Each one of us is a toxic super fund site...
By Thom Hartmann A...
We are all lab rats in one giant, toxic, and deadly experiment. The Environmental Defense Fund has released a new report, titled Toxics Across America, which looks at the billions of pounds of toxic and potentially deadly chemicals that are currently in the American marketplace. The report looks at 120 chemicals that have been identified by state, federal and international officials as hazardous to our health.
It also looks at which of those chemicals are currently distributed in the U.S, what amounts they are being produced in, where they are being manufactured, and which companies are responsible for them. The report’s key findings include that at least 81 of the chemicals studied are produced in or imported to the U.S. each year in amounts of 1 million pounds or more. Also, 14 of the chemicals studied come in at quantities of 1 billion pounds or more per year, including known carcinogens, or cancer-causing chemicals, like formaldehyde and benzene. And, at least 90 of the chemicals that the EDF studied are commonly found in consumer and commercial products, including 8 used in children’s products.
With billions of pounds of toxic chemicals being produced and used in the United States each year, you'd think that our government would have strict regulations in place to monitor those chemicals, and to keep Americans safe from them. You would be wrong.
Thanks to billions of dollars from Big Chem and relentless lobbying efforts, regulations on deadly chemical production and use in America are virtually non-existent. So, where are these unregulated, toxic, and potentially deadly chemicals being used? All around us, making us all lab rats for Big Chem.
Four million households in America still have dangerous levels of lead, despite lead being banned in paints back in 1978. As result, the CDC estimates that more than 500,000 children in the U.S. have “elevated” levels of lead in their blood. Even small amounts of lead in children have been linked to crime, behavioral problems, dyslexia, decreased IQ, and a variety of other health problems.
Meanwhile, the carcinogen Formaldehyde, used by funeral homes to embalm bodies, is a common chemical found in plywood, hardwood paneling, and even furniture. As Formaldehyde ages, it evaporates and turns into a vapor, which we breathe in, and which accumulates in our bodies, increasing our risks of developing cancer. We're literally being embalmed by our houses and offices!
Another category of popular chemicals used in household furniture is flame retardants. While they sounded like a great idea back in the 1970’s when they were first introduced to the market, we now know that flame retardant chemicals can cause a variety of health problems, including early-onset puberty, diminished IQ, and thyroid problems. And according to the CDC, flame retardant chemicals are now found in the bodies of “nearly all” Americans.
Then there’s Teflon, the chemical used to treat the pots and pans that we use for cooking, so that they’re non-sticking. According to the Science Advisory Board of the EPA, Teflon is in all of us, and it’s most likely a carcinogen.
These are just a few of the thousands of potentially deadly chemicals that surround us every day, and that are building up in our bodies. Back in 2001, as part of a story on chemicals in the environment, Bill Moyers had his blood tested for industrial chemicals that had built up in his body. The results showed that he had 84 industrial chemicals present in his blood that were not supposed to be there. That was 10 years ago. Imagine how many more chemicals are in Bill’s blood, and in the blood of you and me, today.
And, while we're seeing explosions in obesity, cancer, and autism - just to name a few - all around us, it'll be years to decades before we know which of these chemicals are causing what problems. Thanks to weak regulations and safety standards, Big Chem has turned America into one giant science experiment, and we are all the lab rats, forced without our consent or knowledge to deal with the side effects.
Fortunately, there’s a way to stop all of this madness, and to prevent America from becoming an even bigger toxic waste dump. It’s called the Precautionary Principle. Basically, it means that if something could potentially be harmful or deadly, then it has to be proven safe BEFORE millions of people can be exposed to it.
Countries all over the world follow the precautionary principle, to ensure that their citizens are safe and that dangerous products don’t make it to market. In fact, the precautionary principle is so important in the European Union that it’s been made a law, and even has its own website. But here in America, when giant corporations hear “precautionary principle,” they think about money, and the millions of dollars they would have to “waste” on testing products before throwing them into our food, putting them into our homes, or pouring them over our bodies. And, since corporations are running things these days in Washington thanks to the Roberts Supreme Court, our lawmakers are afraid of the precautionary principle too.
There are, however, some communities in America who are waking up. Back in 2005, the City of San Francisco passed a “precautionary principle purchasing” ordinance, which requires that city to look at the environmental and health costs of every purchase it makes, from office paper to keyboard cleaners. It’s time for the rest of the nation to follow suit, and for Washington to put the lives of Americans ahead of the interests of Big Chem and corporate America. Call your members of Congress, and tell them it’s time for the Precautionary Principle in America!
