Does my header seem a tad sensational? If I were reading this any other place, I’d think perhaps it is. But after watching the following compelling video from the Environmental Working Group, the premise is scary but the facts are scarier. This video was produced in 2011, so this may not serve as new news for you, but at the least, a digital reminder.
Watch Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group, share shocking information about how babies are born pre-polluted with as many as 300 industrial chemicals in their bodies. One of the most entertaining presentations that you’ll see about the health effects of environmental pollution.
The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between pollution and people. Of the 10 Americans sampled, the lab results found 287 chemicals, an average of 200 chemicals in each one. 28 waste by-products, 47 consumer product ingredients, 212 industrial chemical and pesticide break down products banned 30 years ago. The 10 Americans sampled were developing children in utero.
- Women use an average of 12 personal care products a day, exposes them to more than 160 chemical ingredients, some of them rather toxic, every day. Mens exposure is about half of that because they use about half of the personal care products.
- There was hope that the placenta filters out most of these chemicals and the study proves this is not the case…This does’t mean there will be biological damage but it is best to minimize that exposure.
- 134 chemicals shown to cause cancer. 151 – birth defects. 154 – hormone disruption. 186 – infertility. 130 – immune system toxicity. 158 – nerotoxins.
- 84% increase in acute lymphocytic leukemia in children
- Hypospadius doubled, 1 out every 125 baby boys
- 57% increase in childhood brain cancer
- Autism 1 in 150 children
- Fertility: 7.3 million American couples have trouble becoming pregnancy or carrying to term, 20% increase in last 10 years.
- Sperm count is decreasing by 1% per year.
- 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer. 1 in 3 women will develop a form of cancer. 1 in 2 men will develop cancer.
The video revealed that the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 passed over 30 years ago and has never been updated. 62,000 chemicals were grandfathers in and presumed safe. The law does not require health or safety studies before it is allowed on the market. 80% of new chemicals are approved within 3 weeks. Only 5 chemicals have been banned or restricted.
The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act of 2008 requires chemical be proven safe for children and others who are sensitive. On July 25th, 2012, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) passed the Safe Chemicals Act, sponsored by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). This is the first step towards Congress finally reforming the TCSA.2O7CQNCJm
The bill would:
ensure that all chemicals in on the market pose a “reasonable certainty of no harm,” considered the gold standard for protecting children and accounting for all chemical exposures require all manufacturers to justify all claims of business confidentiality on chemicals and ensure that first responders and public safety personnel can access important safety information require new chemicals to be screened before going on the marketplace
protect states’ ability to pass stronger laws
Chemicals, like germs, are everywhere. What matters most is how you make adjustments to increase the quality of life in your home and your habits. Next week, I’ll post 10 ways to reduce your exposure to environmental toxins.
