Harmful Chemicals That Are in Our Enviroment

Harmful Chemicals That Are In Our Enviroment

According many scientific researchers, our entire population has been dowsed with chemicals. There are several aspects of this dowsing that should concern us. First, and foremost, many of these chemicals are suspected to have damaging health effects on humans, as well as, other life forms. Second, most of these chemicals have only recently been produced so the environment is clearly changing and being challenged by these newcomers. Third, almost all of these chemicals exist in the forms and amounts that they do because of human practices-including agricultural, industrial, and many domestic activities as well. Fourth, many of the chemicals that we produce don't get used in a productive way-that is, they are wasted, disposed of, and/or left abandoned; consider that less than 5 percent of pesticides actually make contact with their host target. Fifth, most, if not all, of the chemicals used have replacements that are much less harmful or toxic. And sixth, and perhaps most discouragingly, many of us knowingly buy and use these chemicals without a moment's hesitation.

Do you think you have been dowsed with chemicals (i.e., overly exposed to toxins found in our environment)? Well, how would you know if you were? If you have lived in Illinois for most of your life, you have certainly been dowsed, and the older you are the more exposure you have undergone. In fact, if you have lived anywhere in the world sometime during the past sixty years, you have been exposed to many toxic substances as well. And, while many of us realize that we have lots of foreign materials in our bodies, ones that are likely damaging to our innards, we don't often give much thought to the matter. Steingraber tells us why this is a very disturbing state of affairs and something that we shouldn't continue to ignore.

Steingraber has spent the bulk of her recent life doing scientific detective work to determine how widely people have been exposed to toxic chemicals, and, more importantly, what effects have these exposures have had on human lives. Her investigative research has uncovered the following key pieces of information that warrant our immediate attention; we are certainly indebted to her for bringing many of these findings to light.

Cancer rates among persons living in the United States have been increasing quite rapidly. Between 1950 and 1991, "the incidence of cancer in the United States rose 49.3%," (S1, 40), a particular disturbing statistic when one considers that the U.S. population has grown 64% over this same time. In the 1950s, only 25% (1 in 4) of us would develop cancer during our lifetimes, now the number is around 40% (38% for women and 48% for men) (S1, 40). Yes, amazingly, nearly half of the men reading this article will have to confront cancer in their lifetimes!

Of the massive, 75,000 synthetic chemicals currently in use, only about 2% have been tested for carcinogenicity (i.e., their cancer-causing effects) (S1, 99). There are more than 850 pesticide active ingredients currently registered and nearly 50% of U.S. families use yard and garden weed killers as well as insecticidal flea collars, sprays, shampoos or dips for household pets (S1, 95). In 1979, the U.S. Congress passed the Toxics Substance Control Act which mandated the review of new chemicals, but since many of the currently used chemicals were produced before this date they don't require a review at all; so they haven't been. Unfortunately, despite this policy, Steingraber has found that an average person living in the United States has approximately 200 toxic chemicals in his/her body at measurable amounts, including pesticide residues, industrial solvents, electrical fluids, dry cleaning compounds, and dioxin. Worse yet, these toxins are found in all fluids and materials in one's body. Even worse yet, many of these don't readily leave the body, so they remain inside it, building up in concentration over the course of one's lifetime.

Many rivers and lakes throughout the U.S. are so laden with toxic chemicals that fishing is often either prohibited or strongly discouraged. A local river, the Illinois, had more than 350 spills of hazardous waste between 1974-1989 and this doesn't even include those "spills" which are considered "acceptable," namely, routine industrial discharges and agricultural runoff. Thus, it is not surprising, that during the 20th Century, 20 species of fish disappeared from the river that bears our state's name, as well as nearly one-third of all native amphibian species and more than half of the mussel species (S1, 193). Steingraber, who grew up just blocks from the river, has found archival photos from the early 1900s showing how fecund (i.e., fruitful) the river once was and how people used to enjoy it so. Now, many of us Galesburgites drive over it time and time again, not noticing that, as one knowledgeable Peorian recently told me, the river, which looks quiet extensive and plentiful from bridge height, isn't more than a few feet deep in many places.

Trash burning, which is "officially" done in incinerators and "unofficially" done in many backyards and rural areas, often produces chemicals that are as dangerous, or more dangerous, that most of the trash itself. "Even the newest, fanciest incinerators send traces of dioxin and furans into the air" (S1, 222). These two chemicals come from the simultaneous burning of organic matter (such as something as innocuous as newspaper) with children's toys (made of PVC, polyvinyl chloride), paint thinners, pesticides or household cleaners. With all of the different "soups" that get burned, more than 135 different furans and 75 different dioxins have been observed. And while some forms of dioxin seem to actually reduce the likelihood of breast cancer, acting as antiestrogens, they do so at a great price. Steingraber points out that numerous studies show that dioxin "depress[es] immunity," influences "thyroid functioning, blood glucose levels, sexual development, and testosterone production" (S1, 229).

Given all these reasons to avoid incinerators, why do they get built? Steingraber notes that small communities with financial difficulties often are targeted for the development of an incinerator. Unfortunately, many uninformed people in these communities are naive victims because they willing accept the promise of jobs and money for local infrastructure at the expense of their, and others, lives and health.

Chemical infectivity occurs in the most unusual places and to unsuspecting groups. According to Steingraber, women in