BRUSSELS, Oct 19: Ministers across the European Union show signs of contamination by potentially dangerous chemicals found in common daily items ranging from pizza boxes to sofas, environmental group WWF said on Tuesday.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said blood tests from 14 European environment and health ministers showed contamination by 55 chemicals, some of which were banned years ago but are still in use.

The group, which is pushing for tougher EU laws on the testing of chemicals, used the survey of high-profile public figures to illustrate how the use of industrial chemicals in common daily items could pose health threats.

"The ministers are all contaminated with industrial chemicals whose effects are largely unknown," said WWF official Karl Wagner in a statement.

The chemicals were "persistent, bio-accumulative and capable of disrupting the hormone systems of wildlife and people," WWF said.

The group said the chemicals found included those used in pesticides, fragrances, non-stick pans, grease-proof pizza boxes and fire-resistant sofas.

WWF conducted the tests as part of its support for REACH - or Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals - a draft EU law that would require the testing and licensing of thousands of commonly used chemicals across Europe.

"Although 86 percent of the 2,500 chemicals used in large quantities do not have enough safety information publicly available to do a basic safety assessment, research increasingly links chemicals to cancers, allergies, reproductive problems and defects in children's development," the group said.

WWF tested ministers from Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Britain.

The officials, who were tested in June, had an average of 37 chemicals in their blood, WWF said, with one showing as many as 43. -Reuters