Comments
#2
Got a great chemical story for ya, my wife and I moved from England 12 years ago. The first two weeks she had massive hives and it kept her awake it was horrible. She stopped eating everything and the first thing she tried MILK England has no growth hormones steriods or antibiotics, her body wasnt used to them! Organic milk switch and she was fine.Couple of months later her cats arrived from England they used to love pieces of chicken beef or pork that was cooked with nothing but real butter. We put it down for them, they ran to it and when they sniffed it they gave us the nastiest look and refused to eat it.
The look of we are not eatting that crap! We are not that stupid!
#3
Thom, I know you know this: before Washington prioritizes the lives of Americans over the interests of Big Chem, Big Pharma, Big Oil ad nauseam, we must take back our representative government via Move To Amend and campaign finance reform. Until then, all this is just wishful thinking. - Aliceinwonderland
#4
Aliceinwonderland ~ Very, VERY, well said!! I agree 100% We are putting the carriage before the horse. For all of our problems the only course of action is focussing on Move To Amend and Campaign Finance Reform. Anything else is a waste of time and resources and Thom should know this better than anyone else. That's my two cents!
#5
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently announced that Russia will no longer import GMO products, stating that the nation has enough space, and enough resources to produce organic food.
#6
An interview worth watching on Common Core. http://billmoyers.com/episode/public-schools-for-sale/
#7
But doesn't Move To Amend or Campaign Finance Reform have to go through a crooked congress? Doesn't it all depend upon what our crooked politicians vote on? Doesn't it all come down to who has most of the money to bribe politicians into voting a certain way? If these "movements" are given lots of donations to pester and nag politicians to vote in a certain way...it still wouldn't amount to the pressure that the ruling elite can use. I'm afraid we're all screwed unless they see that another potential revolution is at hand.
#8
N Z Sarah: Well good for Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev!
It's about time the Russians put sanctions on the US for a change. Russians to US...take your filthy GMO...frankinfoods and stuff it! But the Russians had better make sure they shoot down those Monsanto drones that are spreading frankinseeds through their fields!
#9
Quote Palindromedary:[But doesn't Move To Amend or Campaign Finance Reform have to go through a crooked congress? Doesn't it all depend upon what our crooked politicians vote on?
Palindromedary ~ Precisely. That is exactly why we have no time and no resources whatsoever to waste. The level of corruption in Washington after Citizens United is not going to get any better any time soon. That is why we have to go full out on Move To Amend and Campaign Finance Reform right now. There will never be a better time.
Furthermore, any consideration of any ulterior methodology will only have a chance of succeeding after Move to Amend and Campaign Finance Reform have failed; and, public opinion and blessings are overwhelmingly on the side of the people.
#10
doc wilmot: I'm with you on most of that...for sure! 911 was an inside job! I have watched 911-Explosive Evidence a couple of times and just watched it again. When people watch this movie and still have reservations that it was an inside job...they are...like the movie showed...just not able to handle the truth...cognitive dissonance. And when people realize that it was an inside job they then can recognize just how ridiculous it is to even entertain the idea of trying to change things through the corrupt ballot box..the selection of one of two parties that are owned by the people who were behind the inside job.
I suspect that one of the reasons why the US has re-ignited the potential nuclear confrontation with Russia is because more and more people just don't believe that we have a chance to change things here in the US without a full scale revolution. And the wolves and jackals ruling elite are getting nervous. They need something to keep USians very afraid and distracted. Perhaps they will even engineer another 9/11 if they can't succeed with their hegemonic theatrics over Ukraine.
They tried to foment the overthrow of Syria through their proxy Al Qaeda terrorists...even resorting to providing Al Qaeda with chemical weapons to frame Al Assad. Then they tried to bully Assad to step down on the premise that he used chemical weapons against his people. That didn't work out so well...so they moved on to undermining Ukraine and re-igniting the cold war with Russia. They want us all to be afraid...very afraid...so it takes our minds off of things like... who really did 9/11 and our failing economy and our lost jobs. They want us to believe that we would not have a chance of revolution in this country. But, as it is, since only the right wingers have guns, revolution won't come down in favor of kumabya circle jerkers, they don't have guns. They have what they like to believe are "movements"....like it is really going to make a difference among already owned politicians. Movements are never going to influence crooked politicians, or politicians who are owned by the corporations. They have all the money and power now. We don't!
