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The amount of toxic environmental contaminants ingested by New Zealand adults has halved over the last 15 years, health researchers announced Thursday.
Massey University researchers took blood samples from 747 New Zealanders aged 19 to 64 to measure the concentrations of contaminants known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in a study funded by the Ministry of Health.
While exposure to POPs was unavoidable through diet and inhalation, the study found that the level of contaminants was low when compared internationally, said a statement from the university.
The best-known contaminants, which have been linked to cancer and immune and reproductive system problems, were PCBs (used in electrical equipment like transformers and capacitors), DDT (a pesticide used on New Zealand farms till it was banned in 1989) and dioxins (toxic by-products of combustion and incineration processes).
The study showed concentrations for most POPs were higher for older participants born between 1948 and 1962 than younger ones born in the late 1980s to early 1990s.
"The key message is that the concentrations of POPs are decreasing over time for all age groups, meaning people are less exposed to these toxic chemicals now compared to the past," researcher Jonathan Coakley said in the statement.
The results were also compared with concentrations determined in adult New Zealanders 15 years ago, showing a 50-percent reduction in POPs blood levels over time.
"This is likely due to efforts in New Zealand and internationally to reduce the discharge of POPs to the environment, resulting in less POPs ending up in the food chain," Coakley said.
New Zealand is a signatory to the 2004 Stockholm Convention that restricts the production and use of persistent organic pollutants.
Activities to reduce the exposure to POPs include phase-out and destruction of PCBs, national collection programs for old agricultural chemicals, clean up of historic contaminated sites and National Environmental Standards for dioxin emissions.
