What's yer poison?

[Guest guest]

*WHAT'S YER POISON*?

LIFE IS TOXIC: BOOK

BY SUSAN EDELMAN and ELIZABETH WOLFF

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/67010.htm

June 4, 2006 -- Even your mattress can kill you.

The most mundane, everyday products contain a toxic brew that floods the

human body with some 700 synthetic chemicals - and could wreak havoc, a

new book warns.

The growing number of chemicals in foods, medicines and consumer

products are weakening our immune systems, triggering disease and even

threatening our reproductive future, writes investigative journalist

Randall Fitzgerald, author of " The Hundred-Year Lie: How Food and

Medicine Are Destroying Your Health. "

" There's a chemical bomb in your body - and it's about to explode, " he

told The Post.

Fitzgerald argues the cumulative effect of the chemicals can trigger

genetic susceptibility to cancer, autism, attention deficit disorder and

neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. He also cites

alarming trends, among them the drop in human sperm counts in the last

few decades and the onset of puberty in girls 8 and younger.

Fitzgerald also found startling new types of pollution.

For instance, recent water testing in California showed 60 percent of

the state's rivers and streams had high levels of Prozac, Ritalin and

antibiotics. People either dumped excess prescription drugs or excreted

them into the sewer system. Waste-water treatment and purification

plants failed to remove the toxins.

" We are constantly recycling these toxins through our bodies, "

Fitzgerald said.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tested the

blood of more than 10,000 adults and kids over the past five years - and

found hundreds of synthetic chemicals.

What's scarier, Fitzgerald reports, is the " synergy " that makes the

chemicals much more toxic when mixed.

" We are all guinea pigs in a vast chemical experiment where there is no

instruction manual, " Fitzgerald said.

The pharmaceuticals prescribed for illness and diseases caused by

synthetic chemicals introduce more toxins into the body, making us even

more vulnerable to viruses - such as the looming threat of avian flu, he

said.

He offers health tips on his Web site, http://www.hundredyearlie.com

[benefits of civilization]

Tap water: Chlorine transforms other chemicals into compounds linked to

breast cancer, while accumulated fluoride may cause retardation.

Plastic water bottles: Molecules of bisphenol-A, used in manufacturing

to make plastic flexible, leach into the water, especially when warmed

by sunlight. The chemical can disrupt fetal development, memory and

intelligence.

French fries: A 2005 study found that frying starches creates carcinogens.

Breast milk: Recent tests of nursing women in 18 states found traces of

rocket fuel that had polluted water used to irrigate crops.

Dry cleaning: Fumes or residues from caustic solvents can cause cancer,

nerve damage, memory loss, depression and cardiac abnormalities.

Air sanitizers: Fragrance sprays release benzene fumes, which can cause

leukemia.

Diet drinks: The artificial sweetener aspartame, once listed by the

Pentagon as a possible biochemical weapon, breaks down, when stored at

85 degrees for a week, into formaldehyde and other chemicals linked to

brain tumors.

Mattresses: Flame retardants and vinyl combine with room warmth and

common fungi to create toxic gases that may cause headaches and

dizziness - and asphyxiate babies as in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Deodorants: Contain suspected cancer-causing chemicals; perfumes and

hairspray use industrial substances known to damage the liver, kidney,

hormonal process and sperm count.

Non-stick cookware: Nearly 100 percent of umbilical cords from newborns

contain the chemical PFOA - used to make Teflon - which may alter

hormone levels and cause birth defects.

Plastic food containers: Zapping meals in the microwave heats and

releases plastic chemicals, which seep into the food. The chemicals can

harm fetal development.

Myths

* Flame retardants in kids' pajamas, furniture and carpeting are sold as

safe, but emit formaldehyde and other toxic gases that we inhale.

* " All-natural " does not always mean chemical-free, but the use of

chemicals that mimic a natural source.

* " Unscented " or " fragrance-free " products do not necessarily mean fewer

chemicals, but simply the use of chemicals without an odor.

* " New-car smell " and other vinyl aromas may delight, but are volatile

organic compounds with cancer-causing styrene and formaldehyde.

*

The material in this post is distributed without

profit to those who have expressed a prior interest

in receiving the included information for research

and educational purposes. For more information go to:

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html

http://oregon.uoregon.edu/~csundt/documents.htm

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