Toxins in our Life

Lately, scientists have detected up to 300 toxic chemicals in the average person’s blood and studies of newborns have found the presence of an average of 200 industrial chemicals in their blood. Most of the chemicals are found in products that we all use every day, like cleaning fluids and sprays, tin can linings, perfumes and cosmetics and even baby bottles. Others included banned pesticides like DDT that have lingered in the environment for decades. Here are the disturbing facts on this and other similar findings on the silent but serious chemical invasion of our bodies today.

Mercury (Harms brain development and function) – a pollutant from coal-fired power plants, mercury-containing products, and certain industrial processes. Accumulates in seafood.

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (Linked to cancer) – pollutants from burning gasoline and garbage. Accumulates in food chain.

Polybrominated dibenzodioxins and furans (PBDD/F) (Toxic to developing endocrine, i.e. hormone system) – contaminants in brominated flame retardant; pollutants and byproducts from plastic production and incineration. Accumulate in food chain.

Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) (Linked to cancer, birth defects, and more) – active ingredients or breakdown products of Teflon, Scotchgard, fabric and carpet protectors, and food wrap coatings. Global contaminants. Accumulate in the environement and the food chain.

Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and furans (PBCD/F) (Cause cancer in humans. Very toxic to developing endocrine, i.e. hormone system) – pollutants and by-products of PVC production, industrial bleaching, and incineration. Persist for decades in the environment.

Organochlorine pesticides (OCs) (Cause cancer and numerous reproductive effects) – mainly DDT, chlordane and other pesticides. Largely banned in the US. Persist for decades in the environment. Accumulate up the food chain to main.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (Adversely affects brain development and the thyroid) – flame retardant in furniture foam, computers, and televisions. Accumulates in the food chain and human tissues.

Alkylphenol compounds – (Mimic natural estrogen hormones and have been shown to alter the sexual development in some organisms, for example in fish. It is extensively used as additives in plastics and as surface-active ingredients in industrial detergents and emulsifiers. They were used in textile and carpet cleaning and as emulsifier solvents and are still used in some agricultural pesticides.

Polychlorinated Naphthalenese (PCNs) (Cause liver and kidney damage) – from wood preservatives, varnishes, machine lubricating oils and waste incineration; a common PCB contaminant. Contaminate the food chain.

Polychlorinated buphenyls (PCBs) (Cause cancer and nervous system problems) – In industrial insulators and lubricants. Banned in the US in 1976. Persist for decades in the environment. Accumulate up the food chain, to main.

Triclosan (Affect liver enzymes in rat studies; poses multidrug resistance to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a cause of death in many hospital-acquired infections due to its intrinsic resistance to many antibiotics) – a commonly used antibacterial and antimicrobial agent which has been incorporated into many common consumer products like toothpaste, deodorants, cosmetics, textiles, toys and antibacterial soaps and detergents.

Artificial Musks (Disrupts hormones. One type, musk xylene, causes cancer at high concentrations, in animal studies) – used to replace natural aromas; added to many products like washing agents, soap and cosmetics. Due to their persistence and extensive use artificial musk have become widely distributed throughout the environment.

Perfluorinated compounds (Cause a wide range of toxic effects on the liver of exposed laboratory rats) – used to make non-stick pans and water repelling coatings.

Phthalates (Some phthalates are reproductive toxicants and particularly affect the testes) – Most of the phthalates that are produces are used as plasticizers to increase the flexibility of countless PVC products like toy, vinyl flooring and electricity cables. Phthalates are also used as solvents or fixing agents in perfume, body lotion and other cosmetics. Phthalates have become one of the most ubiquitous chemicals in the global environment.

DDT (The main DDT component is classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans. Reproductive disorders are well documented in animal studies, and exposure is also linked to human developmental disorders) – Although their manufacture and application are now largely prohibited or restricted in industrialized western countries, they can still be found in the environment, in wildlife and in humans due to their persistence.

“If you can walk, talk and breathe, you’re contaminated”, said Dr. Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defense. Which is why if you’ve been living on this planet earth, you absolutely must detox your body.

Yes, our body has a natural detox mechanism through the kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract and the skin.  However, over time, the body is loaded with so many toxins that this natural detoxification function can wear down and become lousy in removing the unprecedented load of toxins imposed on us by our modern world.