c h e m i c a l s BAD ACTOR

As Featured in the 2010 TOXIE Awards

a project of led by

©2010 by CHANGE, a coalition of environmental health, policy, labor, environmental justice, interfaith, and other organizations who

are working to create a better system for regulating toxic chemicals in California. The views and opinions expressed may not

necessarily reflect those of the reviewers or all project participants. Visit www.changecalifornia.org for more information.

SECTION I Bad Actors and California’s Chemical Regulation

Policy Recommendations

Acknowledgements _______________ 2

Executive Summary ________________ 3

Why Bad Actors? __________________ 4

Why The Toxies? ___________________ 5

Policy Recommendations __________11

References on Bad Actors _________13

SECTION II Full-Page Bad Actor Chemical Headshots and Bios

Bisphenol-A (BPA)

Polybrominated Flame Retardant (PBDE)

Formaldehyde

Hexavalent Chromium

Hydrofluoric Acid (HF)

Lead

Mercury

Methyl Iodide

N-Methyl Pyrrolidone (NMP)

Perchlorate

Perchloroethylene (Perc)

Perfluorinated Compund (PFC)

Phthalate

Toluene

Trichloroethylene (TCE)

Triclosan

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Production Team

Ana Mascareñas, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles

Amanda Hawes, Worksafe

Andria Ventura, Clean Water Action

Ansje Miller, Center for Environmental Health

Catherine Porter, Commonweal

Christina Medina, Center for Environmental Health

David Chatfield, Californians for Pesticide Reform

Davis Baltz, Commonweal

Gretchen Salter, Breast Cancer Fund

Lisa Russ, Movement Strategy Center

Lisa Fu, Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative

Luis Cabrales, Coalition for Clean Air

Margie Kellly, Safer States

Martha Dina Argüello, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles

Megan Buckingham, Californians for Pesticide Reform

Melissa Walthers, Breast Cancer Fund

Pam Palitz, Environment California

Renee Sharp, Environmental Working Group

Stephenie Hendricks, Coming Clean Collaborative

Reviewers and Expert Advice

Arlene Blum, PhD

Debbie Rafael

Harvey Karp, MD

Kristen Welker-Hood, DSc, MSN, RN

Pam Tau Lee, BS

Pete Myers, PhD

Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MD

Creative Consultants

Jana Díaz Juhl, The Toxies Awards Ceremony Producer, Creative Consultant

John Gannon, Videography, Strikeout Studio, johnfgannon.com

Patricia Mateos Ballestero, Bad Actor Photographer, cargocollective.com/patmateos#106065/

Bad Actor Cast

Alejandro Pérez López, Trichloroethylene (TCE)

Chiara Frenzel , Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether

(PBDE)

Denise Duffield, Perchlorate

Edward Enriquez, Mercury

Holly Ridings, The Toxies Hostess

Iliana Carter, Phthalate

Joel Ulloa, Hydrofluoric Acid

John Hale, Methyl Iodide

Juan Rodriguez, Lead

Kevin Walsh, Triclosan

Lorenia Rangel, Bisphenol-A (BPA)

Luis Lopez, Hexavalent Chromium

Miguel Angel Caballero, Perchloroethylene and

photographer at The Toxies

Patricia Mateos Ballestero, Perfluorinated

Compound (PFC), Formaldehyde at Toxies

Sabrine Dupperai, Formaldehyde in print

Saurabh Kikani, The Toxies Emcee

Tova Fuller, Toluene

William Barker, N-Methyl-Pyrrolidine (NMP)

Toxies Volunteers

Alberto Barboza, Videography

Alegre Rodriquez, Writing Consultant

Paul Muñoz, Security

Dan Ortiz, Security

Danielle Hudson, Intern

Elena Fanjul-Debnam, Intern

Ernesto Quintero, Security

Jazmin Garcia, Photography/Wardrobe Asst.

Michelle Schulte, Intern

Sahand Nikoukar, Videography

Viviane Jacinto, Makeup

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

At no time in human history have we been exposed to so many chemicals. There are an estimated

85,000 chemicals in the stream of commerce, and very little is known about most of them. The health

effects of almost half the major industrial chemicals have not been studied at all. Of those that have been

studied, approximately 1,400 chemicals with known links to cancer, birth defects, reproductive impacts

and other health problems are still in use today.

This report highlights 16 bad actor chemicals in widespread use in California. Some of them are

“household names” and some are less familiar. What they have in common is that they affect the health

of those exposed to them – whether the exposures take place in manufacturing settings, in the home, or

in the general environment – and that there are safer alternatives to all these chemicals.

Chemical Week magazine defines “bad actor” chemicals as those that consistently behave or react

poorly. The chemicals profiled here are formaldehyde, phthalates, toluene, bisphenol-A, lead,

polybrominated flame retardants, trichloroethylene, perchlorate, methyl iodide and mercury. Also

referenced are hexavalent chromium, hydrofluoric acid, N-methyl pyrrolidone, perfluorinated compounds,

perchloroethylene, and triclosan.

Although this report takes a tongue-in-cheek approach, make no mistake about it – these chemicals have

deadly serious health impacts on male and female Californians of all ages, socioeconomic class and

ethnicity. Childhood cancers have increased 20% since 1975, and autism now is so prevalent that it is

diagnosed in one out of every 110 children.

In 2008, California launched the Green Chemistry Initiative, a coordinated, comprehensive strategy for

fostering the development of information on the hazards posed by chemicals, ways to reduce exposure to

dangerous substances, approaches that encourage cleaner and less polluting industrial processes, and

strategies to encourage manufacturers to take greater responsibility for the products they produce. When

an effective Green Chemistry program is in place in California, chemicals such as the ones highlighted

here will be phased out, because of their toxic qualities, and will be replaced by substances or processes

that are just as effective, cost-neutral and safer.

Unfortunately, there is a great deal of uncertainty about whether the Green Chemistry Initiative will be the

robust program envisioned by the legislators who voted for it. The timing of this report coincides with the

anticipated release, this spring, of a final draft of regulations that will implement the Green Chemistry

program. The administrative law process that will put these rules into action provides opportunities to

comment on them and to change them if they are insufficient. If it’s up to the people who peddle

chemicals, who spend whatever it takes in terms of time and money in Sacramento to preserve the status

quo, the regulations will be vague and weak.

Taking a page from the tobacco industry’s playbook, the chemical industry attempts to cast doubt on the

legitimate, peer-reviewed research that indicts toxic chemicals, and then pressures the government so

that any action be taken with such deliberation that nothing ever happens. It is up to the public to fight

back. The more people know about these “bad actors,” the more they will insist that California’s Green

Chemistry program be strong enough to phase out these chemicals quickly and replace them with safer

products or processes.

