(Mirror Daily, United States) – Toxic chemicals are coming back to make headlines, and this time, an international think tank of researchers, doctors, and clinicians makes it very clear that something needs to change.
The sooner the better, they say, drawing the attention of policymakers around the world on how people’s health is endangered by toxic chemicals. One of the largest organization representing OB-GYNs from 125 countries, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has recently published a concerning report.
Even limited exposure to common chemicals – such as those in plastics, pesticides or air pollution – could have detrimental health effects. The most worrying details showed that babies exposed to these chemicals in the womb are even more prone to decreased cognitive function, cancer, and, in some cases, miscarriage or even stillbirth.
Senior author of the report Gian Carlo Di Renzo gave a chilling statement: “We are drowning our world in untested and unsafe chemicals, and the price we are paying in terms of our reproductive health is of serious concern.”
And the numbers are even more mind-blowing; according to the report, in 2012 alone there were roughly 30,000 pounds of chemicals – manufactured or imported – for each individual in the United States, which amounts to a sheer 9.5 trillion pounds in total.
With a steady growth of more than 3 percent every year, the chemical manufacturing industry has seen a sharp increase during the past 4 decades, a great concern for health officials. This business has caused around 7 million deaths so far, according to the FIGO authors, as well as costing the American healthcare several billions of dollars.
However, the actual numbers might be even worse, they argue, and the problem is not going away on its own. Developing countries abounding in poor communities with higher levels of toxic exposure are the ones bearing the “brunt of the global industrial emissions.”
Associate professor Dr. Tracey Woodruff of the University of California raised a fair point as far as solutions are concerned. While individuals can limit their own exposure by maintain better health practices and eating a pesticide-free diet, there is a dire need for and overall protection.
Not all factors that increase one’s chemical exposure are in their control, and this is where legislators and health professionals come into play. That’s why the report was released prior to FIGO’s world congress, so the 7,000 health agents that will gather to discuss women’s health issues will be aware of what they are dealing with.
Image Source: ALS Magazine
Joe Hennessey
