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| No Big Deal? Think Again! | |
Increased Crime and aggression is not a myth, as a lot would
have us believe.
I have heard all kinds of excuses for the rise in crime over the
last thirty years but now it appears that there is real concern
and documented proof and reasons for it happening.
Our environment is killing us in more ways than one and most
are standing by saying, "No big Deal!"
Well yes it is a big deal and one that we should do everything
in our power as a parent and grandparent to alleviate as much
as possible as quickly as possible. Others say, "Well we're
going to die from something, so No Big Deal!" Apathy is the
prime reason that aggression and crime continues to rise!
A group of biologists and medical researchers at the University
of Wisconsin in Madison, led by Warren P. Porter, completed
a 5-year experiment putting mixtures of low levels of chemicals
into the drinking water of male mice and carefully measuring
the results.
They reported that combinations of these chemicals-at levels
similar to those found in the groundwater of agricultural areas
of the U.S.-have measurable detrimental effects on the nervous,
immune and endocrine (hormone) systems. Furthermore, they
say their research has direct implications to humans.
Dr. Porter and his colleagues point out that the nervous system,
the immune system, and the endocrine (hormone) system are
all closely related and in constant communication with each other.
If any one of the three systems is damaged or degraded the
other two may be adversely affected. The Wisconsin researchers
therefore designed their experiments to examine the effects of
agricultural chemicals on each of the three systems
simultaneously. To assess immune system function, they
measured the ability of mice to make antibodies in response to
foreign proteins. To assess endocrine system function, they
measured thyroid hormone levels in the blood. And to assess
nervous system function they measured aggressive behavior
in the presence of intruder mice introduced into the cages.
They also looked for effects on growth by measuring total
body weight and the weight of each animal's spleen.
The experiments were replicated many times, to make insure
the results were reproducible. They found effects on the
endocrine system (thyroid hormone levels) and the immune
system, and reduced body weight, from mixtures of low levels
of aldicarb and nitrate, atrazine and nitrate, and atrazine,
aldicarb and nitrate together. They observed increased
aggression from exposure to atrazine and nitrate, and from
atrazine, aldicarb and nitrate together.
The Wisconsin research team wrote, "Of particular
significance in the collective work of Boyd and others,
Porter and others, and our current study is that THYROID
HORMONE CONCENTRATION CHANGE was consistently
a response due to mixtures, but not usually to individual
chemicals."
In the five-year experiment, thyroid hormone levels rose or
fell depending upon the mixture of chemicals put into the
drinking water. Dr. Porter and his colleague's present evidence
from other studies showing that numerous farm chemicals
can affect the thyroid hormone levels of wildlife and humans.
PCBs and dioxins can have similar effects, they note. Proper
levels of thyroid hormone are essential for brain development
of humans prior to birth.
Some studies have shown that attention deficit and/or
hyperactivity disorders in children are linked to changes in the
levels of thyroid hormone in the blood. Children with multiple
chemical sensitivity (MCS) have abnormal thyroid levels.
Furthermore, irritability and aggressive behavior are linked
to thyroid hormone levels.
Another report goes on to say:
Once Disposed, Prescription Drugs Do Not Stop at Waste
Water Plants
(WRAL) -- http://www.wral.com/
We have heard about raw waste and even corporate pollution
in our water supplies. But what about prescription drugs? The
Environmental Protection Agency has launched a long-term
investigation into just that.
Have you ever thought about what happens to the prescription
drugs we take after we take them? Well, scientists estimate
that up to 90 percent of the drugs pass through our bodies
and end up in the sewer.
The trouble is wastewater treatment systems were not
designed to remove these drugs and chemicals. Do they
pose a health risk to us or to animals? I and many others
believe so and science says absolutely!
Scientists have found everything from antibiotics to
cholesterol drugs in rivers, lakes and other water supplies.
Very little research has been done on the problem in U.S.
"I think right now we can't simply ignore the problem, pretend
it doesn't exist or pretend it's going to go away," said N.C.
State toxicologist Gerald LeBlanc.
N.C. State researchers say "Pharmaceutical waste from
hospitals can be very troublesome. Antibiotics do not break
down easily. They can alter the ecology and give rise to
antibiotic resistance."
Pharmacists and medical offices routinely flush expired
medicine down the drain. Research has shown that
chemicals from birth control pills routinely pass through
treatment plants unaffected.
This is all part of a larger problem called endocrine disruption.
Endocrine disruption describes what happens when
chemicals in the water interfere with the body's natural
hormone system.
"The problem occurs when we're exposed to chemicals
that essentially fool the body, and the body doesn't recognize
there is a problem. The endocrine system has been changed
and sometimes there can be many profound effects,"
explained LeBlanc.
N.C. State researchers have found that female snails
exposed to certain chemicals develop distinct male
characteristics. And in Florida, male alligators exposed to
a variety of chemicals had dramatically smaller sex organs
and reproductive problems. Frogs are showing up with
numerous bodily abnormalities.
Human health effects from chemicals are still a subject
of hot debate. "You hear about changes that have
occurred in the human population such as a decline in
sperm count over the past 50 years and an increase in
breast cancer over the last 50 years. All of these types
of effects could be due to endocrine disruption. We
simply don't know if they are," said LeBlanc.
Testing for pharmaceutical drugs in U.S. water supplies
has been confined to just a few lakes and rivers.
Chemicals used in birth control pills were found in a
large lake near Las Vegas.
What can you do about this?
Put a filtration unit on your home or apartment assuring
your children and you bathe, eat and drink chemical
free water. That should be your top priority, especially
if you have a child who has been diagnosed or even
undiagnosed with ADHD or other problems with
aggression and hyperactivity!
Water Softeners will not do the trick, it takes a true
filtration system. Water softeners only disguise the
flavor and soften it without removing anything and in
fact create an environment that could lead to kidney
problems. (I experienced that personally)
Install either a whole house unit or put a portable
filtration/purification system on your kitchen faucet,
an inline filter on your icemaker, if you have an
icemaker and a shower filter in the bathroom.
More water information
http://www.envirodocs.com/water.htm It is no longer a luxury but a necessity for your health!
Lena
***Lena Sanchez a happy retired Medical Office
Nurse/Administrator/Consultant who took charge of
her life 8 years ago and is committed to helping
others do the same in all areas of life. Editor of
'Natural Environmental Health Facts & Your Home
Business Coach Ezine" ezines subscribe at
http://www.envirodocs.com/newsletter.htm
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