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WHY BAD ACTORS?

Chemical policy reform is a daunting subject. There are so many chemicals, and so many of them are

useful in our daily life. But environmental health advocates need a tangible way to educate the public

about the current system, which requires so little of chemical manufacturers. While there are safety

requirements for chemicals in food or drugs, there are no safety requirements for the thousands of

chemicals that comprise the vast majority of the products we use every day. Thus, when concerns arise

that a chemical is causing cancer or birth defects, we have to struggle to get it off the market. “Innocent

until proven guilty” is appropriate in the criminal justice system, but not when it comes to chemicals that

harming our children, our workers, our water and our air.

Bad actor … one whose performance makes the viewer wince during a movie, who distracts from an

ensemble scene, who fails to make a fictional character come to life. A “bad actor chemical” is similar,

because its poor behavior and reactions overshadow its usefulness in a product.

The kind of traits that make a chemical a “bad actor” include:

• Toxic or poisonous;

• Causes cancer;

• Changes genetic material;

• Interferes with normal reproduction;

• Disrupts the endocrine system (synthetic hormones);

• Causes serious eye damage;

• Causes hyper-reaction in the airways;

• Causes skin rashes or irritations;

• Accumulates in the body;

• Affects fish and other aquatic organisms;

• Depletes the ozone layer.

Human bodies are the repository for countless chemicals encountered in everyday experiences and

found in common consumer products. For a developing fetus, exposure to these substances is

unavoidable.

At each stage of life, toxic chemicals may hinder normal development. Even before their first breath,

insurmountable challenges, from premature birth to birth defects, await an increasing number of children.

Premature birth, which raises the risk for reduced intelligence and learning and attention problems

throughout life, is 23 percent more common now than in the 1980s in the United States. One potential

factor may be phthalates, since babies exposed to a common phthalate in utero are born a week earlier

on average than babies without exposure.

Birth defects are the leading cause of infant death in the U.S. While the specific causes of most birth

defects are unknown, they could be linked to a variety of chemical exposures, including phthalates and

Bisphenol-A. In male lab rats, phthalate exposure in utero leads to undescended testicles and

malformed urinary tracts. The frequency of these conditions in baby boys doubled from 1970 to 1993 in

the United States. In experiments with mice, bisphenol-A can induce the genetic defect that causes

Down’s syndrome, at levels comparable to those found in women tested to date.

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Neurodevelopmental and mental health disabilities are rapidly rising in California. Autism cases in

California have more than tripled since 1994, and the number of students in public schools with learning

disabilities increased 65% from 1985 to 1999. No one cause has been implicated, but scientific evidence

raises questions regarding numerous potential factors, including exposure to toxic flame retardants,

bisphenol-A, perchlorate, and the well-established culprits lead and mercury. Consider that flame

retardants given to newborn mice in small doses permanently impair their learning and behavior, and

small doses of bisphenol-A produce hyperactivity. Also, the rocket fuel component perchlorate, found in

the drinking water sources of 16 million Californians, affects the thyroid hormone system at very low

levels of exposure. Children born to mothers with thyroid problems have higher rates of learning

disabilities.

As children develop into young adults, they struggle with the rapid changes in their bodies that lead to

sexual maturity. However, several unexplained trends suggest that children face additional health

challenges at this stage of life, including early puberty and obesity. In the last four decades, the number of

obese adolescents in the U.S. has quadrupled, and girls in the U.S. appear to be reaching puberty six

months to one year earlier than in the past, with a small number of girls developing breast tissue when

they are as young as three years of age. Both trends could be tied to endocrine-disrupting chemical

exposures in utero. Rodents exposed to bisphenol-A give birth to female offspring that grow faster,

weigh more, and enter puberty earlier. If applicable to humans, these effects could predispose exposed

children toward obesity and early puberty.

Finally, upon reaching adulthood, many people choose to have children of their own. However, chemical

exposures may be contributing to infertility and other reproductive difficulties.

Sperm density has declined 40% in the U.S. since World War II. Exposure to phthalates and flame

retardants may be contributing to this trend. Men with high levels of phthalates in their urine tend to have

low levels of sperm production; meanwhile, male rats exposed to even a single low dose of PBDE flame

retardants while in the womb have significantly decreased sperm counts.

WHY THE TOXIES?

Every year, households across California, and the entire nation, turn their eyes towards the red carpet at

the Academy Awards to see famous actresses in glamorous gowns, and to root for favorite films and

actors. While many of these Hollywood personalities have no real impact on our daily lives, “The Toxies”

is the first red carpet awards ceremony that highlights bad actor chemicals for the real implications they

have on everyday Californians. While the award categories may sound similar, these bad actors are

dangerous, ubiquitous, and have nefarious careers. Through personifying each chemical and featuring

them on the well known red carpet, we hope that Californians might start to recognize them in their daily

lives, and start connecting their dangerous traits to personal health and their environment. This year’s

Toxie award recipients and their short bios are included here. (For full-page headshots and bios, see

Section II.)

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Worst Breakthrough

Performance

Bisphenol A (BPA) began her career as an estrogen impersonator in the 1930s,

making her a true a grandame of the craft. After trolling the B list for several years as

a contract player, polymer chemists plucked her from obscurity for a lead role in

polycarbonate plastics. Suddenly BPA was all the rage, every agent in town wanted

her. BPA booked diverse roles in everything from baby bottles, canned food liners,

and reusable food and water containers, in an effort to show her range. Yet with her

phone ringing off the hook, and gift suites packed with eco-friendly water bottles, she

still never forgot where it all started for her. She’s kept to her estrogen impersonating

beginnings, and has been linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer, infertility in men

and women, and early onset puberty in girls. BPA has always said she wanted to

impact humanity. Always one to make the unexpected choice, insiders speculate that

her next ventures may reveal her associations with Type-II diabetes, obesity, ADHD,

autism, and erectile dysfunction. Wonder what her male leads will have to say about

that!

Worst Breathtaking

Performance

Formaldehyde is a classic performer, much lauded by other bad actors for her tour

de force performances. Lest her reputation precede her, Formaldaheyde has shown

that she still has the goods to deliver toxins around the world. Used for 150 years in

embalming fluid, adhesive, fungicide, germicide and disinfectant, she has turned

what should have been the twilight of her career into a resurgence. She has been

tapped to appear in many common products, including particle board used for certain

cribs and changing tables, paints, cleaning supplies, and some beauty products in

which she shines as a member of the "Toxic Trio".

