Part of our Chemicals of Concern series.
Decades ago the chemical industry assured American consumers that potentially toxic chemicals used in everyday products like furniture and plastics would not be absorbed into our bodies – and therefore posed no risk to human health. We now know differently: As chemicals have become ever more pervasive in our society, government studies show that hundreds of synthetic chemicals are in the bodies of all Americans. They are even present in newborn infants due to exposures in the womb coming from their mothers during pregnancy.
In its 2010 report the President's Cancer Panel (PCP) found that, "The true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated," and was the first time that the panel made the link between chemical exposures and their significant contribution to cancer. Chemicals don’t respect demographics, they are in us wherever and however we live and work.
Exposures to chemicals have been linked to numerous disorders and diseases that are increasing in incidence including certain cancers, infertility and learning and developmental disabilities. These problems are the direct result of the absence of an effective national chemicals policy in the United States, which leaves us largely on our own to try to figure out what we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones from toxic exposures.
In I Am Not a Guinea Pig's weekly Chemicals of Concern series, we will take a closer look into some chemicals of most concern to the public. Many of these chemicals are found in basic products and materials that we encounter regularly in our daily lives.
We invite you to share information, ideas and personal stories about how you are seeking to avoid toxic chemicals in your lives and what you are doing to advocate for better government policy. Our intention is to provide a venue for people to come together and build a collective reference of useful information, thoughts, and actions.
Thank you for stating so clearly what I have been thinking for so long. It is SHOCKING that chemicals have gotten into our bodies and are affecting endocrine systems, and SHOCKING that the President's Cancer Panel Report is being ignored by President Obama. What is wrong with him?
It is high time that a government response to what corporations are allowing in their products was initiated. I commend your work in this regard. We almost need to go through a daily detoxification to protect ourselves and generally that is not possible. Too long have the chemicals in all forms been allowed to run rampant leaving disease and death in their path. This is such a thorny problem as the layman does not usually have a chemistry degree but that fact is being taken advantage of by all the businesses that care only for money. I have lived long enough to know that we did not used to see a list of chemicals as long as your arm on our cereal boxes and our toothpaste. Arsenic is in too many things as are traces of mercury and who knows what all.
It is sad that humans are willing to risk the health of themselves and others for the immediate gratification of financial gain. Greed has been making us sick too long and it must be stopped.
I'd also like to see Mercury added to this list of toxins. Amalgam (silver) dental fillings are still used in the US and they should be banned for continued use. http://www.mercury-free.com provides excellent information and documented proof of the dangers of mercury.
I have long thought that the incredible increase in autism and learning disabilities is the result of some environmental factor(s) that is/are invisible to us. I have considered our standard practice of fluoridating our drinking water. For some reason, autism is highly unusual in South America. What is the difference? Do the South American governments not fluoridate their drinking water and/or do they ban the serious chemical toxins studied thus far by this wonderful website?
Whatever the ultimate cause(s) for the increasing disease rates of our population, we would be better off banning known toxins and cleaning up our act. We are the only species of animal I know who has the ability to destroy this planet with “impunity” and arrogance while leaving behind a disaster for all species… Shouldn’t there be strong prohibitions against this obvious crime to nature? Our current laws are obviously flawed or non-existent. The system must be changed immediately.
I agree with what the others are saying… there has been a noticeable rise in autism and learning disabilities and it certainly may be from chemicals including the ones in our own water supply. Educate! Regulate! For all of our good!!
I just had a baby in June of this year. It disgusts me to know that she was born with toxins in her body that came from me and I had no choice in the matter.