#11
Quote DAnnemarc:Furthermore, any consideration of any ulterior methodology will only have a chance of succeeding after Move to Amend and Campaign Finance Reform have failed; and, public opinion and blessings are overwhelmingly on the side of the people.I doubt it! They will just think up yet another "hope" inspiring delaying tactic that will yet again put off the inevitable....and ask for more money and support. You know most of your donations to almost any group that asks you for money goes to the pockets of insiders of those organizations. It's just another racket that will leave people without hope fulfilled and much poorer. All these organizations...politicians asking for donations...etc are like leaches that will suck you dry by schmoozing you with things you want to hear...and in the end ...it's hopeless. You've been had! Just another sucker falling for their hype.
And in the end, it will still come down to getting those politicians to change laws and if they are owned by a ruling elite that will use tactics like 9/11 and assassinate Presidents like JFK what chance do we really have of playing their games of crooked democracy? Just as Mark pointed out...it took a threat of a revolution before it got those ruling elite following 1929 to change things for the betterment of the majority of the people.
Now, if everyone that went to the ballot box voted for the Communist Party candidate maybe we won't need guns to have a revolution. But, I bet if that happened, the ruling elite would do a JFK on him/her really fast. But it might shake them up like it did back after the 1929 crash when the government started instituting all those social programs.
But, again, it won't be leftists fomenting a revolution...the rightists have all the guns. So get used to bending over for the man.
#12
The failure of Move to Amend and Campaign Finance Reform will do nothing more than the failure of Obama in his second term to finally represent his constituents. People who voted for Obama for his first term held out hope that he would change in his second term. But he didn't. He cracked down on Whistle Blowers, increased secrecy, increased surveillance of us all, continued the violence around the world, overthrowing regimes by fostering internal dissent and assistance, continued torture at GITMO (continued force feeding..especially in the rough way they did it..is torture), and now they have put us on the brink of yet another cold war that could go hot (like nuclear).
The US has not been a good player in Global Warming and has continued to poison us with their chemicals. We are all still being held hostage to the Medical/Pharma/Insurance scammers. And the bastards that did 9/11 are still running around free...the Obama administration changed it's tune about this...too chicken or maybe even complicit to reopen another truly unbiased investigation. Too chicken to call the previous administration traitors who murdered 3000 citizens for political, economic, and unchallenged oppression of over 300 million US citizens many of whom still don't know that 9/11 was an inside job.
#13
I've probably already told my story here, so sorry if I bore anyone.
I am an estrogen breast cancer survivor who got cancer WITHOUT risk factors. All my health numbers are excellent; I've lived a life of health, exercise, and prevention; my Vitamin D levels are excellent; no family history, etc. I missed only one year of mammograms because we were switching insurance. Hell, my oncologist can't figure out why or how I got cancer.
I laugh everytime the risk factors are trotted out, because, according to the figures I've seen, 70 percent of new breast cancer cases are like me and have NO risk factors.
I can only point to chemicals in food and water. Soy and its many dirivatives which are found in almost ALL food in the grocery. Soy acts as a plant estrogen. Not to mention all the hormones in meat and dairy products.
Plus living in grain farm country with all the Round-Up floating around. So I support ONLY the cancer organizations that are going after the chemicals in our environment: Breast Cancer Action. And that's why my avatar is what it is.
The Cleveland Clinic recently purchased our independent regional cancer clinic. This is great news for patient care, except for the excessively high bills we now see ($329 for a 5 minute office visit to discuss drug side-effects), but scary that there must be enough cancer here to make the Clinic's purchase worthwhile. (But if the Clinic continues charge more pennies than people around here can afford [charging the consumer for their purchase, no doubt], people will take their pennies to another facility and they'll be left with Medicare patients and much less profit--not so smart.)
And, everyday, someone in the small towns and surrounding farm community are diagnosed with cancer or have died from cancer--or classmates from the town are in far-off cities dying from cancer as well.
#14
Elioflight, I find your story so sad and troubling. Your avatar says it all. (Did you or someone you know design it?)
I tremble at the thought of how I could have fared in your situation, because I have ALL the risk factors for breast cancer: family history, no children, etc.
Sounds like that cancer clinic is profiting handsomely from your misfortune. Three hundred-plus dollars for a five-minute office visit is obscene. Gee, how uniquely American! - AIW
P.S. your posts are not boring.
#15
Elioflight: $325 for a 5 minute consultation? That's ridiculous! What is it they call people who raise their rates during a national disaster? There should be laws against that sort of thing...maybe there are...but they sure don't hold against the medical/pharm/insurance industry.
I've read your blogs not only here, but on many other blogs as well and I knew about your medical condition.You have done a lot of blogs. Good for you. Get your message out to the people whenever and wherever you can.
