Manmade Chemicals in Our Bodies

That old adage, "We are what we eat and drink" was originally intended as a guide to steer us to healthy nutrition and that still is the intent. The reality is, however, that our choices are not ours alone. The foods and fluids that we consume are contaminated by a variety of manmade chemical toxins, many of them are carcinogenic. Others are likely to be harmful but have never been evaluated.

The world-wide chemical industry is virtually unregulated and can produce any new chemical compound without having to prove its safety.Hundreds of thousands of manmade chemicals have been produced since 1930, the advent of "The Manmade Toxic Chemical Age", that never existed in nature. In the US today there are over 75,000 manmade toxic chemicals in use. Many thousands are found in every day products that eventually contaminate the environment and poison us as well.

Herbicides and pesticides that are widely used for agricultural operations contaminate our drinking water and food. Plastics used to package beverages, water, and foods often contain toxic chemicals that leach into their contents. Teflon coated cookware releases toxic chemicals into the foods being prepared. Fire retardants and dirt repellents in carpeting and fabrics slowly release toxic chemicals into the household and automobile air that we breathe. The manufacturing operations that produce toxic chemicals are directly responsible for the release of billions of pounds of carcinogenic toxins annually into the environment. The EPA reported that in 2004 alone more than 4 billion pounds of approximately 650 different carcinogenic toxins the air, water, and lands that we and all other life depend upon. This amounts to over 1,300 pounds of carcinogenic toxins for every person in our country.

The myriad manmade toxic chemicals that literally surround us also enter us and many of them accumulate in our bodies inflicting biological damage resulting in diseases, and death. Toxins also are transferred to newborn infants through their mother's cord blood and amniotic fluid. Miscarriages and birth defects are caused, and these innocents become the victims of our toxic environment.

The unintended consequences of drinking water, eating foods and breathing air must end. Become informed and proactive to protect yourself and the lives of your loved ones. My book, "A Drinker's Guide to Pure Water-Is your Water Safe?" describes the scope of the toxic drinking water problems and what we can do to protect ourselves and our communities from harm.