Remembering the Killer Smog Disaster

Earlier this week, residents of Donora, Pennsylvania remembered the killer smog of 1948 that killed 20 residents. Nearly half of the town became ill in one of the worst air pollution disasters in history. Now the town has a Smog Museum with the slogan “Clean Air Started Here.”

“It was the first time that people really understood that a lot of air pollution in a short period of time could kill people,” said Dr. Devra Davis of the University of Pittsburgh. Read more about killer smog

Synthetic Chemicals and Cancer

In our country, a woman’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is one in eight. In 1975, the risk was one in eleven. Why do cancer rates keep increasing? The Boston Globe suggests that it’s because of the continuing proliferation of synthetic chemicals:

Since World War II, the proliferation of synthetic chemicals has gone hand-in-hand with the increased incidence of breast cancer. About 80,000 synthetic chemicals are used today in the United States, and their number increases by about 1,000 each year. Only about 7 percent of them have been screened for their health effects. These chemicals can persist in the environment and accumulate in our bodies. According to a recent review by the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, 216 chemicals and radiation sources cause breast cancer in animals. Read more about chemicals and cancer

Atlanta Plant Agrees to Settlement over Chemical Odor

I was living in Atlanta a couple of summers ago when I heard reports of the onion-like chemical odor in south Fulton County.

George Nicholson clearly remembers the odor, too, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“The smell was bothering everybody,” said Nicholson. “The dogs wouldn’t go outside.” Read more about chemical odors.

Chemical Leak Forms Toxic Cloud Over Pennsylvania

BREAKING NEWS – CNN reports that a toxic chemical cloud has formed over Petrolia, PA, after a chemical leak in a local plant.

The toxic cloud affected at least 2,000 residents, many of whom fled their homes to stay with friends and relatives or in shelters. Others decided to stay home and keep their windows and doors closed. Read more about toxic chemical clouds

Household Chemicals Can Hurt Unborn Babies

The West Australian reports that common household chemicals can damage the lungs of unborn babies and predispose them to childhood asthma.

Professor Peter Sly of the World Health Organization says, “We have evidence that everything from the pesticides used on roses to the bleach in the bathroom impact badly on the developing lungs of unborn babies.” Read more about household chemicals and pregnancy

Toxic Chemicals in Laundry Products

Laundry detergents are supposed to get clothes clean, right? While detergents clear away soil and stains, too many of them leave behind chemicals that are harmful to humans and the environment. Read more about laundry toxins

Antibacterial Soap with Triclosan – Healthy or Unhealthy?

I had an eye exam a few days ago and noticed antibacterial soap in the optometrist’s office. It seems like everyone is buying antibacterial soap these days. As more people become concerned about health, antibacterial soaps (and other antibacterial products) are becoming more popular. But is antibacterial soap necessary? And could it actually do more harm than good?

Most antibacterial soaps contain triclosan, a synthetic chemical that’s classified as a pesticide. Introduced to consumer products in 1995, triclosan can remain on the skin for hours, even after you rinse your hands, and it has been linked to liver damage. Read more about triclosan

Toxic BPA Found in Bodies of Nearly All Americans

USA Today reports that Bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen-like chemical in plastic, has been found in 93% of Americans tested. Recent studies suggest that BPA alters the development of the brain and prostate gland in children. This synthetic estrogen chemical has also been linked to a host of cancers, heart disease, early-onset puberty, obesity, and diabetes.

BPA is found in baby bottles, plastic utensils, dental sealants, food can linings, and plastic bottles. The longer a liquid sits in a container with BPA, the more BPA leaches into the liquid. Read more about BPA in plastic

Cockroaches: The Forgotten Allergens

Most allergy sufferers are familiar with dust mites, pollen, mold, but did you know that cockroaches also produce powerful allergens? Cockroach allergen is also a common cause of asthma attacks. The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of American (AAFA) reports that 23 to 60 percent of urban residents with asthma are sensitive to cockroach allergen. In one study of inner city children, 23 percent were allergic to cats, 35 percent were allergic to dust mites, and 37 percent were allergic to cockroaches.

