The Threat of Environmental Chemicals To The Future Of The Human Race

The average American has over 13 pounds of chemicals enter their bodies on a yearly basis. Most of these chemicals were not in existence 100 years ago. Therefore, we are not genetically adapted to totally deal with this huge chemical onslaught, especially if we are not in 100% perfect health.

One of the results of this chemical environmental “soup” is a lower global sperm count. A. Danish group reported a 50% fall in global sperm counts from 1940 to 1990 in the British Medical Journal. That was 25 years ago and the trend is continuing. Sperm count and sperm quality is way down.

How long is it going to take before humans will not be able to have babies “the old fashioned way”. Will “test tube babies” be the only way humans will be able to have children 100 years from now? I hope not.

If we don’t do something to change this trend, the future looks bleak.
According to a newly released report by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), which represents OB-GYNs in 125 countries, chemical exposures represent a major threat to human health. This is particularly true during pregnancy and early infancy.

According to the report:

“Exposure to toxic environmental chemicals during pregnancy and breastfeeding is ubiquitous and is a threat to healthy human reproduction.”

Environmental Chemicals Threaten Human Health & Reproduction:
The FIGO reported on a number of the most pervasive toxins, including:

1. Pesticides
2. Air pollutants, such as diesel fumes
3. Plastic chemicals, such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates

Among the health outcomes linked to these toxic chemicals are:

1. Miscarriages
2. Stillbirths
3. Cancer
4. Reduced cognitive function
5. Hyperactivity

The Cost of Chemical Exposures Is Significant:

The costs associated with these health outcomes are staggering. For example, in Europe, costs associated with exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals alone are estimated at 157 billion Euros (which is approximately $177.1 billion) per year.

In 2008, the cost associated with childhood diseases linked to toxic exposures in the US was estimated at nearly $77 billion.

To understand just how severe chemical exposures have become, consider this: each year a total of 9.5 trillion pounds of chemicals are manufactured or imported into the US, which translates into 30,000 pounds per American! All of these chemicals “go” somewhere and on the average, about 13 pounds of them end up in our bodies.

Organic Diet During Pregnancy Reduces Risk of Birth Defects and Other Health Problems:

Pesticide exposure is another great concern during pregnancy. A number of studies have linked pesticides to birth defects and recent research shows that the risk of two common urogenital birth defects in male children can be decreased by eating organic foods during pregnancy.

Task Force Urges Everyone to Proactively Avoid Endocrine-Disrupting Hormones:

Based on a review of more than 1,300 studies, an Endocrine Society task force recently issued a new scientific statement on endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are also known as “gender benders”. The health effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals are such that everyone needs to take proactive steps to avoid them. They also call for improved safety testing to determine which chemicals may cause problems.

The task force, which is made up of doctors who actually treat patients with hormone-related problems, warn that endocrine-disrupting chemicals can have an impact on subsequent generations and they urge infertility doctors to advise their patients to avoid hormone disruptors to improve their odds of successful conception and having healthy babies.
At present, there are some 85,000 chemicals in use in the US and no one knows exactly how many may act as hormone disruptors as the vast majority of these chemicals have NEVER undergone safety testing.

As noted by one of the members of the task force, even if only 1% of these chemicals cause hormone disruption, that would equate to about 850 different chemicals, making avoidance difficult.

The most well-known for their hormone disrupting potential, even at low doses, are:

1. BPA/BPS, found in plastics, the lining of canned foods, and cash register receipts

2. Phthalates, found in soft plastics, vinyl flooring, perfumes, soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics

3. Certain pesticides

4. Triclosan, which is found in a wide array of antimicrobial products, such as soaps, hand sanitizers and Total Toothpaste

Tips to Help You Avoid Toxic Chemicals:

Considering all the potential sources of toxic chemicals, it’s virtually impossible to avoid all of them.

However, you CAN limit your exposure by keeping a number of key principles in mind:

1. Eat a diet focused on locally grown, fresh, and ideally organic whole foods. Processed and packaged foods are a common source of chemicals such as BPA and phthalates. Wash fresh produce well, especially if it’s not organically grown.

2. Choose grass-pastured, sustainably raised meats and dairy to reduce your exposure to hormones, pesticides, and fertilizers. Avoid milk and other dairy products that contain the genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST).

3. Rather than eating conventional or farm-raised fish, which are often heavily contaminated with PCBs and mercury, supplement with a high-quality krill oil, or eat fish that is wild-caught and lab tested for purity, such as wild caught Alaskan salmon.

4. Buy products that come in glass bottles rather than plastic or cans, as chemicals can leach out of plastics (and plastic can linings), into the contents; be aware that even “BPA-free” plastics typically leach other endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are just as bad for you as BPA.

5. Store your food and beverages in glass, rather than plastic, and avoid using plastic wrap.

6. Use glass baby bottles.

7. Replace your non-stick pots and pans with ceramic or glass cookware.

8. Filter your tap water for both drinking AND bathing. If you can only afford to do one, filtering your bathing water may be more important, as your skin absorbs contaminants. To remove the endocrine disrupting herbicide Atrazine, make sure your filter is certified to remove it. According to the EWG, perchlorate can be filtered out using a reverse osmosis filter.

9. Look for products made by companies that are Earth-friendly, animal-friendly, sustainable, certified organic, and GMO-free. This applies to everything from food and personal care products to building materials, carpeting, paint, baby items, furniture, mattresses and others.

10. Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to remove contaminated house dust. This is one of the major routes of exposure to flame retardant chemicals.

11. When buying new products such as furniture, mattresses, or carpet padding, consider buying flame retardant free varieties, containing naturally less flammable materials, such as leather, wool, cotton, silk, and Kevlar.

12. Avoid stain- and water-resistant clothing, furniture, and carpets to avoid perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs).

13. Make sure your baby’s toys are BPA-free, such as pacifiers, teething rings and anything your child may be prone to suck or chew on — even books, which are often plasticized. It’s advisable to avoid all plastic, especially flexible varieties.

14. Use natural cleaning products or make your own. Avoid those containing 2-butoxyethanol (EGBE) and methoxydiglycol (DEGME) — two toxic glycol ethers that can compromise your fertility and cause fetal harm.

15. Switch over to organic toiletries, including shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants, and cosmetics. EWG’s Skin Deep database can help you find personal care products that are free of phthalates and other potentially dangerous chemicals.

16. Replace your vinyl shower curtain with a fabric one or glass doors.

17. Replace feminine hygiene products (tampons and sanitary pads) with safer alternatives.

18. Look for fragrance-free products. One artificial fragrance can contain hundreds, even thousands of potentially toxic chemicals. Avoid fabric softeners and dryer sheets, which contain a number of synthetic chemicals and fragrances.

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Watch the Documentary The Disappearing Male