TOOLS FOR TOXICITY RESEARCH AND PROTECTION

Today there are over 100 auto immune diseases and cancer has replaced cardio-vascular diseases as the number one cause of premature death (for people under 85 years old) Chemical pollution of our air, water, workplaces and communities is a mounting health and environmental crisis.  We are exposed to chemicals through the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. We are also exposed to hundreds of chemicals in everyday products we use, including paints and varnishes, glues, cosmetics, clothes dry-cleaned with solvents, plastic food containers, children’s toys and home and garden pesticides to name a few. The links and resources that follow can help to minimize the damage.

Generalities on Toxic substances

PRODUCT SEARCH

Cosmetic toxicity

Lead

Mercury

Phthalates

PCBs

Flame retardants (PBDEs)

PFCs/Teflon

See all chemicals

See all chemical families

See all health effects

http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=77083

http://www.iatp.org/foodandhealth/

http://www.ewg.org/chemindex

http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/pp.asp?c=kwKXLdPaE&b=2060995

 

 

CONTRARILY TO EUROPE, NO PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE IN THE USA

Most people assume that chemicals undergo strict scrutiny before they are allowed on the market. Only about 10% of the nearly 100,000 chemicals on the market today have ever been tested for their effects on human health. Moreover, the burden of proof placed on the government should it want to ban a chemical is so insurmountable that only a handful of chemicals have ever been banned. Regulation is established in the Court room. Contrarily to Europe, the manufacturer does not have a strict burden of proof for the safety of his product, if any. It is perfectly legal for many chemical companies to introduce new chemicals into products without ever demonstrating whether these chemicals are safe.

Meanwhile, more than 430,000 American children have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. Lead can cause irreversible brain damage, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma and death. More than five million women of childbearing age have high levels of toxic mercury in their blood, and approximately 630,000 newborns are born at risk every year. There is an imperative need to reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish. Including, but not limited to teeth and accinations. More than one million Americans have autism, a complex neurobiological condition that has a range of impacts on thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. As diagnostic criteria broaden and awareness increases, more cases of autism have been recognized across the country, etc.

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