Toxins

1. Toxins 10 worst environmental toxins (other sources would include others)

2. Flame Retardants • PBDEs: polybrominateddipheynl ethers

3. Bioaccumulate and Biomagnify • Bioaccumulate: The flame retardants are one of the newest additions to hundreds of industrial compounds and pesticides carried to the Arctic by northbound winds and ocean currents. Accumulating in the fatty tissues of animals, many chemicals grow more concentrated as larger creatures eat smaller ones, turning the Arctic's top predators and native people into some of the most contaminated living organisms on Earth.

4. We have studied this one in people: • pollutioninpeople.org

5. Alaska Community Action on Toxics

6. Possible Effects • Scientists say that other industrial chemicals with properties similar to PBDEs are already weakening the bears' immune systems, altering their bone structure, skewing their sex hormones and perhaps even causing small numbers of hermaphroditic bears.

7. PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) • This industrial chemical has been banned in the United States for decades, yet is a persistent organic pollutant that's still present in our environment. • Risks: Cancer, impaired fetal brain development. • Major Source: Farm-raised salmon. Most farm-raised salmon, which accounts for most of the supply in the United States, are fed meals of ground-up fish that have absorbed PCBs in the environment.

9. Pesticides • According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 60 per cent of herbicides, 90 per cent of fungicides and 30 per cent of insecticides are known to be carcinogenic. Pesticide residues have been detected in 50 per cent to 95 per cent of U.S. foods. • Risks: Cancer, Parkinson's disease, miscarriage, nerve damage, birth defects, blocking the absorption of food nutrients. • Major Sources: Food (fruits, vegetables and commercially raised meats), bug sprays.

11. Mold and Fungal Toxins • One in three people have had an allergic reaction to mold. Mycotoxins (fungal toxins) can cause a range of health problems with exposure to only a small amount. • Risks: Cancer, heart disease, asthma, multiple sclerosis, diabetes. • Major Sources: Contaminated buildings, food like peanuts, wheat, corn and alcoholic beverages.

13. Phthalates • These chemicals are used to lengthen the life of fragrances and soften plastics. • Risks: Endocrine system damage (phthalates chemically mimic hormones and are particularly dangerous to children). • Major Sources: Plastic wrap, plastic bottles, plastic food storage containers. All of these can leach phthalates into our food. Nail polish

14. Consistent with prior findings by this Harvard research team, men with higher levels of a metabolite of the phthalate DBP have lower sperm concentration and mobility, low enough to be beneath levels considered by the World Health Organization to be unhealthy. Exposures were not excessive, but instead within the range experienced by many people. • Epidemiology 17, 682 -691

15. VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) • VOCs are a major contributing factor to ozone, an air pollutant. According to the EPA, VOCs tend to be even higher (two to five times) in indoor air than outdoor air, likely because they are present in so many household products. • Risks: Cancer, eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and memory impairment. • Major Sources: Drinking water, carpet, paints, deodorants, cleaning fluids, varnishes, cosmetics, dry cleaned clothing, moth repellants, air fresheners.

17. Dioxins • Chemical compounds formed as a result of combustion processes such as commercial or municipal waste incineration and from burning fuels (like wood, coal or oil). • Risks: Cancer, reproductive and developmental disorders, chloracne (a severe skin disease with acne-like lesions), skin rashes, skin discoloration, excessive body hair, mild liver damage. • Major Sources: Animal fats: Over 95 per cent of exposure comes from eating commercial animal fats.

19. Asbestos • This insulating material was widely used from the 1950s to 1970s. Problems arise when the material becomes old and crumbly, releasing fibres into the air. • Risks: Cancer, scarring of the lung tissue, mesothelioma (a rare form of cancer). • Major Sources: Insulation on floors, ceilings, water pipes and heating ducts from the 1950s to 1970s.

21. Heavy Metals • Metals like arsenic, mercury, lead, aluminum and cadmium, which are prevalent in many areas of our environment, can accumulate in soft tissues of the body. • Risks: Cancer, neurological disorders, Alzheimer's disease, foggy head, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, decreased production of red and white blood cells, abnormal heart rhythm, damage to blood vessels. • Major Sources: Drinking water, fish, vaccines, pesticides, preserved wood, antiperspirant, building materials, dental amalgams, chlorine plants.

22. Chloroform • This colorless liquid has a pleasant, nonirritating odour and a slightly sweet taste, and is used to make other chemicals. It's also formed when chlorine is added to water. • Risks: Cancer, potential reproductive damage, birth defects, dizziness, fatigue, headache, liver and kidney damage. • Major Sources: Air, drinking water, and food can contain chloroform.

23. Chlorine • This highly toxic, yellow-green gas is one of the most heavily used chemical agents. • Risks: Sore throat, coughing, eye and skin irritation, rapid breathing, narrowing of the bronchi, wheezing, blue coloring of the skin, accumulation of fluid in the lungs, pain in the lung region, severe eye and skin burns, lung collapse, reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) (a type of asthma). • Major Sources: Household cleaners, drinking water (in small amounts), air when living near an industry (such as a paper plant) that uses chlorine in industrial processes.

24. How to avoid them? • It's impossible in this day and age to avoid all environmental toxins. What you can do, however, is limit your exposure as much as possible… • Avoid processed foods • Clean without bleach

25. Info from: • The preceding toxins are among the most prevalent in our air, water and/or food supply, as reported by Dr. Joseph Mercola, a leader in the U.S. wellness movement, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Mercola.com, the second most visited non-governmental health website after WebMD.

26. 10 Worst Toxic Pollution Problems: • Mercury pollution from gold mining (3.5 million people) • Lead pollution from industrial parks (nearly 3 million) • Pesticides from agriculture (more than 2.2. million) • Lead smelting (just under 2 million) • Chromium pollution from leather tanning (more than 1.8 million) • Mercury residue from other mining (more than 1.5 million) • Lead pollution from mining (more than 1.2 million) • Lead pollution from improper battery recycling (nearly one million) • Arsenic in groundwater (at least 750,000) • Pesticide manufacturing and storage (more than 700,000). • Notably, groundwater arsenic is the only naturally occurring pollution problem—and it is in ninth place. Put together, arsenic, chromium, lead, mercury and pesticides are the leading causes of such toxic hot spots largely created by mining, metal smelting, chemical manufacture, agriculture, heavy industry, tanneries and waste disposal, among other activities. Slide Show From Scientific American, Nov 2011, David Biello