As our
attention is captured by the chilling scenario, we focus on the TV
screen while the epidemic
is described:“ Undetectable by the human eye, often colourless,
odourless, it is airborne, waterborne, food borne, capable of invading
human genes and altering genetic codes that can be passed on to future
generations.”
The newsreader informs us that this mysterious entity is capable of causing birth
defects, immune and endocrine dysfunction, behavioural disorders, learning disabilities,
cancer, brain dysfunction, reproductive problems and wholesale infertility. It
is not confined to a lab with elaborate security measures but has found its way
into the global environment, is moving up the food chain and coming to a place
near you. We might briefly wonder what life would be like with an invisible and
stealthy predator among us. A virus? Or some other virulent microorganism? If
so, imagine the public outrage. Politicians and public would unite in their call
for immediate research and funding to develop vaccinations, prevention measures
and treatment for unfortunate sufferers. Imagine how you feel when the newsreader
goes on to report that some of those responsible for this global epidemic have
known about the consequences for years but have done nothing because profits
were at stake.
Science fiction? No. This scenario is science fact, and the ‘substance’ is
any number of 75000 potentially toxic synthetic chemicals in common use, released
into the environment each day by way of consumer products.
The human consequences of chemical exposure occur around the world each day.
In Chile, Eugenia Mejias gave birth to a child with a swollen brain, and deformed
hands, feet, and spine. Eugenia, like many other chemically exposed parents in
Chile, worked in the fruit export industry .
Recently in Brazil, more than a dozen coffee farmers died from the effects of
a pesticide. They are not isolated cases. The World Health Organization estimates
that in developing countries alone there is a minimum of 3 million cases of acute
pesticide poisonings each year.
Unfortunately, the course of chemical exposure is not confined to an isolated
event but usually means ill health for years to come, often ending in death from
an exposure related illness. An example of this occurred in 1984, when an explosion
rocked the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India, killing thousands of men,
women and children within weeks. Still today, among those who lived in the vicinity
of the Union Carbide factory, 15 people die each month from the aftereffects
of the deadly methyl isocyanate gas, an ingredient in many chemical products.
It is easy for us to remain in our comfort zone when we are faced with the horrible
images of an industrial disaster. However, if we live in pleasant, tree-lined
suburbs and towns away from chain link perimeter fences and chimney stacks belching
out the acrid odours of the chemical industry, we think we are somehow immune
to chemical exposure. But we are unaware that we purchase carcinogens and other
toxic products from our store shelves almost every day.
Almost none of these products contain adequate labeling as to their potential
health effects. So we continue our dangerous ignorance, unaware that thousands
sustain chemically related illness. Some are reported in the newspaper, such
as the residents of a youth hostel in Sydney who became ill after the hostel
had been fumigated. Others are silent victims such as the 50 year-old Melbourne
man fighting for his life in a hospital intensive care unit, after ingesting
a commonly used garden pesticide recently. The man suffered abnormal sensations
throughout his body and a pervasive angst that he would die or go insane, while
his heart galloped in a bizarre rhythm. He suffered numerous crises and staff
had to revive him with atropine, the antidote to the deadly nerve poison. While
attached to monitoring equipment and lifesaving intravenous infusions, he could
not grasp the fact that this poison could cause lifelong health problems. There
was no information on the label to that effect. The product he misused in an
impulsive and ill conceived moment of self destruction was a chemical relative
to nerve gas used in warfare, readily available in stores. The job it was designed
to do killing garden pests could have been achieved by a number of nontoxic or
least toxic products.
Meanwhile, a few years previously, a child became permanently incapacitated after
being exposed to chemicals his school used to exterminate cockroaches. This intellectually
gifted 14 year-old was once in robust good health, but is now forced to stay
in a controlled home environment because of his extreme sensitivity to even small
amounts of chemicals. For him there will be no get-togethers with friends at
pubs or clubs, and few opportunities to meet girls his age. He lives a life of
isolation, as do countless other adults and children, because someone manufactured
a product with more regard to profit than safety. A faultily-designed child’s
cot or stroller that maimed or killed even one child would have been recalled
or withdrawn from the market. Not so, it seems with chemicals. These casualties
are not seen on the evening news, but form a silent epidemic of millions worldwide,
many of whom will never be able to live a normal life again.
It is difficult to understand why these chemicals are still on the market. According
to the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency), 70% of all pesticides
in use are based on fraudulent reports of animal safely tests, and manipulated
data. To date, only two companies and responsible employees have been convicted
of fraud. However, these products are still in use. The bad news is: no toxicity
data is available for 80% of the 49,000 chemicals in commercial use. And of the
75,000 chemicals in daily use, complete toxicity data is available on only 2%.
That means government regulators, who are continually assuring us they have conducted
a full risk assessment, actually have little or no data on which to make their
assessment. When asked how these assessments are done, “world’s best
practice” is often cited. This means government regulating authorities
will take the manufacturer’s assurances about the safety of their product.
