What consumers should know about chemicals
What chemicals do you need for your health?
Silly question, isn’t it?
People had better health, having less chemicals around
Life evolved in a man-made chemicals-free environment
Obviously - and regretfully - the more chemicals - the less life
But why??? There isn’t a simple answer to this question. And most probably there isn’t even a complicated answer.
Look: when chemicals enter the environment, scientists name them as environmental pollutants.
Same scientists explain:
- environmental pollutants are also stimuli entering the body through airways, lung, gastrointestinal tract and skin, and … interfere with immunity
- some pollutants activate the immune system, which is the reason while for example Diesel exhaust and some of its components, or fly ash from refineries, have been shown to promote allergies
- other substances are toxic and suppress immune functions, while other interfere with the decision for a particular type of immune reaction
- it has to be emphasized that all effects of pollutants on immunity are to be considered as damaging to health, regardless of whether stimulation, inhibition or redirection is observed
- pollutants carry no meaningful information to which the immune system could react in a constructive way, so any modification through exposition to pollutants will interfere with immune functions
So we are here - again. All chemicals are detrimental for health - in one way or another, or (usually) in several ways.
* * *
But maybe some pharmaceuticals could be helpful improving health? At the end of the day all drugs are produced to help with health issues.
But wait a minute:
- …recently from a CBS/Associated Press Probe, titled Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water: "A vast array of pharmaceuticals - including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones - have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans." The situation is very likely to be similar here in the UK
- when aquatic and amphibian species are exposed to small amounts of pharmaceutical and personal care products, it can result in decreased reproduction, delayed development and even additional appendages in some species. In 2002, 80 percent of streams sampled (139 rivers in 30 states) by the U.S. Geological Survey showed evidence of drugs, hormones, steroids and personal care products such as soaps and perfumes
- in Philadelphia, 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the water and 63 were found in the city’s watershed. In Southern California a portion of 18.5 million people were exposed to anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications in their drinking water. Adding insult to injury, putting chlorine in the water makes some pharmaceuticals more toxic
- most water treatment plants don’t yet test for and therefore don’t treat the water for pharmaceutical drugs. Private septic systems are not set up to handle this very new ‘waste’
How would you like this next innovation:
"Water treatment for pharmaceutical drugs"?
New question arises:
What do you do with old or out of date prescription medications? There are literally thousands of people who either stop taking antibiotic courses mid-way through, "forget" to take their drugs, decide to stop taking prescriptions, or have a sudden … clear out! Chances are you either flush them down the toilet, or simply throw them into your rubbish bin?
If this is the case, you are very likely contributing to the alarming rise in toxic substances in environment - water and soil.
So I’ll repeat initial question:
What chemicals do you need for your health?
