The chemical threat

In June of 2000, “U.S. News and World Report” featured an article, “Kids at Risk,” which warned us that, “Chemicals in the environment come under scrutiny as the number of childhood learning problems soars. One in every six children in America suffers from problems such as autism, aggression, dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.” Ten years later, the “Journal of Pediatrics” concluded that an association exists between exposure to pesticides and increased risk of ADHD in children.

Between 2000 and 2008, government was eerily silent on the subject. A Chronicle editorial described that period of time as, “two terms of a Republican White House that hired industry insiders, dodged environmental and consumer safety problems, and fervently believed that self-regulation would protect the public. It was a boon for business, but it cost the public dearly.”

In her book, “The Body Toxic,” Nena Baker warns us: “In the United States, our chemical neighborhood includes more than 80,000 industrial substances registered for commercial purposes with the EPA. About 10,000 of these chemicals are widely used in everything from clothes, carpeting, household cleaners and computers to food, food containers, paint, cookware and cosmetics. But the vast majority of them have not been tested for potential side effects.”

Rich Smith and Bruce Levine, authors of “Slow Death by Rubber Ducky,” describe some of what we still face today: “Regardless of age, ethnicity, place of work or residence, everyone is contaminated. Even the most clean living among us is polluted. And even the youngest are vulnerable. Unborn babies were found to have hundreds of chemicals in their little bodies, clearly indicating that toxins are passed on to children not only through breast milk during nursing, but also through the placenta during pregnancy.”

“The man-made compounds that end up in the soil, water and air do not disappear: they mix with complex ecosystems of nature that animals depend on. We have made panoply of discoveries about the havoc man-made chemicals, from pesticides to Prozac, create in the natural systems they invade. Even tiny doses of certain chemicals can have side effects no one ever anticipated. Our better living through chemistry can become nature’s nightmare.” — Daniel Golman, “Ecological Intelligence.”

Now we are hearing about people who are going to sue Monsanto for its continued use of the weed killer Roundup among their crops in spite of the fact that its dangers are widely known and that it has been banned in many other countries. The U.S. chemical and manufacturing industries continue to fight regulation, while Europe has moved ahead with strict regulations against many harmful toxins. Seems the EU believes regulation is good for business because it inspires consumer confidence. According to many reports, Monsanto covered up the dangers of Roundup for many years. It is said that this should be the first of hundreds of such lawsuits.

The Independent Science Panel reported that “GM crops are unacceptable because they are by no means safe. They have been introduced without the necessary safeguards and safety assessments through a deeply flawed regulatory system.”

Shouldn’t we be able to eat without worrying about noxious chemicals in and on our food? Shouldn’t we be able to take a shower without being concerned about the poisons emanating from the vinyl curtain, from the spray of water, the shampoo, any scented product that we may wish to apply to our bodies? Shouldn’t we feel free to allow a baby to crawl on the carpet and children to play on the lawn (natural or artificial) without the fear that they are absorbing chemical fabric protection, fertilizers or pesticides? Shouldn’t we be able to trust that our regulating agencies are doing their job? If you think related corporations aren’t having their way with us, read “Modified: GMOs and the Threat to Our Food, Our Land and our Future” — Caitlin Shetterly.

For almost four decades, “the chemical industry, with the complicity of our elected leaders, has kept us in the dark about the toxicity of everyday substances and successfully resisted policy efforts that would better protect the public. It’s high time for chemical makers and Congress to come clean.” — Baker.

Since 1984, Dorothy Dimitre has written more than 950 columns for various local newspapers. Her email address is gramsd@aceweb.com.