In most cases no independent test data is available. The consumer would be well
advised to remember this when they make the next purchase particularly a personal
care product that will end up in or on the body.
It is not merely pesticides that put people at risk. In 1995 a British teenager
died after routinely spraying underarm deodorant in a confined space. Highly
fragranced aerosol personal care products especially geared towards the teenage
market often contain a variety of potentially toxic chemicals including petrochemical
derived fragrances, propellants and heavy metals such as aluminum. Many other
personal care products, including shampoo, routinely contain chemicals that are
known to cause blindness, tremors, dermatitis and damage to various organs. According
to the (US) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, there are
on the market 183 chemicals that cause convulsions, 62 causing paralysis, 177
that cause tremors, 179 causing weakness, 131 causing central nervous system
depression, 125 causing narcosis, 25 causing hallucinations, 25 causing delirium,
40 causing depression and 119 causing sleep disturbances. These chemicals are
commonly used in consumer products and are available to anyone who ventures into
a retail outlet.
Recent research indicates it is not necessary to have high level chemical exposure
to produce clinically evident health effects. Varying degrees of chemical exposures
have now been implicated in ADD/ADHD, learning and behavioural disorders, Parkinson’s
disease, multiple chemical sensitivities/chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, infertility,
motor neuron disease, autism, asthma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, depression
and countless other serious disorders .
The steeply climbing rates of cancer and other illness, despite daily reports
of new medical breakthroughs, tell us the public are misinformed when they are
told genetic factors are wholly responsible for many diseases. There is something
going on that cannot be accounted for by genetic changes, as they take generations
to manifest. However, the new thinking of functional medicine and environmental
medicine involves the determination of environmental factors. A growing body
of medical research reveals that exposing human cells to carcinogens and other
harmful chemicals (such as are found in many consumer items) is asking for trouble.
Secondly, it is now known that good nutrition is vital to detoxifying manmade
chemicals within the human body.
According to Dr. Jeffrey Bland, a leading US researcher, bathing human cells
(and genes) in a cocktail of alcohol, junk food, sugar and chemicals will further
increase the risk of illness no matter how strong or sturdy a person’s
genetic legacy is.
Conversely, avoiding unnecessary chemical exposure by using least-toxic or non-toxic
options and ensuring we get the essential nutrients daily is crucial to maintaining
health, and could possibly even offset a predisposing genetic weakness. In other
words, most cancers and many other diseases might be entirely preventable. Over
the last 50 years humans have changed the face of the earth. The chemical revolution
has brought us consumer delights as well as the toxic soup we now live in. Our
current agricultural practices have brought us chemically laden foods, depleted
of vital nutrients, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants.
Twenty-first century lifestyles are frantically paced. Many family breadwinners
are locked into impossible work schedules in order to meet the high cost of living.
Stress has become a catchphrase and is now epidemic. Living on fast food is becoming
accepted as a timesaving necessity. Most of these foods contain any number of
chemical preservatives, colourings and artificial flavours. This puts humans
in a crucible for which they were never designed, and we are melting down, and
hitting the wall in ever increasing numbers. Our physiology is on a collision
course with our environment because our bodies consume more nutrients when under
stress and require more nutrients and antioxidants to process our toxic environments
as well as the toxic foods we choose to eat. Many seemingly functional people
are teetering on the edge of their body’s ability to cope with their environment
and lifestyle. Ever increasing numbers are sick and tired and don’t know
why.
The solution to this dilemma requires a quantum leap in thinking and awareness.
Firstly, we need to understand that there is no meaningful regulation over the
toxic cocktail of consumer items. It is up to the individual consumer to seek
out companies that manufacture non-harmful, non-carcinogenic products. This is
important to reduce the risk of chemically related illness, but also to reduce
the total chemical load (or oxidative stress) on the body. This has now become
the personal responsibility of each individual consumer. We only have to sniff
the air to realize there is no benevolent government department ensuring our
environment is clean.
Secondly, according to a Rutgers University (USA) study, the nutrient content
of non-organically grown vegetables is extremely low. This means we are not getting
the essential nutrients from our food, no matter how ‘good’ our diet
might be. In short, if we live in a toxic and stressful environment, and eat
any kind of conventionally grown food, we should probably consider taking nutrient
supplements.
The twenty-first century will pose challenges humans have never encountered before.
Orthodox medicine still tries to solve new health problems in outmoded ways.
Governments cannot keep abreast of regulating new technology. But there are some
exciting changes afoot. The internet has given the public access to information.
Books and pamphlets abound with previously inaccessible information. And it is
just as well, as it will be more essential than ever before to be well informed
about health issues. Our future health might literally depend on it. The good
news is that knowledge is power, an old saying, but never more relevant than
today. We now have the power in our hands to reduce our toxic load by making
informed choices about the products we use and to ensure our intake of nutrients
is adequate. These two factors alone can potentially improve our health, prevent
illness and create a better world for our children. And we can start today. All
it takes is making the decision that the planet, your children and you are worth
it.
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