We are a chemical cocktail

A cocktail of hazardous chemicals flows through the bloodstream of every adult, a study showed today.

The mix includes banned pesticides, industrial residues and compounds used to make furniture fireproof.

No one knows what impact they have on our health. Some are suspected of causing cancer.

The findings emerged from an experiment by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which took blood samples from 47 people - mostly Euro MPs tested in their Brussels offices.

On average, each had 41 manmade compounds in their blood. Among the chemicals tested for, 13 were so common that they were found in every individual.

Many samples contained DDT, a pesticide banned in the Seventies that stays in the body for decades and can be passed from mother to child in breast milk. Some researchers have claimed it causes breast cancer but others have found no link.

Other samples contained phthalates, an ingredient of plastic suspected as a possible cause of testicular cancer.

In all, the study detected 76 chemicals in five groups: organochlorine pesticides; phthalates; brominated flame retardants; PCBs from electronic components and perfluorinated compounds.

The WWF accused the chemicals industry of inaction and urged the European Union to adopt tough new laws forcing companies to test compounds before they can be used commercially.

The group's director Karl Wagner, whose own blood contained a record level of the flame retardant deca-BDE, said: "Millions of other people could be contaminated in the same way from everyday items, such as sofas and mattresses."

But Professor David Coggon of Southampton University, an expert on the health effects of pollution, said there was no cause for panic. He pointed out that modern testing methods can detect complex chemicals even at tiny concentrations, well below the level at which they are likely to cause harm.

Many of the substances detected in the experiment are by-products of vital industrial processes. Chemicals firms reject claims they are poisoning people.

Professor Coggon, a Medical Research Council committee member and government adviser on air quality and pesticides, said: "Most of these chemicals, even if seriously toxic in high doses, are not going to pose a problem at this sort of level. We all enjoy the benefits of modern technology ... but there will be a downside and sometimes it is hard to spot what it is."

Flame retardants are used in most plastics and man-made fabrics. Some have been banned in the EU amid fears they could damage the brain and nervous system.

Phthalates are commonly found in make-up, toiletries and plastic food wrapping, while perfluorinated compounds are used in the manufacture of non-stick pans.