By Roger Sideman

Unknown hazardous chemicals in everyday products are accumulating in human tissue and persisting in the environment without breaking down.

That's the gloomy picture emerging from a report authored by Michael Wilson, a UC Santa Cruz graduate and Berkeley research scientist whose work has caught the attention of state legislators.

Two Senate and Assembly committees commissioned Wilson and his UC Berkeley research team to provide insight on how to move toward "green chemistry," in which policies nudge the chemical industry to invest in the design and use of safer, less toxic chemicals.

Of 80,000 synthetic chemicals that have been registered in the country, less than 10 percent have been tested for their effect on human health. Wilson calls it a "chemical data gap."

"If you walk into a place like San Lorenzo Lumber and look at most consumer products, most people would be surprised that there's no requirement for chemical producers to disclose their toxicity," he said.

Wilson's report is the first in the nation to provide government with clear guidelines about how to "green up" the chemical industry.

Many chemical-reduction bills that would ban or regulate individual chemicals in cosmetics, plastics and toys have been under debate recently, but most were rejected under pressure from the chemical industry.

Without providing specifics, Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, said he anticipates a sweeping "package of bills" motivated by Wilson's report to be introduced next year. The report, released in April, blames weak government oversight and recommends that companies report data about the chemicals they produce. It also calls for greater funding in green chemistry research.

Few people deny the key role that chemicals play in modern life, from health care and manufacturing to electronics and petroleum refining. In California's economy, the chemical industry employs 81,000 people and contributes $1.7 billion in tax revenues, according to figures from the Chemical Industry Council of California.

But even though the industry could be stung under a major chemical-reduction plan, they expressed a willingness to participate in a state task force set up by Simitian.

"We might be able to improve the situation," said John Ulrich, spokesman for the Chemical Industry Council. "But if legislation is simply based on emotion, we'd reject it. To think that you can force green chemistry as a solution to all things toxic just isn't possible."

To make his point, Ulrich cites how a seemingly safe substance like hydrogen is what turned the Hindenberg blimp into a firebomb. An overdose of water killed a Chico State University student in a hazing ritual, proving that "the dose makes the poison," Ulrich said.

Wilson's report asserts the pace and scale of the chemicals produced every day in the United States is already staggering. Each day, the United States produces or imports 42 billon pounds of chemicals — the equivalent of 623,000 gasoline trucks each carrying 8,000 gallons, which, if lined up end-to-end, would stretch from San Francisco to Washington and back, the report states.

"That's projected to grow four-fold with California expected to grow 50 percent by 2050," Wilson said. "If you think we have problems today, just wait."

Each year, 23,000 workers in California are diagnosed with deadly chronic disease brought on by chemical exposure in the workplace. Another 5,600 die as a result, according to data in the report.

A sustainable chemicals policy is an integral part of preparing for the state's future needs, said Wilson, who wants to see California become a global leader in green chemistry — just as it has done with energy efficiency.

California's strategy could be modeled on legislation the European Union is considering, which would require companies to provide detailed health and safety information on about 30,000 new and existing chemicals before they can be authorized for use.

Wilson credits UCSC's support of interdisciplinary thinking for allowing him to see beyond a scientific lens to understand the wider social implications of science.

A 1984 graduate in biology, Wilson's senior thesis on the social and policy dimensions of genetic engineering received an award by then-Chancellor Robert Sinscheimer.