Shari Scarpelli will never know the joys of motherhood.

The 33-year-old Sarnia resident has spent four years and close to $20,000 trying to undo the havoc that she believes a cocktail of toxic chemicals has done to her reproductive system.

“I’ve become resigned to the fact that motherhood is not going to happen for me,” Scarpelli said, her voice fading.

She was one of five local residents tested in a national environmental study tracking toxic contamination. Scarpelli said she is shocked and angered by the results.

Toronto watchdog group Environmental Defence commissioned the study entitled Polluted Children, Toxic Nation. It tested blood and urine samples from five families for 68 chemicals including heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides and insecticides.

Some are proven carcinogens and others are linked to reproductive disorders.

The results were unveiled at a public meeting Tuesday at the Aamjiwnaang community centre.

Scarpelli has made regular trips to a London fertility clinic for the past four years, believing doctors would help her and her husband conceive through hormone injections and invitro fertilization.

“I had a dream of having a family. It’s hard to know you’ll never have a family,” she said.

Scarpelli’s body contains the highest level of insecticides of all the people studied more than 10 times the median levels.

“I don’t even use pesticides,” she said.

Others chemicals are found in many everyday items, including flame retardant furniture, cleaners, non-stick cookware, stain repellants and microwave popcorn bags.

“Our government has to wake up and act,” Scarpelli said.

Her mother, Sandy Kinart, 59, also volunteered for the study. She tested positive for 37 of the 68 chemicals, the most of anyone in the test group, which included families from Aamjiwnaang, Toronto, Vancouver and New Brunswick.

Her system contained 30 known carcinogens, 20 hormone disruptors, seven respiratory toxins, 17 neurotoxins and 31 chemicals that are known reproductive or developmental toxins.

“I thought the government was protecting me,” Kinart said. “I don’t like what I see.”

After losing her husband Blayne to asbestos-related disease in 2004, Kinart is convinced her chemical load will take a toll.

“I’m sure I too will become a statistic,” she said.

The study detected an average of 32 chemicals in each parent volunteer and 23 chemicals in each child. It is hoped the findings will pressure the federal government to strengthen laws, including the Canadian Environmental Protection Act which is up for review this year.

Environmental Defence wants to see it amended to immediately ban the most dangerous chemicals and make industry more accountable for the safety of its chemicals.

“We feel the government is not doing the job of protecting Canadians’ health,” said program director Sarah Winterton. “There is good reason to be upset with Health Canada.”

It is not known what health impacts the chemicals will have on human health, but the study provides alarming evidence of the need to tighten the law, she said.

Environmental Defence urged everyone to contact their MPs to demand change and visit their website, at www.environmentaldefence.ca, where they can sign a petition.