial and waste facilities, mining, contaminated
water coming from e.g. fracking, and pesticides used in
agriculture. Many common pollutants in soil and water are
heavy metals and pesticides. In the air some contaminants are
persistent organic pollutants, which are partly banned in the
Stockholm Convention.
There is only few valid statistical data available about the
exposure specifically of women to contaminants in soil, air and
water. More gender disaggregated data is urgently needed in
this field. We can only assume that on a regular basis, without
taking into account hot spots of contamination, women are
equally exposed. Nevertheless, they are not equally affected and
can develop different negative health effects to men.
However, some examples illustrate gender aspects regarding
chemical contamination from their environment. The
NGO Breast Cancer Fund (BCF) highlights that “air pollutants
account for 35 of the 216 chemicals associated with increase
in mammary gland tumours in animals.” 79 As main sources of
exposure from air pollution BCF lists primary and secondary
tobacco smoking, diesel exhaust, and occupational exposure.
As main water pollutants pesticides, dioxins and pharmaceuticals
are mentioned. A WHO study finds that „differences in
vulnerability interact with gender inequalities to affect women’s
respiratory function. Swedish data show that women report
ailments in the form of allergies and respiratory or skin
hypersensitivity to a greater extent than men. In Bordeaux,
the effects of air pollution were greater for women than for
men among the elderly and, in Barcelona, older women were
at greater risk of dying as a result of exposure to black smoke
than were men.“ 80
Living near areas that are highly polluted by obsolete pesticides
and POPs dumping, chemical accidents, industrial and
military use, and mining, is a severe health threat for women in
many areas of the world. International organisations assume
that there are 500,000 tons of obsolete chemicals stockpiled
worldwide. 82 Countries with the highest stockpiles of obsolete
pesticides are the Russian Federation, FYR Macedonia, Ukraine,
and Mali. 83 Most of the stockpiles are not safe, with substances
stored in unsafe and sometimes open places. Packages and
containers deteriorate over time. Often it is unknown what kind
of substances are stockpiled. Toxins can leak to groundwater
Most frequently occuring contaminants
in soil
in groundwater
Cyanides 1 %
Phenols 1 %
BTEX
10 %
Others
10 %
CHC
8 %
Mineral oil
24 %
BTEX
15 %
Others
14 %
CHC
10 %
Mineral oil
22 %
Heavy metals
35 %
PAH
24 %
Cyanides 1 %
Phenols 1 %
Heavy metals
31 %
PAH
6 %
The results of a questionnaire compiled recently by the JRC are shown above. The questionnaire was sent to 39 European countries returned the questionnaire.
Most frequently occurring contaminants in the EU, from Soil Contamination: Impacts on Human Health Report 78
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