The documentary filmmaker Folke Rydén's new film reveals that there are high levels of chlorine paraffins in both humans and animals living in and on the Baltic Sea. Former Foreign Minister Margot Wallström is one of four people in Europe who have been put up and tested and the blood tests show high levels of this substance.
"Alarm clock goes on"- It is a remarkable result, there is no doubt. The concentrations are five times higher than the traditional substances do. Now my alarm clock is on, says Åke Bergman, professor of environmental chemistry at Stockholm University. He is behind the tests that will be part of a scientific study.
Chlorine paraffins are available in, for example, sealants, plastics and rubber. They are long-lived and spread through products imported from China, among others. The researchers still know too little about how they affect humans and animals.
"Is it cancerous?"In the film Margot Wallström expresses concern about the environmental toxins in his blood.
- It was a bit shocking actually. Is it chlorine paraffins that have caused me to go astray? Is it carcinogenic, so it may increase the risk that I get other diseases?
The film "The Baltic Sea - threats and hope" will be broadcast in SVT2 Science of the World on 25/11 at 20.00.