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1. Avoid Canned Foods: BPA, a well researched xeno-estrogen (chemical that mimics estrogen in the body) is common in the lining of canned goods. Several studies have exposed animals to environmentally relevant levels of BPA and found that exposure at any time during the life cycle of an animal can have profound effects, including birth defects and detrimental changes to both male and female reproductive organs. Whether exposed in utero, during puberty or as adults, these animals experience changes that last not only their life time but are passed on to their offspring, and their offspring's children as well. 2. Eat Organic: While it can be costly to eat entirely organic it certainly is best to avoid pesticides and herbicides on a daily basis. If you need to prioritize while shopping we suggest making sure that at the very least your meat and dairy products are organic. Pesticide chemicals are a danger to the body and so, just like humans, animals will store these chemicals in their fat in order to get them out of circulation. Eating animals or products containing their fat (butter, milk, etc) is asking for a concentration of their pesticide exposure if you're not choosing organic. A study by researchers at the Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University, found that adult rats who were exposed to the pesticide vinclozolin as babies "developed a number of disease states or tissue abnormalities including prostate disease, kidney disease, immune system abnormalities, testis abnormalities, and tumor development (e.g. breast). In addition, a number of blood abnormalities developed including hypercholesterolemia." The likelihood of developing these diseases was increased in the next 3 generations of rats! 3. Avoid Plastic: Avoid storing or heating food in plastic containers or with plastic wrap, and drinking out of plastic cups and water bottles. As you may remember from our last news letter, plastics contain a number of different chemicals that have been shown to disrupt hormonal function, including BPA and phthalates. Use glass, ceramic, earthenware, or porcelain whenever possible. And remember that heating these plastics increases the likelihood of chemicals leaching into food and drink.
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| hormone balance in the bathroom... | what's in your make up? Think about all the products you keep in your bathroom: shampoos and conditioners, lotions, soaps, make up, perfumes. Have you ever flipped over that bottle of shampoo or lotion and read the ingredients? Can you pronounce even 1/4th of what's in there? How are we to make health conscious decisions about what we rub, lather, dust, and spritz onto our bodies every day when we don't even know what it is? Thanks to the Environmental Working Group much of the difficult work has already been done! Check out their Skin Deep Database where they have rated hundreds of products and brands as to their safety. Type in your shampoo or your favorite lip balm and see if they contain chemicals shown to cause endocrine disruption or cancer. Pull up entire lists of safe beauty products and make your next shopping trip that much easier!
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| guest book review... | ||||||||
by angela epshtein We have chosen Silent Spring by Rachel Carson as a reading recommendation to accompany this newsletter because it is a phenomenal explanation of how chemicals effect our environment and our physiology. This read will make you think twice about the chemicals you come into contact with on a regular basis. We thank guest author Angela Epshtein for the review of Silent Spring!
The Beginning of a Movement There are few non-fiction books published during the last century that have the relevance and impact of Silent Spring. Prior to 1962, there was no public debate or interest in the effects of manmade chemicals on the environment. Not only did Silent Spring bring out the issue of chemical poisoning, it also sparked the US environmental movement. Interestingly, Carson did not outright reject the use of chemicals to control insect and plant growth. She instead advocated for careful scientific research and full public disclosure about the impact of chemicals (in particular pesticides) on the environment, wildlife, and humans. Carson aptly quoted the French biologist and philosopher, Jean Rostand, “The obligation to endure gives us the right to know.” 20th Century Revolution Carson’s appreciation for the integrated biological systems that make up the balance of nature provides readers with a context for understanding why pesticide use affects the entire ecosystem. Ironically, the use of chemicals to control insects and plants was more often than not ineffective and the poisoning that resulted was often far reaching. Carson sites the disturbing longevity and pervasiveness of pesticide poisoning that plagued many communities in the late 1950s and early 1960s. For example, it wasn’t just that birds died a gruesome death within days of exposure to pesticides, but for those birds that survived, their young either did not hatch or died shortly after hatching. Ultimately pesticide poisoning doesn’t evaporate—it seeps into the ecosystem and becomes a part of nature. A true revolutionary, Carson’s straightforward prose and compelling narrative gave the public the words and ideas needed to promote legislative change. The most famous being the creation of the National Environmental Policy Act and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Why it Matters Forty-five years after publication, Silent Spring is still relevant because pesticides continue to be perceived as easier to manage and more affordable to use than organic or biological methods of insect and plant control. Although DDT in particular has been banned in the US, it’s still sold to foreign buyers who in turn apply it to crops raised outside the US. Produce buyers in the US then import the DDT laden crops, which wind up in supermarkets across America. This all translates into an infusion of poison into the American diet that has far reaching effects. While there are federally funded research projects that focus on pesticides as a cause or at least a factor in human diseases such as cancer, the common view is that there are “safe” levels of exposure that don’t warrant alarm. Ms. Carson eloquently wrote, “An individual may have many different exposures to the same chemical. Arsenic is an example. It exists in the environment of every individual in many different guises: as an air pollutant, a contaminant of water, a pesticide residue on food, in medicines, cosmetics, wood preservatives, or as a coloring agent in paints and inks. It is quite possible that no one of these exposures alone would be sufficient to precipitate malignancy—yet any single supposedly ‘safe dose’ may be enough to tip the scales that are already loaded with other ‘safe doses.’” The bottom line is that the “safe dose” notion is a compromise of conscience that doesn’t support public health. An Independent Thinker It’s particularly moving to know that before her untimely death from cancer, Carson, who had no academic affiliation or institutional support for her work, was recognized by many to be the voice of reason and reflection regarding the dangers of pesticide use. Carson’s independent thinking and drive to inform the general public of the dangers of pesticides is a rare and unique form of social altruism, a gift to all who read Silent Spring.
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