|
Body Burden
Phthalates | Pesticides | Fluoropolymers | PCBs | Flame Retardants | Metals | Dioxins
Pesticides
There are two main types of pesticides: organophosphates and organochlorines.
Organophosphate pesticides include insecticides used on fruits and vegetables, which leave residues in food. Apples, peaches, pears, and grapes have the highest organophosphate risk. Commercial baby food also contains organophosphates. This chemical is related to nerve gas used in WWII.
Organochlorine pesticides include DDT, chlordane, and other insecticides used to kill mosquitoes, protect crops, and safeguard foods from insects. Organochlorines disrupt your hormone system, resulting in headaches, respiratory problems, nausea, and tremors. Chlordane was used from 1948 to 1988; DDT was used from 1940s to 1960s. Since these substances don't degrade easily, organochlorines are found in the body tissue of most individuals. If your house was sprayed for termites in 1980s, organochlorines can still be in the house's air.
"Every day, 1 million American children age 5 and under consume unsafe levels of a class of pesticides . . . ." (Environmental Working Group) [13]
"A comprehensive survey of more than 1,300 Americans has found traces of weed- and bug-killers in the bodies of everyone tested, leading environmentalists in both Canada and the United States to call for far tighter controls on pesticides. The survey, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that the body of the average American contained 13 of these chemicals. A surprising finding was that 99 per cent of Americans, including virtually all children born in recent years, had DDT residues. The use of the insecticide has been subject to controls and outright bans since the late 1960s, and its presence indicates how persistent it is in the general environment." (The Globe and Mail) [14]
"In a recent analysis of organochlorine residues in the U.S. food supply, Pesticide Action Network found that even those chemicals that have been banned for decades are showing up consistently in food samples tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration." (Coming Clean) [15]
"Dairy products are the main dietary source of organochlorine residues. In 1988 in the UK organochlorine residues were found in 44 per cent of 120 samples of milk. Cattle may be exposed to pesticides in grass and other fodder crops treated deliberately with herbicides or through the chemicals drifting in the air." (Global Change) [16]
"Young children and pregnant women who drink milk from California cows may be exposed to unsafe levels of a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel . . . . Perchlorate has been found in drinking water in more than 20 states, including California, which has extensive ties to the military, defense industry and the space program. The chemical has been detected in the Colorado River, the major source of drinking water and irrigation in Southern California and Arizona. . . . The EWG tests, conducted by researchers at Texas Tech University, found the chemical in 31 of 32 samples from milk purchased at grocery stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The average level of the chemical was 1.3 parts per billion." (MSNBC News) [17]
"The US Department of Agriculture found pesticides in over 70 per cent of juice samples they analyzed in 1996, including 98 per cent of apple juice and 96 per cent of peach juice. Pesticide residues are reduced in the processing of juice although some juice may also contain pesticides which are left on peel." (Global Change) [16]
"A typical holiday dinner menu of 11 food items can deliver thirty-eight ‘hits’ of exposure to POPs [Persistent Organic Pollutants], where a ‘hit’ is one persistent toxic chemical on one food item." The report’s estimated holiday dinner includes turkey with stuffing and gravy, winter squash, green beans, boiled potatoes with butter, dill pickles, and pumpkin pie. (Pesticide Action Network, North America) [18]
Phthalates | Pesticides | Fluoropolymers | PCBs | Flame Retardants | Metals | Dioxins
Continue: "FAQ"
|
