Here’s an article I wrote not too long ago. Interesting stuff:
The human race has been better at creating chemicals than finding out if these
chemicals are in fact harmful to people and the environment. Some chemicals,
called endocrine distruptors, infiltrate the body and mimic or block hormones, disrupting
normal functions. So how can they be avoided?
The website home for the book Our Stolen Future by Theo Colborn,
Dianne Dumanoski and John Peterson Myers, (Abacus, 1997), reveals startling health
conditions caused by endocrine disruptors ranging from hormone disruption to cancer,
birth defects, diminished sperm count, reduced reproductive organs, endometriosis,
ectopic pregnancies, reproductive failure, compromised immune system, weakened reflexes
and muscle tone, short-term memory damage, attention deficit, and lowered intelligence.
According to an article published by the David Suzuki Foundation titled “Toxic Products Add to Our Chemical Burden” on June 10, 2005, these chemicals can be found in many things such as pesticides, fungicides and plastics.
In fact, according to the National Resources Defense Council’s article “Endocrine Disruptors”
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/qendoc.asp, November 25, 2008, the majority of chemicals do not
have to be safe to be allowed on the market.The majority of the more than 2,000 chemicals that
come onto the market every year do not go through even the simplest tests to determine toxicity.
Even when some tests are carried out, they do not assess whether or not a chemical has endocrine
interfering properties. And children are at a far greater risk from endocrine disruptor exposure,
because endocrine disruptors affect the development of the body’s vital organs and hormonal
systems, infants, children and developing fetuses are more vulnerable to exposure. And as was
the case with DES, parents’ exposure to certain chemicals may produce unexpected — and tragic –
effects in their children, even decades later.
Tips on avoiding endocrine disrupting compounds:
1. Stay away from pesticides and fungicides. Don’t use them on lawns or gardens. Try to eat
organic food if possible. Think about options when dining out at restaurants or friends’ houses.
For children, find out if schools/daycares serve organic food.
2. Avoid plastics as much as possible, especially when heating food and storing fatty food.
Children should have alternatives to plastic toys, especially ones that might end up in the
mouth as plastic can leach endocrine disruptors. Bisphenol-A, an organic compound and building
block of plastic, was announced by Health Canada in an April 18, 2008 news release to be
contaminating newborns and infants through heated polycarbonate baby bottles and infant formula
cans. Polycarbonate is also found in reusable water bottles. According to the Government of Canada’s
Chemical Substances action initiative’s article “Consumer Information Safety of Plastic Containers
Commonly Found in the Home”, October 16, 2008, plastics identified by codes 1 through 6 do not
use Bisphenol-A in their manufacturing process.
Education is the most important aspect of all. Read books, visit websites, talk to local organic
farmers, attend workshops and information sessions, and pass the word around.