Cockroach allergens come from the feces, saliva, and bodies of the insects. Studies show that 78 to 98 percent of urban homes have cockroaches – and up to 330,000 roaches may live in a single home! If you see just one roach in a basement or kitchen, it’s safe to assume that at least 800 more roaches are hiding under sinks, in cabinets, and behind walls. Read more about cockroach allergies

Hazardous Household Chemicals

Are you aware of the dangers lurking in your cabinets? I found an informative list of the most hazardous household chemicals at consumerlawpage.com:

Air Fresheners – Many air fresheners actually release a nerve deadening chemical agent! Others interfere with the ability to smell by coating nasal passages with an oil film. Air fresheners may include formaldehyde, a highly toxic known carcinogen, as well as phenol, an irritant that could lead to death.

Tip: Instead of air fresheners, use odor control air purifiers that will not only deodorize but also clean the air. Read more about hazardous household chemicals

Poor Air Quality in Nail Salons

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, nail salons that offer manicure and pedicure services commonly have high levels of dangers indoor air pollution. At sufficient concentrations, these indoor air pollutants may increase the chance of cancer and lead to other serious health conditions like reproductive problems, birth defects, severe allergic reactions, and aggravated asthma. Read more about nail salon air quality

Chlordane – The Pesticide That Won’t Go Away

Toxicologist Dr. Richard Cassidy of toxfree.net says that over 30 million homes built before 1988 were treated with the insecticide chlordane. Chlordane is still in the dirt under these homes, off-gassing at a constant rate.

When people inhale chemical vapors from chlordane, the liver convertsthem into potent carcinogens and toxins like oxychlordane, heptachlor, epoxide and dieldrin. These toxins get stored in fat cells in the body. Read more about chlordane

Toxic Chemical C8 Found in Eggs

I eat a couple of eggs for breakfast nearly every morning. They’re highly nutritious and filling. Several years ago, many Americans cut back on egg consumption because of fears that eggs would raise their cholesterol. Now we know that there are different types of cholesterols and different types of fats – some good, some bad – and you don’t have to worry about having a heart attack because of moderate egg consumption. (Cardiovascular disease is more commonly brought on by lack of exercise and junk food – processed foods, unhealthy fats, refined sugars, and excessive carbs.)

But now there’s another reason to worry about eggs: they may contain toxic chemicals, according to The Charleston Gazette. Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked a respected scientific journal, Environmental Science & Technology, to delete from its website the results of a study which found perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, in chicken eggs.

An EPA scientist says that there was a major error in the study – that the PFCs were not really PFCs but other unidentified substances that simply looked like PFCs under a microscope. Hmm… That sounds a little strange to me, especially considering the fact that other studies have found PFCs in chicken eggs (and wild bird eggs) in other countries. Read more about C8 contamination

The Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico

Last month I blogged about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vortex of garbage in the Pacific Ocean that’s twice the size of the continental United States. Today I’d like to explore another major environmental catastrophe in our oceans: dead zones.

Dead zones are areas in the ocean that lack the oxygen needed to support marine life. The Gulf of Mexico contains a dead zone that’s nearly the size of New Jersey, according to CNN.

“There’s no oxygen in the water for shrimp, crabs, fish to live,” said Nancy Rabalais, executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. Read more about dead zones and water pollution

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) - Refuting the Skeptics

Even though millions of people are sensitive to certain chemicals, some members of the medical establishment have long viewed multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) with skepticism.

At a physicians’ conference last year, one immunologist told me that MCS is “all in their heads.” At the same conference, another physician told me that he has suffered from MCS ever since medical school, when he was exposed to high levels of formaldehyde during dissections.

I know that MCS exists because I have suffered from it. When I was a child with severe allergies, my mom picked up one of my friends on the way to school every morning. My friend wore perfume (quite a bit of it), and every time she got in the car, I got a headache and started sneezing. I often had to roll down my window to avoid the chemical odor.

Even though some doctors still think it’s “all in your head,” several years ago Martin Pall, professor of biochemistry at Washington State University wrote a paper that describes mechanims of MCS. Read more about the mechanisms of multiple chemical sensitivity