Depending on her specific role, Formaldehyde is an acting chameleon, having been

linked to asthma and various types of cancers. A true veteran, her name has long

graced California's Proposition 65 List.

Worst Performance

in a School Drama

Hexavalent Chromium, also known as Hex Chrome or Chrome 6, smashed onto the

scene making his movie debut in 2000, playing the villain in the movie Erin

Brockovich. His performances in industrial processes earned him a spot on

California's Proposition 65 List in December 2008 and the reputation of a hard hitting

bad boy.

In high demand, Hex Chrome has touched the lives of many through inhalation,

ingestion, and dermal contact around communities and schools. He boasts 2,208

appearances in monitored drinking water sources, and being taken in by more than

33 million Californians between 1998 and 2003. Hex Chrome is a known carcinogen

and reproductive toxicant for both males and females, and holds the record for being

the most toxic form of the element chromium. Hex Chrome has solidified his role as

the go-to bad boy of our generation.

8

Worst Performance

in a Horror Film

Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) recently starred in the movie Saw VI, in which he applied

himself to melt body parts during a particularly memorable scene. Considered very

difficult to work with, this diva of a compound is highly corrosive and has a history of

destruction. HF stars in productions of high-octane gasoline, refrigerants, herbicides,

pharmaceuticals, aluminum, plastics, electrical components, and fluorescent light

bulbs.

Volatile and unpredictable, HF's personal life has not been much better. His

marriage woes were splashed all over the tabloids when his wife filed a restraining

order against him after finding out that splashes of HF on the skin can be fatal. HF

has also gained a reputation around town among the ladies as “Creepy-Crawler”--

those who survive after HF inhalation often suffer lingering chronic lung disease.

Lifetime Achievement

in Harm

Lead has solidified his place as one of the most versatile, household names in bad

acting. He has touched and poisoned the lives of millions from Ancient Rome to

today's urban dwellings – Silverlake, watch out! Even though his performances have

been recognized as toxic for hundreds of years, his complex ability to cause damage

has only recently been understood. So subtle were his performances, that before

anyone knew it, Lead had penetrated everything from paint, piping, children's toys,

baby bibs, jewelry, handbags, lunchboxes, artificial turf, wheel weights, candy, and a

range of industrial applications.

Lead has a profound ability to damage children’s intellectual and behavioral

development. Serious, parental discretion is advised. No safe threshold for Lead has

ever been discovered, and his performances continue to be linked with learning

disabilities, infertility, cancer, and increased risk of heart attacks. Lead is a proud,

charter member of California's Proposition 65 List.

Worst Long Running

Performance

Mercury's performances leave maddening effects on audiences around the world.

Although his reputation for causing nervous system damage and birth defects

precedes him, many still don't appreciate just how many performances Mercury

continues to star in. A slick character, his metal beginnings are as a shiny, odorless

liquid, but he's versatile enough to become a colorless, odorless gas when heated.

And with this leading man's temper, that happens all the time. His airborne roles

occur during coal burning and waste incineration.

Keep an eye out for him in fluorescent light bulbs, thermometers, dental fillings,

batteries, auto switches, and more. The build up of Mercury in fish and other animals

gets passed up the food chain. So, combined with airborne effects, Mercury has put

about 60,000 children born each year at risk for his neurodevelopmental effects. This

special kind of actor drives audiences crazy.

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Worst Replacement

Actor in a Series

Fresh off the bus and new to town, Methyl Iodide has only recently appeared on the

scene as a soil fumigant, registered in the final days of the Bush administration for

use as a pesticide. Prior to his agricultural debut, he was used in industrial processes

and laboratory research settings where, among other uses, Methyl Iodide was

employed to induce cancer.

His propensity to produce cancer has landed him a spot on California's prestigious

Proposition 65 List, and he’s associated with neurotoxic effects and thyroid disease.

Methyl Iodide is currently taking method classes at the Ag Actors Warehouse and

auditioning as Methyl Bromide's understudy in California's strawberry fields.

Worst Stripper

Performance

N-Methyl Pyrrolidone (NMP) is an industrial solvent used extensively in chemical

processing, and now makes frequent appearances as a paint stripper and graffiti

remover. NMP has been kicking around for decades – usually in supporting,

character roles or as a ‘catalyst” in chemical mixtures whose other toxic ingredients

got all the headlines. In the 1990s, NMP made up 60% of certain photoresist

mixtures used in the so-called ‘clean industry’ of semiconductor fabrication. NMP has

recently come into his own as his reputation for reproductive and testicular toxicity

has finally come out of the shadows. Currently, NMP is appearing as a graffiti

remover.

Worst Local

Performance

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) is the matriarch of a whole family of flame

retardant performers. If you play with PBDE's fire retardant ways, you just might get

burned. This thespian has a bad tendency to escape many of the products in which

she appears, such as furniture, pillows, and bedding. She accumulates inside people,

animals, and the environment. PBDE's performance in strollers, cribs, and car seats

are virtually required in California, but not in any other state. Stealing the show is one

thing, but PBDE takes it to another level. As PBDE makes her way from the products

into the people who use them, she's associated with impairing attention, learning,

and memory. The town has started to catch on to PBDE's scene stealing ways, but

California's infatuation with this bad actor still has a strong legacy.

Worst Costume

Perchloroethylene, Perc for short, is well known for keeping your clothes

toxic...ahem...dry cleaned. His membership in California's prestigious Proposition 65

List is just one claim to fame. Don't be fooled by his charming smile and good looks -

that dizziness and nausea you feel when you're around him might actually be

damaging your central nervous system, kidneys, liver, and reproductive system.

The industry has lost wardrobe stylists all over town due to their unwillingness to

work with Perc and his diva demands. In California, the dry cleaning industry emits

about 3 million pounds of this bad actor per year. Perc is most often inhaled by the

owners and workers in the dry cleaning industry, which are usually small mom and

pop operations. Unlike most actors, Perc wants you to keep the wardrobe after a

shoot. Beware of that charm, it masks his true intentions.

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Worst Special Effects

Perchlorate's exciting roles as an oxidizer in rocket fuel, explosives, airbags and

fireworks sometimes makes viewers forget about her more insidious role as a

contaminant in drinking water. Her performances as a bad actor chemical interfere

with iodide uptake into the thyroid gland, causing hypothyroidism in mothers, and

negatively impacting proper childhood development such as decreased learning

capability.

While no one denies Perchlorate's ability to light up the sky and screen, she's been

known to make her way into the drinking water sources for over 20 million

Californians, and into the groundwater or soil of 43 states. Unfortunately, her "special

effects" aren't contained, and are toxic to communities who unwillingly catch her

performances in their drinking water!

