Toxic chemicals are top threat to health

They lurk all around us – in the thousands of industrial chemicals we use today, the processed food that we eat every day, the house cleaners that help us keep our homes squeaky clean, the cosmetics and personal care products that help us look good and feel good, and in the very air we breathe. Yes, we’re talking about the toxic chemicals around us, which are today’s top threat to health, replacing bacteria and viruses.

According to toxicologist Rick Irvin in Consumer Health Reviews, through public health practices, immunization, and nutrition, we’ve controlled diseases of microbial origin like influenza and tuberculosis. "The diseases we’re beginning to see as the major causes of death in the latter part of this century and certainly into the 21st century are diseases of chemical origin."

Irvin is quick to point out that scientists believe that 70 to 90 percent of all cancers today are caused by exposure to chemicals. Even heart disease, he notes, is chemical in nature because it’s caused by cigarette smoking and fatty foods.

It’s the price society has to pay for industrialization. And Irvin sees the threat as growing, what with the introduction of more and more new substances for industrial and scientific use. "We’re getting a lot more of what is called high-tech chemicals – such as those used in the manufacture of microelectronics – that have very specialized uses. We really don’t know much about this group and its effects on humans."

Some 80,000 industrial chemicals are in use today, according to The Billings Gazette, most of which have never been studied/analyzed for their effects on people and the environment. We don’t know how much exposure is safe, what levels are unsafe, or which combinations of chemicals are a threat to health.

An alarming story is told about California resident Davis Baltz who found out he has low levels of 106 toxic chemicals in his body. The enraged Baltz says, "It made me mad that that many chemicals were in my body without my consent or knowledge."

Sifting through the chemicals in Baltz’s body, here’s what the scientists found: 61 can cause cancer, 65 can cause birth defects and developmental problems, 68 can affect hormones, 73 can affect the brain and nervous system, 64 can affect the respiratory system, 68 can affect the digestive system, 64 can affect the kidneys, 51 can affect the liver, 66 can affect the skin, 62 can affect the immune system, and 56 can affect the male reproductive system.

The ugly truth is that those seemingly harmless beauty products sitting on our dressers or the toiletries in our bathrooms could be harboring harmful chemicals.

According to John Bailey, director of Cosmetics and Colors at the Food and Drug Administration, companies test cosmetics for allergens (substances that induce allergy) but not for possible long-term effects of exposure to cosmetic ingredients.

Fact is, the modern FDA was created in 1938 as an offshoot of public concern over cosmetics-related injuries. The case of a woman who died after using an eyelash-dyeing product called Lash Lure and another who went blind because of the product served as an eye-opener.

Hidden in those beauty products are some hideous chemicals like propylene glycol (PG), which is found in hair care products, deodorants, and after shave, and is the same ingredient you find in brake fluid.

Don’t be shocked if you find zinc sulfate listed as among the ingredients on the label of your antiaging cream. Zinc sulfate has been found to cause tumors in rabbits. One writer quipped that maybe it’s called antiaging because when you use it, you won’t live long enough to see your skin wrinkle.

Seriously now, here are some ingredients to watch out for when buying cosmetics and toiletries:

• DEA, MEA, TEA – can cause cancer of the kidneys and liver.

• Petrolatum – prevents elimination of toxins from the body.

• Imidazolidinyl urea/DMDM hydantoin – these formaldehyde-forming preservatives can weaken the immune system and cause cancer.

• Sodium lauryl sulphate – found in shampoos, hair conditioners, toothpaste, etc., it can form cancer-causing nitrosamines when combined with other ingredients.

• Padimate-O – ironically, this ingredient found in sunscreens may actually increase the risk of skin cancer.

• Methyl, propyl, butyl, ethyl paraben – used to extend a product’s shelf life, they are highly toxic.

• Synthetic colors – coal-tar dyes (FD7C or D4C) are carcinogenic.

A major, nay, hair-raising concern is hair dyes derived from coal tars. Warning consumers against color additives, Dr. Andrew Weil says, "Many are energetic molecules that can interact with DNA, potentially causing mutations that lead to cancer."

A study funded by the American Cancer Society and FDA reveals an increase in "relatively uncommon cancers, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma, in hair-dye users." And the darker the shades of permanent and semi-permanent dyes, the greater the risk of breast cancer. At greatest risk are those who use black, dark brown, and red dyes.

While it seems that there’s no escaping these toxic chemicals, we can minimize our exposure to them by following these suggestions given by the Environmental Working Group, an eco organization:

• Buy organic food whenever possible.

• Avoid using pesticides at home.

• Eat fewer processed foods.

• Eat less meat and high-fat dairy products.

• Reduce the number of household cleaners you use.

• Avoid gasoline-powered garden tools.

• Don’t microwave food in plastic containers; instead, use glass or ceramic.

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