Chemicals are everywhere around us from the food that we eat, the products that we put on our bodies, the air that we breathe and the buildings that we live and work in. Some of these chemicals we have control over ingesting, but others are very difficult to get away from unless we make radical changes in where we live and how we live, and some almost impossible to escape. CNN is airing a two part special, part 2 is on tonight, called Toxic America, investigating if we are being sufficiently protected from these chemicals.
This is an article on 5 toxic chemicals that are everywhere and what you can do to protect yourself from them. One of these is BPA, a building block of that lightweight, clear, heat resistant plastic that we have become so accustomed to using. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found BPA in the urine of 93 percent of the people it tested.” Studies show that BPA creates a potential risk for cancer and is an estrogen mimicker, causing problems in our delicate endocrine system.
This article discusses these five toxic substances, what they are, where they are found and how you can protect yourself from them. While some will say they are safe there are more and more studies showing the ill effects from exposure to them so since we can protect ourselves from these it is better to be safe than sorry, especially since at least we have some control in being exposed to these substances. For some reason the FDA considers these “chemicals of concern” yet so far there has only been a ban on children’s toys containing six types of phthalates.
Another huge concern relating to the amount of toxic chemicals around us is how they may be contributing to developmental problems in children and also potentially causing miscarriages. Another story from CNN looks at this subject. Hundreds of chemicals can be passed from the mother to the fetus and the effects are being studied. It looks as if there is a link between the amount of chemicals found in umbilical cord blood and lower IQ.
I think that this is an area where we as consumers have more power than we might imagine. Find out which chemicals to avoid, check out the EWG’s (Environmental Working Group) web site for great information on what is out there that is safe to use. We can protect ourselves from a lot of exposure but only when we educate ourselves, use our dollars to buy safer products and also demand that our legislators ban dangerous chemicals used in everyday products. At last we are waking up to what is out there and hopefully CNN’s special will show a lot more people what they are potentially being exposed to.