Worst Revival

Performance

Perfluorinated Compound (PFC) represents a family of industrial strength bad

actors widely used as water, stain and grease repellant for food wrap, carpet,

furniture, and clothing. She is best known for her role as PFOA, aka Teflon, which

can be found flaking off of nonstick pans in kitchens across the country. Once you

see her in action, it will be hard to shake her. That wonderous "nonstick"

performance leaves a lasting impression by accumulating in your body and the

environment, described by the US EPA as combining "persistence, bioaccumulation,

and toxicity properties to an extraordinary degree".

PFC has signed a multipicture deal to harm major organs such as ovaries, liver,

kidney, spleen, thymus, thyroid, pituitary, testis, and she keeps coming back for

repeat performances since no one actually knows how to get rid of her! She has no

known biological or environmental breakdown mechanism, which is good for studio

bosses and bad for us.

Worst Makeup

Phthalate represents a family of chemical bad actors who first entered the business

in the 1920s. Five members of her family have been inducted into California's

Proposition 65 List for causing cancer. Her most prominent roles include softening

the scene in PVC/vinyl products and making plastics more flexible and durable. She's

starred in children's toys, food packaging, vinyl shower curtains, and numerous

medical devices.

After being discontinued in some plastics, Phthalate is receiving widespread attention

for her roles in fragrances, lotions, shampoos, nail polish, and cleaning products. As

softening and sweet-smelling as she may appear to be, Phthalate’s performances in

these roles brings along cancer and reproductive harm, including birth defects of the

penis and other indications of demasculinization. That is some body of work.

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Worst Intoxicating

Performance

Toluene had a starring role 30 years ago in the horror classic, “Fetal Solvent

Syndrome,” in which her appearances to pregnant moms was linked to brain damage

and various birth malformations. She's an organic solvent and thus a common

ingredient in many paints, glues, cleaning products, and even nail polish, and has a

knack for targeting your central nervous system with her toxicity.

Toluene has made a career for herself as the best friend who turns on her costars in

the third act. Her name has graced the Proposition 65 List for several decades, and

when she combines with her favorite bad girl actors (formaldehyde and dibutyl-

phthalate), she more than doubles her damage as a member of the "Toxic Trio".

She's also a close chemical relative of benzene, known for decades to cause

leukemia. With that kind of family legacy, her agents hope to keep Toluene working

for years to come.

Worst Underground

Performance

Trichloroethylene, also known as TCE, is well known for his use as an industrial

solvent. Initially commissioned as an anesthetic, TCE was discovered to cause

cardiac arrhythmias and fetal toxicity, thus ending his explicit career in medical, food,

and pharmaceutical industries and his castability on network hospital dramas.

Unfortunately, he still seems to find work having moved on to other deceptively

macho roles like rogue astronauts and angry drill sargents. His aerospace and

military performances spill over into the groundwater of surrounding communities,

poisoning drinking water.

The consumption of small amounts of TCE over time is tied to impaired immune

system function, liver and kidney damage and impaired fetal development in

pregnant women. For workers and others exposed to TCE through inhalation

performances, he can cause unconsciousness, impaired heart function and death.

Don't get too close, or this bad actor will have you at hello.

Worst Viral Media

Performance

Triclosan (who often goes by such stage names as Microban) is a newcomer on the

scene, but is credited with being a trendsetter and creating the “Antibacterial” craze.

In the absence of any reviews to prove him more skilled than the classic performer

“Soap and Water”, Triclosan has thumbed his nose at critics and become an

explosive fad, permeating homes and schools across the country in soaps,

toothpaste, antiperspirants, household cleaners, and more. What most fans don’t

realize is that Triclosan is a pesticide who brings along toxic entourage characters

such as dioxin, methyl triclosan, and chloroform. When they are together and the

party is over, evidence links them to cancer, thyroid disruption, and even causes

resistance to antibiotics. Your doctor and your plastic surgeon recommend avoiding

this particular bad actor.

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POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Winnowing a list of chemicals for this report was no easy task. There are scores of chemicals that

adversely affect human health in use in California, and the state is trying to develop a comprehensive

approach to identifying toxic chemicals, prioritizing them, studying the options for safer alternatives, and

then phasing out the “bad actors.”

The state’s Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) is responsible for writing the regulations that

will implement California’s Green Chemistry Initiative. The agency will write regulations based on its

interpretation of the legislation passed in 2008. To be meaningful, the Green Chemistry Initiative should

be more than a voluntary, incentive-based program. The state needs to create the regulatory

infrastructure – even if it needs to collect fees from manufacturers – to assess chemical safety and restrict

or phase out the use of the most dangerous substances. The Green Chemistry Initiative should:

Require chemical manufacturers to prove that a chemical is safe before

allowing it on the market.

• Regulators should require companies to provide comprehensive data on the intrinsic hazards of

chemicals that they produce or import into California. Such data should include information on a

chemical’s ability to persist in the environment, accumulate in living organisms, be metabolized

into other hazardous compounds, cause genetic damage, mimic important hormone signals,

interfere with human development or reproduction, weaken the immune system, damage the

nervous system, cause respiratory disease, or otherwise harm human health.

• Chemical testing should include specific consideration of potential impacts on infants, children,

and pregnant women; potential impacts of low-dose exposures; and potential interactions with

other toxic chemicals.

• The reliability and adequacy of the information should be validated by government scientists

and/or an independent third party free of conflicts of interest.

• Allowances for ingredient secrecy based on claims of “confidential business information” should

be limited.

Empower regulatory agencies to restrict or ban the manufacture and use of

chemicals that pose potential dangers to human health or the environment.

• Where chemicals show evidence of intrinsic hazard – such as a tendency to persist in the

environment, accumulate in living organisms, or cause toxic effects – regulators should restrict or

prohibit the use of these chemicals and require the substitution of safer alternatives, particularly in

consumer products or other applications that lead to human exposure. In addition, regulators

should consider possible adverse impacts to ecosystems.

• State agencies should lead the effort to identify and prioritize chemicals of concern and direct an

appropriate regulatory response, based on a chemical’s ability to cause harm.

1 3

• Where there is uncertainty in the evidence, regulators should err on the side of protecting health

and the environment. In other words, “no data, no market.”

Ensure public access to information on chemicals and their uses.

• The public has a right to know about chemicals currently on the market, including their specific

uses, potential hazards to health and the environment, and potential routes of exposure.

California’s Toxics Information Clearinghouse, signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in

2008, should be an easily understood database for all chemicals currently in use. This tool should

enable businesses and consumers to compare the safety of chemicals, identify missing data, and

create demand for safer alternatives.

