Do Environmental Chemicals Harm Humans?

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http://mercola.com/2004/mar/6/environmental_chemicals.htm

 

 

Do Environmental Chemicals Harm Humans?

 

 

 

Over the past seven decades humans have experienced significant changes in diet,

lifestyle and social practices, all of which may have profound effects on human

health. According to researchers, environmental and lifestyle factors play a

major role in human disease--accounting for perhaps 75 percent of most cancers.

 

 

 

It is suspected that environmental chemicals also play a role in these negative

health effects, however researchers attempting to establish a link between

environmental chemical exposures and health problems have found it to be a

daunting task, as adverse effects may not show up until many years after

exposure (for example, in adulthood after fetal exposure).

 

 

 

They suggest that exposure to chemicals may pose the greatest threat to pregnant

women, which then may affect the health of the fetus later in life. They

recommend that women reduce their use of cosmetics and body creams, which often

contain chemicals, and seek to avoid other chemical exposures prior to becoming

pregnant to lessen this risk.

 

 

 

Researchers offered the following points in their clinical review of the issue:

 

 

 

 

Synthetic chemicals are pervasive in the environment, but understanding of their

potential to cause harm is limited

 

 

Several recent studies have shown associations between prenatal or postnatal

exposure to certain pesticides or phthalates and reproductive disorders in

humans

 

 

Reproductive effects of environmental chemicals in (aquatic) wildlife are well

established; these may provide sentinels for human effects, especially on the

fetus

 

 

Recent discoveries raise possibilities of effects of common environmental

chemicals on endogenous hormones

 

 

The researchers also suggest six key recommendations to reduce the release of

chemicals into the environment. These include:

 

 

 

 

All chemicals " of concern " in current use (especially those not safety tested)

should be sorted into " categories of concern " according to hazard assessment;

the most hazardous to be selected for further investigation

 

 

Chemicals found in unexpected environmental compartments or at unexpected

concentrations, or associated with unusual biological phenomena, should be

investigated

 

 

Where synthetic chemicals are found in raised concentrations in biological

fluids such as breast milk and in tissues of humans, marine mammals, or top

predators, regulatory steps should be taken to remove them from the market

immediately

 

 

 

 

New legislation should prohibit marketing of any chemical for which basic

environmental safety data is not registered

 

 

British Medical Journal February 21, 2004;328:447-451 (Free Full-Text Article)

 

 

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

The health effects of these chemicals will not be completely known for many

years to come. In the meantime, they will likely harm many people needlessly. It

is just a ridiculous policy to place the burden of proof on the government to

prove the chemicals harmful in order for them to be restricted or removed. It

should be required that the manufacturers prove that they are safe BEFORE they

are even allowed on the market.

 

 

 

For instance, here is a list of the health effects of just one type of chemical,

phthalates, a chemical commonly used in plastics. They have been associated

with:

 

 

 

Declining sperm counts

Increase in sexual deformities

Increase in testicular cancer

Early puberty

 

 

 

Investigators found that oral doses of phthalates in rats had the following

effects:

 

 

 

Increase in kidney weight in rats (both sexes)

Increase in liver weight (males)

Decrease in the weight of the ovaries

Decrease in body weight gain (males)

Decrease in testosterone levels

Increase in follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)

 

 

 

The effects of these chemicals on the endocrine system, particularly during

pregnancy, breastfeeding and childhood are very disturbing.

 

 

 

It is criminal to wait for further results while people continue to be exposed.

The precautionary principle dictates that pregnant women and babies should not

be exposed to substances unless they have been shown to be essentially safe.

 

 

 

For more information on this important topic, check out Dr. Rapp’s new book,

“Our Toxic World: A Wake Up Call,” which expands on this topic in great depth.

 

Related Articles:

 

/2001/dec/1/immunizations2.htm

 

/2001/dec/12/breast_milk.htm

 

/2000/oct/1/chlorine.htm

 

/2001/mar/31/chemicals.htm

 

/2000/dec/31/cosmetics.htm

 

/2001/jan/21/chemicals_puberty.htm

 

 

 

 

 

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