There is a condition that is called valley fever that is very common mostly around arid locations, mostly in the southwest but I was surprised to read that it actually can exist almost anywhere especially in areas where a lot of farming occurs. "Valley fever is a fungal infection caused by coccidioides (kok-sid-e-OY-deze) organisms. It can cause fever, chest pain and coughing, among other signs..." And there has been an increase of cases even in areas like California and Oregon coastal area. Doctors usually misdiagnose valley fever for flu or colds or something else.
I have had an upper respiratory cough and get headaches frequently for a couple of months now. I thought it was probably the flu but now I don't know. I haven't seen a doctor yet. I suppose I am very remiss in not doing so.
#16
Palin, I'm with you on your assessment of our current president. But let me remind you, Thom Hartmann and the esteemed Bernie Sanders are both strong advocates for Move To Amend and campaign finance reform. What's good enough for them is good enough for me! The end of the Obama Administration can't come soon enough, especially if we manage to replace them with something better.
If our votes had no impact, the fascists wouldn't be so scared of them as to go to such lengths to suppress them. And if these efforts don't inspire more of us to get off our butts and participate, in the midterms as well as presidential races, we'll be in even deeper do-do. So please don't play hooky in the midterms come November, or I will personally hunt you down and kick your ass. - Aliceinwonderland
#17
Alice and Palin:
I found the avatar on Pintrest. I saw that someone else had used it.
I hope neither you nor your loved ones have to go through that ordeal. I'm going to be okay, but I worry. It's always in the back of my mind. I've made a lot of dietary changes and have learned to deal better with stress. The side effects from the cancer drugs aren't too bad, but they aren't great either--not how I expected to spend my, now, middle-age years.
Each bag of chemo drug was $12,000 and the shot to boost my immune system the day after chemo was $7500 or $5000, I think. Thank goodness we had GREAT insurance. That's what should happen when you pay into the insurance system for 35 years and hardly use it. You pay for someone else when they needed it and they pay for you when you need it.
Still pissed off about cancer and fighting so others don't have to suffer.
#18
Don't worry, AlW, I definitely intend to vote. However my votes with go for an alternative to the two party farce we have now...unless I find the particular Democrat is worthy of voting for. But like I have said before, even if Congress and the Presidency were 100% Democrats, the 1% will still get what it wants. That's the way it is rigged. The Republicans may be scared that they won't win but they are merely the ruling elite's pawns anyway...and so are many of the Democrats. I'm really tired of being played a sucker by a system that tells you how horrible it would be for a Republican majority...using fear tactics to get people to vote for the lessor of two evils. The Democrats, once in office will still be owned by the ruling elite. And they'll still play silly mind games giving contrived excuses why they could get something that we all hope for passed. It's a contest between two dogs ripping apart the carcass of a fox to the amusement of the dog's owners.
#19
Holy cow, Elioflight, chemo drugs cost $12,000? And immune system booster shots $5,000 to $7,000? But then again, those are the numbers they put on the papers they let you have to make you so, so grateful that you had their insurance. The real numbers that the insurance company pays the medical people are most likely a lot less than those numbers. I wonder if they don't do this knowing that you will pass that bit of scare story along to make others be frightened into buying their insurance. But, even at a fraction of those amounts would be ridiculous rip offs. No wonder these top Medical/Pharma/Insurance CEOs are multi-multi millionaires or perhaps billionaires.
#20
Your money or your life!!! Can't have both, ya know... not here in America. We've got billionaires to subsidize, after all. - AIW
#21
Oriental bullies pop out of the ally meaning to rob me and they said: "Your money, or your wife!"...so I gave them my wife. ;-}
#22
Why "Oriental"? I don't get the connection.
#23
Aliceinwonderland ~ I think that is the Palindromedary sense of humor at work for you... You need an explanation. I think he might be making light of the acute accent Asian-Americans have. ie they pronounce "life" "wife". Ha Ha Ha Him so punny!
#24
Oh-oh, PD's messing with me.
#25
I know....I'm a ⛽
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Nine Eleven was an inside job!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgSVLLPZiBE Proof!http://topinfopost.com/2013/07/03/911-explosive-evidence-experts-speak-out
DEMOCRAPS OR REPUBLICONS
When R U folks going to get it! 911 WAS AN AMERICAN MILITARY COUP orchestrated through Skull & Bones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7bg8egG-zw "The very word secrecy is repugnant to a free & open society". JFK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKVt9EvqOpg