• Until health and safety data are available for a particular chemical, there should be mandatory

labeling for consumer products indicating the presence of a chemical that has not been tested for

its impact on human health.

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REFERENCES Below is a list of science and policy references used for the bad actor chemicals referenced in this report.

1. Colborn T, Dumanoski D, Myers JP. 1996. Our Stolen Future: Are We Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence, and Survival?—A Scientific

Detective Story. New York: Dutton.

2. Myers JP (Ed). Our Stolen Future: Background on BPA: What is it, how is it used and what does science say about exposure risks. www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/bisphenola/bpauses.htm

3. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). 2006. Endocrine Disruptors. www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/factsheets/pdf/endocrine.pdf

4. Calafat AM, Ye X, Wong LY, Reidy JA, Needham LL. 2008. Exposure of the US population to bisphenol A and 4-tertiary-octylphenol: 2003-2004. Environmental Health Perspectives 116(1): 39-44.

5. Stahlut RW, Welshon WV, and Swan SH. 2009. Bisphenol A Data in NHANES Suggest Longer than Expected Half-Life, Substantial Nonfood Exposure, or Both. Environmental Health Perspectives 117(5): 784-789.

6. Maffini MV, Rubin BS, Sonnenschein C, Soto AM. 2006. Endocrine disruptors and reproductive health: The case of bisphenol-A. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 254-255:179-186.

7. Leranth C, Hajszan T, Szigeti-Buck K, Bober J, MacLusky NJ. 2008. Bisphenol A prevents the synaptogenic response to estradiol in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of ovariectomized nonhuman primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105(37): 14187-14191.

8. Hunt PA, Koehler KE, Susiarjo M, Hodges CA, Ilagan A, Voigt RC, Thomas S. Thomas B, Hassold T. 2003. Bisphenol A exposure causes meiotic aneuploidy in the female mouse. Current Biology 13:546-553.

9. Alonso-Magdalena P, Morimoto S, Ripoll S, Fuentes E, Nadal A. 2006. The estrogenic effect of bisphenol-A disrupts the pancreatic ß-cell function in vivo and induces insulin resistance. Environmental Health Perspectives 114:106-112.

10. Lang IA, Galloway TS, Scarlett A, Henley WE, Depledge M, Wallace RB, Melzer D. 2008. Association of urinary bisphenol A concentration with medical disorders and laboratory abnormalities in adults. Journal of the American Medical Association 300(11): 1303-1310.

11. Maine Revised Statutes. 2008. Title 38, Chapter 16-D: Sections 1691-1699-B. Available: www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/38/title38ch16-Dsec0.html

12. Health Canada. 2008. Government of Canada protects families with bisphenol A regulations. Available: www.hc-sc.gcca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/_2008/2008_167-eng.php

13. McDonald TA. 2005. Polybrominated diphenylether levels among United States residents: Daily intake and risk of harm to the developing brain and reproductive organs.” Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 1(4):343-354.

14. Van der ven LT, van de Kuil T, Leonards PE, Slob W, Canton RF, Germer S, Visser TJ, Litens S, Hakansson H, Schrenk D, van der Berg M, Piersma AH, Vos JG, Opperhuizen A. 2008. A 28-day oral dose toxicity study in Wistar rats enhanced to detect endocrine effects of decabromodipenyl ether (decaBDE). Toxicology Letters 179(1): 6-14.

15. Sjödin A, Wong L-Y, Jones RS, Park A, Zhang Y, Hodge C, Dipietro E, McClure C, Turner W, Needham LL, Patterson Jr. DG. 2008. Serum Concentrations of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and Polybrominated Biphenyl (PBB) in the United States Population: 2003–2004. Environ Sci Technol 42(4): 1377-84.

16. Hooper K, McDonald TA. 2000. The PBDEs: An emerging environmental challenge and another reason for breast-milk monitoring programs.Environmental Health Perspectives 108(5):387-392.

17. Eriksson P, Jakobsson E, Fredriksson A. 2001. Brominated flame retardants: A novel class of developmental neurotoxicants in our environment? Environmental Health Perspectives 109(9):903-908.

18. Schecter A, Pavuk M, Papke O, Ryan JJ, Birnbaum L, Rosen R. 2003. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDEs) in U.S. mother’s milk. Environmental Health Perspectives 111(14):1723-1729.

19. Mazadai A, Dodder NG, Abernathy MP, Hites RA, Bigsby RM. 2003. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in maternal and fetal blood samples. Environmental Health Perspectives 111(9):1249-1252.

20. Harley KG, Marks AR, Chevrier J, Bradman A, Sjödin A, et al. 2010. PBDE Concentrations in Women's Serum and Fecundability. Environ Health Perspect doi:10.1289/ehp.0901450

21. US EPA. 2009. DecaBDE Phase-Out Initative. Available: www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/actionplans/deccadbe.html. [NEED COPY]

22. Needleman HL, Gunnoe CG, Leviton A, Reed RR, Peresie H, Maher C and Barrett P. 1979. Deficits in psychologic and classroom performance of children with elevated dentine lead levels. NEJM 300: 684-495.

23. Schnaas L, Rothenberg S, Flores MF, Martinez S. Hernandez C, Osorio E, Velasco SR, Perroni E. 2006. Reduced Intellectual Development in Children with Prenatal Lead Exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives 114(5):791-797.

24. US EPA. 2007. Lead compounds. Available: www.epa.gov/ttn/uatw/hlthef/lead.html

25. National Cancer Institute. 2009. Formaldehyde and Cancer Risks. Available: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde

26. CARB Rule. 2010. California’s Formaldehyde Air Toxic Control Measures. Available: http://www.carbrule.org/

27. US EPA. 2009. Formaldehyde: Indoor Air Quality. Available: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html

28. US EPA. 2009. Drinking Water Contaminants: Chromium. Available: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/pdfs/factsheets/ioc/tech/chromium.pdf

29. US OSHA. 2008. Hexavalent Chromium: Hazard Recognition. Available: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/hexavalentchromium/recognition.html

30. CDC. 2006. Facts about Hydrogen Fluoride. Available: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/hydrofluoricacid/basics/facts.asp

31. Dunser, Martin and Reider, Joseph. 2007. Hydrofluoric Acid Burn. NEJM. Available. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/356/6/e5.pdf

32. CDC Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. 2003. Toxicological Profile: Fluorides, Hydrofluorides, and Flourine. Available: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp11.html#bookmarkinformation

33. US EPA. Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). 2008, January 10. Methylmercury (MeHg) (CASRN 22967-92-6). Available: www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0073.htm

34. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).May 2009. Mercury. Available at: www.cdc.gov/ExposureReport/pdf/factsheet_mercury.pdf.

