Oil Polluting the Gulf has Long been Polluting Our Bodies

The Benefits and Challenges of Detoxification by Dr. Mark Hyman MD:

I think we can assume, based on living in the 21st century, that all of us have a certain load of petrochemical, industrial toxins. There was a study from the Environmental Working Group on 10 fetal cord blood samples. This is blood that comes from the umbilical cord of infants who are just born. So they have not even been in the world, but it's their blood. They found over 260 toxic chemicals. 210 were neurotoxic and they found things such as phthalates, which is from plasticizers, flame retardants, pesticides, heavy metals and so on and so all of us, we have to assume, are subject to enormous loads of petrochemical toxins. Most of us seem to tolerate them more or less, but on the flip side of that is the question, how many of our other illnesses are related to this. We've seen an epidemic, for example, of allergic and autoimmune diseases. There's a hypothesis out of Johns Hopkins coming out now, that environmental toxins are connected and perhaps they are a very important cause of autoimmune disease, which I do believe and see in my practice.

So the first thing, you have to assume that everybody needs to be detoxified in some way and there's really no reason to test for petrochemical toxins, although we can, because you have to assume everybody has them.

Second, is heavy metals and I think this is an area where we can test and should test and I believe that heavy metal mercury screening tests should be the most important way we assess for chronic toxicity, particularly chronic illness, whether it's depression, or Alzheimer's, or chronic fatigue, or heart disease. We saw, in the last few days, articles in the New York Times talking about mercury in fish in New York City and sushi. Just having one sushi meal every three weeks is enough to make you toxic.

Then there's the issue of dental amalgams, which is a whole can of worms and dental fillings with silver fillings. They're not really silver. They're mostly mercury, which do vaporize and get absorbed and have also heavy metal issues. So I think heavy metal testing is very important and this should really be done under doctor supervision. Once you've done that, then there are very simple ways that you can use to help detoxify. I think, everything needs to be customized. There's no one-size-fits-all.

http://www.naturalnews.com/023194_detox_health_detoxification.html

Petrochemical Detox Information ... As an environmental physician, Dr. Rima has warned about the threats to our health, especially the health of children, from the increasing toxification of our environment. Among these threats we include GMO (genetically modified) products, vaccine toxins and all sorts of toxic industrial chemicals allowed to contaminate our environment. Sadly, we must now add the petrochemical soup being brewed in the Gulf of Mexico as gushing crude is admixed with all sorts of contaminants in a desperate attempt to save the oil well and field for future Big Oil profits. As a public service, we repost this powerful discussion of Therapies for Airborne Poisons.

Last Thursday, the House of Representatives introduced the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act, an important piece of legislation that would go a long way towards protecting people and the environment from toxic chemicals.

This would be the first major overhaul of our nation's chemical policy since 1976, when Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). TSCA (pronounced like the opera) is in a woeful state of affairs. Around 62,000 chemicals were grandfathered under TSCA. About 20,000 more have entered commercial use since then. But since 1976, according to the non-partisan Government Accountability Office -- a widely respected government agency -- only 200 chemicals have been tested for safety.

The evidence that chemical policy reform is needed is clear and convincing, and more and more groups are calling for action. In recent years, scientists have found that numerous chemicals once thought to be safe are dangerous at very low levels. Environmental justice groups, concerned about pollution's impact on communities of color and poor communities, have been watching the studies and sounding the alarm for years.

Now, religious groups are getting involved. Last month, GreenFaith, the National Council of Churches, the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, and religious groups in ten states released The Interfaith Statement for Chemical Policy Reform.

The statement calls for increased protections for our nation's most vulnerable communities; for workers, children, and pregnant mothers; and for natural systems. It also calls for investments in a "green" economy, so that our economy creates jobs and products that protect the web of life rather than tearing it apart. The groups are collecting signatures from concerned people of faith in an effort to move public opinion on this issue.

In the end, chemical policy reform is about protecting health and life -- the lives of people, the life of the planet. The Bible puts it succinctly when it says, "Choose life." It's time for our country to do exactly that.

The Rev. Fletcher Harper, an Episcopal priest, is Executive Director of GreenFaith, an interfaith environmental coalition.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-fletcher-harper/choose-life-the-religious_b_662234.html