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The New Science Behind Many of Today's Modern Illnesses
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How These Illnesses Are Affecting Each of Us Differently
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Because industrial changes are not easily seen, our environment at home, work, or in our cars changes over time. What was used 30 years ago has been changed and what we use today will, in turn, be changed.
Such alterations can be responsible for environmental impacts that affect our daily lives, not to mention our health. However, there are ways to continue to live healthy while keeping up with the times. This is the HEALTHY GREEN Connection.
Denise, a mother of three children said, “I raised all three children in the same house, in the same way. But now I’m not so sure.” Denise changed her family’s lifestyle. They drink from stainless steel containers. She doesn’t microwave foods in plastic and the family buys organic fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
Children and Environmental Toxins
Children can be affected differently than adults. Their bodies use nutrients and grow all day, as the child eats, sleeps, and plays. All these environmental toxins may impact the body’s chemistry. Some immediately, some not for years later, and others affect children increasingly as the toxins in the body build.
Environmental Estrogens and Allergies
Some chemicals, unrelated normally, can compound each other’s effects. For example, soy milk has high levels of estrogens. This combined with environmental toxins that mimic estrogens can cause early puberty and other conditions that we are only just discovering.
There is increasing evidence that estrogens in the environment heighten dust allergen cell responses. One significant source of environmental estrogens (EEs) is a by-product of polycarbonate plastics.
These EEs combine with dust mite allergen to prompt a cellular response that releases proteins for asthma and allergy symptoms. This is caused by the chemicals ability to mimic estrogens.
Testing for these allergens can be difficult, as the response occurs only at a specific density in the mid-range, not the highest or lowest levels. High and low are where a doctor would typically test.
EE’s are found in pesticides, plastics, and polycarbonated byphenyls (PCBs). These plastics are found in almost all places of everyday life. They are found in our eyeglasses, baby bottles, toys and microwavable dishes.
Some of the “environmental compounds with broad human exposure have the ability to initiate and increase intensity of the allergic reactions in both humans and mouse immune cells. Some of the long-lived fat loving environmental estrogen may be passed from mother to baby during fetal development or breast milk.”
Environmental Toxins, Estrogens, and Asthma
The first signs of asthma are typically seen in childhood but the severity changes with age and gender. Males are more likely to suffer during childhood and adolescence, while females experience the highest rates and most severe symptoms as adults. Estrogens most likely play a role in these sex differences.
BPA and Our Toxic Environment
Bisophenyl A mimics the estrogen hormone. It is found in aluminum can liners, baby bottles, water coolers, and reusable water coolers. It has the recycle code 7 on the plastic hiking bottles. It is found in 92.6% of population urine tests. Some scientists believe a whole host of health problems are related including breast cancer, diabetes, infertility, and obesity.
Environmental Toxins Are Everywhere
The chemicals used to make Teflon, food packaging, butter boxes, candy wrappers, and microwaveable popcorn bags contain perflouroctanic acid PFOA known as C8. High exposure is linked to cancer, liver damage, and birth defects. In 2006 the EPA advisory board named it as a likely carcinogen. It has been found in the Chesapeake Bay area as well as other water ways.
Testing has shown adult men with higher levels of phthalates to have lower sperm counts. Higher levels of phthalates have been found in men within 48 hours of using cologne or aftershave. These higher levels are typical of the adult male population using these products. It has also been linked to genital feminization of baby boys. Other products contain phthalates such as shower curtains, vinyl products, fragrant items, nail polish and the like.
California became the first state to ban certain toys with phthalates. Europe has had a permanent ban on 6 types of phthalates in children’s toys since 2005.
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