35. Etzel RA, Balk SJ, eds. 2003. Pediatric Environmental Health. 2nd ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.

36. Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, University of Massachusetts Lowell. Chemicals Policy Initiative: US State Level Chemicals Policy Database. Available at: http://chemicalspolicy.org/uslegislationsearch.php

37. EPA. 2007. Pesticide Fact Sheet: Iodomethane. Available: http://www.epa.gov/opprd001/factsheets/iodomethane.pdf

38. Yates, S.R.. 1996. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Methyl Iodide as a Replacement for Methyl Bromide: Environmental Implications, Available: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/mba/april96/yatest.htm

39. California Department of Pesticide Regulation.2009. Risk Characterization of Methyl Iodide. Available: http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/risk/methyliodide.htm.

40. Pesticide Action Network North America. 2008. Methyl Iodide. Available: http://www.panna.org/fumigants/mei.

41. US EPA. 2009. Drinking Water Contaminants: Perchlorate. Available: http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw000/contaminants/unregulated/perchlorate.html

42. Clewell RA, Merrill EA, Yu KO, Mahle DA, Sterner TR, Fisher JW, Gearheart JM. 2003. Predicting neonatal perchlorate dose and inhibition of iodide uptake in the rat during lactation using physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling. Toxicol. Sci 74, 416-4362009.

1 5

43. Johns Hopkins University. 2003. The thyroid gland: Functions and malfunctions. Available:www.hopkinshospital.org/health_info/Thyroid_hormonal/reading/malfunctions.html

44. US Congress. 2009. The Safe Drinking Water for Healthy Communities Act of 2009. Available: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3206

45. California Department of Health Services. 2006. N-Methylpyrrolidone. Available: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/hesis/Documents/nmp.pdf.

46. Poet T., Kirman C., Bader M., van Thriel C., Gargas M, and Hinderliter P. 2009. Quantitative risk analysis for N-methyl pyrrolidone using physiologically based pharmacokinetic and benchmark dose modeling. Available: http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/kfp264v1.pdf

47. US EPA. 2009. N-Methylpyrrolidone Test Results. Available: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/chemtest/pubs/mpyrroli.html.

48. Bjorklund JA, Thuresson K, & De Wit CA. 2009. Perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) in indoor dust: Concentrations, human exposure estimates, and sources. Environmental Science and Technology 43: 2276-2281.

49. Washburn ST, Bingman TS, Braithwaite SK, Buck RC, Buxton LW, Clewell HJ, Haroun LA, Kester JE, Rickard RW, Shipp AM. 2005. Exposure assessment and risk characterization for perfluorooctanoate in selected consumer articles. Environ Sci Technol 39: 3904-3910

50. Fromme H, Tittlemier SA, Volkel W, Wilhelm M, & Twardella D. 2009. Perfluorinated compounds – Exposure assessment for the general population in western countries. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 212: 239-270.

51. National Research Council. 2004. Intentional human dosing studies for EPA regulatory purposes: Scientific and regulatory issues. Available: http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10927

52. Apelberg BJ, Witter FR, Herbstman JB, Calafat A M, Halden RU, Needham LL, Goldman LR. 2007. Cord serum concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in relation to weight and size at birth. Environmental Health Perspectives 115: 1670–1676.

53. EU (European Union), 2006. Directive 2006/122/ECOF of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2006. Official Journal of the European Union, L/372/32-34, 27.12.2006. Available: http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:372:0032:0034:en:PDF

54. Environmental Working Group. 2009. Phthalates. Available: http://www.ewg.org/chemindex/term/480

55. US EPA. 2010. Phthalates: Action Plan Summary. Available: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/actionplans/phthalates.html

56. Phthalates Information Centre Europe. 2010. EU Risk Assessments. Available: http://www.phthalates.com/index.asp?page=36.

57. Kim BN, Cho SC., Kim Y., Shin MS. 2009. Pthalates exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in school-age children. Biological Psychiatry 034, 10.1016

58. US FDA. 2008. Phthalates and Cosmetic Products. Available: http://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/productandingredientsafety/selectedcosmeticingredients/ucm128250.htm

59. JT Baker. 2009. Material Safety Data Sheet: Toluene. Available: http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/T3913.htm

60. Scorecard: Pollution Information. 2005 Chemical Profile: Toluene. Available: http://scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/summary.tcl?edf_substance_id=108-88-3

61. US EPA. 2005. Guidelines for carcinogen risk assessment. Risk Assessment Forum, Washington, DC; EPA/630/P-03/001F. Available: http://www.epa.gov/ncea/iris/backgr-d.htm.

62. Zupanic M., Demes P., Seeber A. 2002 Psychomotor performance and subjective symptoms at low level toluene exposure. Occup Environ Med 59:263-268.

63. NTP. 2002. 10th report on carcinogens. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC. Available: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/roc/toc10.html.

64. California OEHHA. 2001. Chronic Toxicity Summary: Toluene. Available: http://oehha.ca.gov/air/chronic_rels/pdf/108883.pdf.

65. Wisconsin Department of Health Services. 2000. Trichloroethylene. Available: http://dhs.wi.gov/eh/ChemFS/fs/TCE.htm.

66. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 2007. Toxicological Profile for Trichloroethylene. U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA.

67. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1993. Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances. National Toxicology Information Program, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

68. US EPA. 2007. Technology Transfer Netwok Air Toxics: Trichloroethylene. Available: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/tri-ethy.html

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70. CDC. 2009. NIOSH Safety and Health Topic: Trichloroethylene. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/trichloroethylene/.

71. National Library of Medicine. 2007. Household Products Database. Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Available: http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm.

72. Glaser, Aviva. 2007. The ubiquitous triclosan: A common antibacterial agent exposed. Pesticides and You 24(3): 12-17. Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides. Available: www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/Triclosan%20cited.pdf.

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75. Crofton KM, Paul KB, DeVito MJ, Hedge JM. 2007. Short-term in vivo exposure to the water contaminant triclosan: Evidence for disruption of thyroxine. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 24:194-197.

76. Environmental Protection Agency. April 17, 2008. Memorandum. Subject: 5-Chloro-2-(dichlorophenoxy)phenol (Triclosan): Risk Assessment for the Reregistration Eligibity Decision (RED) Document. Case No 2340. PC Code: 054901. DP Barcode: 373535. Available: www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&d=EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-0513-0002

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Bisphenol A (BPA) began her career as an estrogen impersona-

tor in the 1930s, making her a true grandame of the craft. After

trolling the B list for several years as a contract player, polymer

chemists plucked her from obscurity for a lead role in polycarbon-

ate plastics. Suddenly BPA was all the rage, every agent in town

wanted her. BPA booked diverse roles in everything from baby

bottles, canned food liners, and reusable food and water contain-

ers, in an effort to show her range.

