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Growing with Toxins!
By Daphne D'Gama
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| Unborn babies are soaking in chemicals, mercury, gasoline byproducts and pesticides is the shocking revelation of a recent survey. The report by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental research organisation is based on tests of 10 sample of umbilical cord blood taken by the American Red Cross. They found an average of 287 contaminants in the blood, including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides and the Teflon chemical PFOA. From the time parents start preparing a room for a new baby, they are making choices about the child’s environment. Parents are often found painting, papering and carpeting a baby’s room with a wide variety of products. What they don’t realize is that by doing so they are creating a highly toxic environment.
Babies are fed from plastic bottles, smeared with petroleum jelly and mineral oil, washed and shampooed with chemical based cleansers, made to wear disposable diapers, surrounded by scented products and are put to sleep in pajamas treated with fire-retardant chemicals. Today’s markets are flooded with hundreds of baby care products. Parents must learn to identify safe eco-friendly products and healthy alternatives. A recent study by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveals that 97% of Americans are contaminated with a widely-used sunscreen ingredient called oxybenzone that has been linked to all allergies, hormone disruptions and cell damage.  Another study revealed that this chemical is linked to low birth weight in baby girls whose mothers were exposed to oxybenzone during pregnancy. The Environmental Working Group identified nearly 600 sunscreens sold in the US that contain oxybenzone, as well as 172 facial moisturisers, 111 lip balms and 81 different types of lipsticks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 148 substances, from DDT and other pesticides to metals, PCBs and plastic ingredients, were measured in the blood and urine of several thousand of people. Past president of the American Naturopathic Medical Association, Dr. Steve Nugent, reported that “in the typical American home there are more toxins inside the home than outside the home! Your cells actually contain over 400 new toxins that didn’t exist 45 years ago and we are losing the battle against toxins!” The amounts of toxic substances in the  environment are increasing steadily. "A staggeringly large number of the most common diseases of the developed world (most kinds of cancer, hormonal disorders, and low energy including chronic fatigue syndrome, immune disorders, heart disease, and sexual problems) are related to or can be triggered by these toxins," Dr. Baillie-Hamilton adds.
Studies have also revealed that man contributes 700,000 tons of pollutants into the air every single day, ranging from everyday household cleaners and sprays to cosmetics. Interestingly, chemicals and toxins accumulate in fat tissue. The more chemicals and toxins, the more fat the body manufactures. "One new chemical enters industrial use every 20 minutes," says researcher Paula Baillie-Hamilton, only to join many billions of synthetic chemicals already in use. "As a result, the average person living in the developed world is now contaminated with up to 500 industrial toxins, few of which have been properly tested for harmful effects. Only recently in US, studies have begun to determine the effect of toxins in the population. In one such study, 5% of the 1007 women had high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (or PCB 188), which has been linked to breast cancer and weight gain. With this speedy growth of toxicity in our environment each one of us must take the required measures to reduce toxicity in our environment. Simple actions like avoiding chemical cleaners, aerosol sprays, detergents and going organic goes a long way... |
