one more reason to eat organic...

[merchimerch]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/nation/epaper/2005/07/14/m1a_peststudy_0714.html

"In a benchmark study released today, researchers found an average of 200 industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of newborns, including seven dangerous pesticides — some banned in the United States more than 30 years ago.

The report, Body Burden — The Pollution in Newborns, by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group, detected 287 chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of 10 newborns. Of those chemicals, 76 cause cancer in humans or animals, 94 are toxic to the brain and nervous system and 79 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests."

This is completely scary - what are we doing to ourselves just so we can have pretty looking produce in our aisles and tomatoes in December?

Comments

[fallen42.livejournal.com]

Of course the news story doesn't say how much of each of these toxic chemicals were found, or how much of each a person can handle in their lifetime without problems, or the specific effect of differnt levels of these chemicals in babies and children. Never mind that infant mortality rates have been falling, and life expectancy has been rising for the last 20 years.

News stories like this really bother me because they take a little bit of scientific information that warrents a some concern and further study, and turn it into WE'RE POISIONING OUR CHILDREN, and WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!

Sorry, it's kinda a pet peeve of mine.

[merchimerch.livejournal.com]

yes I agree that there wasn't that much science in the article, but with autism and other man-made diseases on the rise, I think it always worth asking "what are the stakes?" when dealing with things like pesticides, chemicals, jet fuel, etc.

Then again, I am a luddite and believe that our humanity has yet to catch up to our technology.

[fallen42.livejournal.com]

I agree that it is worth asking questions and studying the issues, but jumping to the conclusion that we are posioning our children is wildly premature IMO.

[merchimerch.livejournal.com]

Well I think we are poising our children...if slowly. I think it is pretty obvious that kids are getting born with a larger burden of crap that gets passed on from their parents (and grandparents in some cases). Not every kid will end up with autism, heavy metaln problems, or jet fuel poisoning, but a larger and larger number of them will. It doesn't help that they are starting out behind the eight ball.

And really, I don't want any jet fuel in my blood, I don't care what the medical/scientific community tells me is an acceptable and undamaging level.

[fallen42.livejournal.com]

I can respect that belief, and I think it is a thoery worthy of further study. I just don't like it when news articles give the impression that it is a scientific fact, far before the scientific community comes to that conclusion.

[merchimerch.livejournal.com]

oh and last time I checked, infant mortality was actually rising in the US - it is falling in terms of global average, but with out decrepit health care system, I believe infant mortality is higher than it was a decade ago. (sorry no statistics for you at the mo)

[fallen42.livejournal.com]

Looks like it is falling to me:

http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/chusa02/main_pages/page_23.htm

[merchimerch.livejournal.com]

the .gov makes me suspicious of the statistics, but that is the paranoid Sovietologist side of me coming out ;)

Maybe what I read was talking about a specific demographic, like lower income or minority infant mortality.

Regardless, you came up with the stats so you can win (though I'd trust NGO numbers more)

[merchimerch.livejournal.com]

Okay, I got some stats from the Anne Casey Foundation (which I trust more than our government)

It looks like US infant mortality rates are falling, just not as fast as in other industrialized nations. The US under 5 mortality rate is much worse than all other industrialized nations. In 1990 we were ahead of countries like Greece, Israel, and Portugal, but by 2000 they achieved lower rates for mortality in children under 5. Our infant mortality rates for poor and minority kids are appalling and are driving our stats up mostly because they have no health care...but that is a whole other debate.


Here are some links:
http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/databook/summary/summary4.htm
http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/int_data.pdf