Yet with her phone ringing off the hook, and gift suites packed

with eco-friendly water bottles, BPA remained true to her craft.

She never forgot where it all started for her. She’s kept true to

her estrogen impersonating beginnings, and has been linked to

breast cancer, prostate cancer, infertility in men and women, and

early onset puberty in girls. BPA has always said she wanted to

impact humanity. With her work, she has. Always one to make

the unexpected choice, insiders speculate that her next ventures

may reveal her associations with Type-II diabetes, obesity,

ADHD, autism, and erectile dysfunction. Wonder what her male

leads will have to say about that!

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Bisphenol-A (BPA)

TOXIE 2010

Worst Breakthrough Performance

Formaldehyde is a classic performer, much lauded by other

bad actors for her tour de force performances. Lest her reputa-

tion preceed her, Formaldaheyde has shown that she still has

the goods to deliver toxins around the world. Used for 150

years in embalming fluid, adhesive, fungicide, germicide and

disinfectant, she has turned what should have been the twilight

of her career into a resurgence. She has been tapped to ap-

pear in many common products, including particle board used

for certain cribs and changing tables, paints, cleaning supplies,

and some beauty products in which she shines as a member of

the "Toxic Trio".

Depending on her specific role, Formaldehyde is an acting cha-

meleon, having been linked to asthma and various types of

cancers. A true veteran, her name has long graced California's

Proposition 65 List.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Formaldehyde

TOXIE 2010

Worst Breathtaking Performance

Hexavalent Chromium, also known as Hex Chrome or

Chrome 6, smashed onto the scene making his movie debut

in 2000, playing the villain in the movie Erin Brockovich. His

performances in industrial processes earned him a spot on

California's Proposition 65 List in December 2008 and the

reputation of a hard hitting bad boy.

In high demand, Hex Chrome has touched the lives of many

through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact around

communities and schools. He boasts 2,208 appearances in

monitored drinking water sources, and being taken in by

more than 33 million Californians between 1998 and 2003.

Hex Chrome is a known carcinogen and reproductive toxicant

for both males and females, and holds the record for being

the most toxic form of the element chromium. Hex Chrome

has solidified his role as the go-to bad boy of our generation.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Hexavalent Chromium

TOXIE 2010

Worst Performance in a

School Drama

Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) recently starred in the movie Saw VI,

in which he applied himself to melt body parts during a par-

ticularly memorable scene. Considered very difficult to work

with, this diva of a compound is highly corrosive and has a

history of destruction. HF stars in productions of high-octane

gasoline, refrigerants, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, alumi-

num, plastics, electrical components, and fluorescent light

bulbs.

Volatile and unpredictable, HF's personal life has not been

much better. His marriage woes were splashed all over the

tabloids when his wife filed a restraining order against him

after finding out that splashes of HF on the skin can be fatal.

HF has also gained a reputation around town among the la-

dies as “Creepy-Crawler”-- those who survive after HF inhala-

tion often suffer lingering chronic lung disease.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Hydrofluoric Acid (HF)

TOXIE 2010

Worst Performance in a Horror Film

Lead has solidified his place as one of the most versatile,

household names in bad acting. He has touched and poi-

soned the lives of millions from Ancient Rome to today's ur-

ban dwellings – Silverlake, watch out! Even though his per-

formances have been recognized as toxic for hundreds of

years, his complex ability to cause damage has only recently

been understood. So subtle were his performances, that be-

fore anyone knew it, Lead had penetrated everything from

paint, piping, children's toys, baby bibs, jewelry, handbags,

lunchboxes, artificial turf, wheel weights, candy, and a range

of industrial applications.

Lead has a profound ability to damage children’s intellectual

and behavioral development. Serious, parental discretion is

advised. No safe threshold for Lead has ever been discov-

ered, and his performances continue to be linked with learn-

ing disabilities, infertility, cancer, and increased risk of heart

attacks. Lead is a proud, charter member of California's

Proposition 65 List.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Lead

TOXIE 2010

Lifetime

Achieve

ment in

Harm

Mecury's performances leave maddening effects on audi-

ences around the world. Although his reputation for causing

nervous system damage and birth defects precedes him,

many still don't appreciate just how many performances Mer-

cury continues to star in. A slick character, his metal begin-

nings are as a shiny, odorless liquid, but he's versatile

enough to become a colorless, odorless gas when heated.

And with this leading man's temper, that happens all the time.

His airborne roles occur during coal burning and waste incin-

eration.

Keep an eye out for him in fluorescent light bulbs, thermome-

ters, dental fillings, batteries, auto switches, and more. The

build up of Mercury in fish and other animals gets passed up

the food chain. So, combined with airborne effects, Mercury

has put about 60,000 children born each year at risk for his

neurodevelopmental effects. This special kind of actor drives

audiences crazy.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Mercury

TOXIE 2010

Worst and Lo

ngest Run

ning Perf

ormance

Fresh off the bus and new to town, Methyl Iodide has only

recently appeared on the scene as a soil fumigant, regis-

tered in the final days of the Bush administration for use as a

pesticide. Prior to his agricultural debut, he was used in in-

dustrial processes and laboratory research settings where,

among other uses, Methyl Iodide was employed to induce

cancer.

His propensity to produce cancer has landed him a spot on

California's prestigious Proposition 65 List, and he’s associ-

ated with neurotoxic effects and thyroid disease. Methyl Io-

dide is currently taking method classes at the Ag Actors

Warehouse and auditioning as Methyl Bromide's understudy

in California's strawberry fields.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Methyl Iodide

TOXIE 2010

Worst Rep

lacemen

t Actor in

a Series

N-Methyl Pyrrolidone (NMP) is an industrial solvent used

extensively in chemical processing, and now makes fre-

quent appearances as a paint stripper and graffiti remover.

NMP has been kicking around for decades – usually in

supporting, character roles or as a ‘catalyst” in chemical

mixtures whose other toxic ingredients got all the head-

lines.

In the 1990s, NMP made up 60% of certain photoresist

mixtures used in the so-called ‘clean industry’ of semicon-

ductor fabrication. NMP has recently come into his own as

his reputation for reproductive and testicular toxicity has

finally come out of the shadows. Currently, NMP is appear-

ing as a graffiti remover.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

N-Methyl Pyrrolidone

(NMP)

TOXIE 2010

Worst Stripp

er Perform

ance

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) is the matriarch of a

whole family of flame retardant performers. If you play with

PBDE's fire retardant ways, you just might get burned. This

thespian has a bad tendency to escape many of the products

in which she appears, such as furniture, pillows, and bedding.

