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 percent since 1975, and autism now is so prevalent that it is diagnosed in one out of every 110 children.