She accumulates inside people, animals, and the environ-

ment.

PBDE's performance in strollers, cribs, and car seats are vir-

tually required in California, but not in any other state. Steal-

ing the show is one thing, but PBDE takes it to another level.

As PBDE makes her way from the products into the people

who use them, she's associated with impairing attention,

learning, and memory. The town has started to catch on to

PBDE's scene stealing ways, but California's infatuation with

this bad actor still has a strong legacy.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Polybrominated Flame Retardant

(PBDE)

TOXIE 2010

Worst Local

Performance

Perchlorate's exciting roles as an oxidizer in rocket fuel, explo-

sives, airbags and fireworks sometimes makes viewers forget

about her more insidious role as a contaminant in drinking wa-

ter. Her performances as a bad actor chemical interfere with

iodide uptake into the thyroid gland, causing hypothyroidism in

mothers, and negatively impacting proper childhood develop-

ment such as decreased learning capability.

While no one denies Perchlorate's ability to light up the sky and

screen, she's been known to make her way into the drinking

water sources for over 20 million Californians, and into the

groundwater or soil of 43 states. Unfortunately, her "special

effects" aren't contained, and are toxic to communities who un-

willingly catch her performances in their drinking water!

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Perchlorate

TOXIE 2010

Worst Special Effects

Perchloroethylene, Perc for short, is well known for keeping

your clothes toxic...ahem...dry cleaned. His membership in

California's prestigious Proposition 65 List is just one claim to

fame. Don't be fooled by his charming smile and good looks -

that dizziness and nausea you feel when you're around him

might actually be damaging your central nervous system, kid-

neys, liver, and reproductive system.

The industry has lost wardrobe stylists all over town due to

their unwillingness to work with Perc and his diva demands.

In California, the dry cleaning industry emits about 3 million

pounds of this bad actor per year. Perc is most often inhaled

by the owners and workers in the dry cleaning industry, which

are usually small mom and pop operations. Unlike most ac-

tors, Perc wants you to keep the wardrobe after a shoot. Be-

ware of that charm, it masks his true intentions.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Perchloroethylene (Perc)

TOXIE 2010 Worst C

ostume

Perfluorinated Compound (PFC) represents a family of indus-

trial strength bad actors widely used as water, stain and grease

repellant for food wrap, carpet, furniture, and clothing. She is

best known for her role as PFOA, aka Teflon, which can be

found flaking off of nonstick pans in kitchens across the coun-

try. Once you see her in action, it will be hard to shake her.

That wonderous "nonstick" performance leaves a lasting im-

pression by accumulating in your body and the environment,

described by the US EPA as combining "persistence, bioac-

cumulation, and toxicity properties to an extraordinary degree".

PFC has signed a multipicture deal to harm major organs such

as ovaries, liver, kidney, spleen, thymus, thyroid, pituitary, tes-

tis, and she keeps coming back for repeat performances since

no one actually knows how to get rid of her! She has no known

biological or environmental breakdown mechanism, which is

good for studio bosses and bad for us.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Perfluorinated Compound

(PFC)

TOXIE 2010

Worst Stripp

er Perform

ance

Phthalate represents a family of chemical bad actors who first

entered the business in the 1920s. Five members of her fam-

ily have been inducted into California's Proposition 65 List for

causing cancer. Her most prominent roles include softening

the scene in PVC/vinyl products and making plastics more

flexible and durable. She's starred in children's toys, food

packaging, vinyl shower curtains, and numerous medical de-

vices.

After being discontinued in some plastics, Phthalate is receiv-

ing widespread attention for her roles in fragrances, lotions,

shampoos, nail polish, and cleaning products. As softening

and sweet-smelling as she may appear to be, Phthalate’s

performances in these roles bring along cancer and repro-

ductive harm, including birth defects of the penis and other

indications of demasculinization. That is some body of work.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Phthalate

TOXIE 2010 Wor

st Makeup

Toluene had a starring role 30 years ago in the horror classic,

“Fetal Solvent Syndrome,” in which her appearances to preg-

nant moms was linked to brain damage and various birth mal-

formations. She's an organic solvent and thus a common in-

gredient in many paints, glues, cleaning products, and even

nail polish, and has a knack for targeting your central nervous

system with her toxicity.

Toluene has made a career for herself as the best friend who

turns on her costars in the third act. Her name has graced

the Proposition 65 List for several decades, and when she

combines with her favorite bad girl actors (formaldehyde and

dibutyl-phthalate), she more than doubles her damage as a

member of the "Toxic Trio". She's also a close chemical rela-

tive of benzene, known for decades to cause leukemia. With

that kind of family legacy, her agents hope to keep Toluene

working for years to come.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Toluene

TOXIE 2010

Worst Intox

icating P

erformance

Trichloroethylene, also known as TCE, is well known for his

use as an industrial solvent. Initially commissioned as an an-

esthetic, TCE was discovered to cause cardiac arrhythmias

and fetal toxicity, thus ending his explicit career in medical,

food, and pharmaceutical industries and his castability on

network hospital dramas. Unfortunately, he still seems to find

work having moved on to other deceptively macho roles like

rogue astronauts and angry drill sargents. His aerospace and

military performances spill over into the groundwater of sur-

rounding communities, poisoning drinking water.

The consumption of small amounts of TCE over time is tied to

impaired immune system function, liver and kidney damage

and impaired fetal development in pregnant women. For

workers and others exposed to TCE through inhalation per-

formances, he can cause unconsciousness, impaired heart

function and death. Don't get too close, or this bad actor will

have you at hello.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Trichloroetheylene (TCE)

TOXIE 2010

Worst Und

erground

Performan

ce

Triclosan (who often goes by such stage names as Microban)

is a newcomer on the scene, but is credited with being a

trendsetter and creating the “Antibacterial” craze. In the ab-

sence of any reviews to prove him more skilled than the clas-

sic performer “Soap and Water”, Triclosan has thumbed his

nose at critics and become an explosive fad, permeating

homes and schools across the country in soaps, toothpaste,

antiperspirants, household cleaners, and more. What most

fans don’t realize is that Triclosan is a pesticide who brings

along toxic entourage characters such as dioxin, methyl tri-

closan, and chloroform. When they are together and the party

is over, evidence links them to cancer, thyroid disruption, and

even causes resistance to antibiotics. Your doctor and your

plastic surgeon recommend avoiding this particular bad actor.

BAD ACTOR CHEMICAL

Triclosan

TOXIE 2010

Worst Viral Media Performance