PureInsight | October 17, 2005
Thousands of years before the age of industrialization and modern science, air pollution was confined to small, unventilated caves where our ancestors lit their fires. Back then, they would have also enjoyed breathing clean air and drinking fresh water. Over time, the growth of industrialization and modern science has polluted our earth, water, food and even our own bodies. Our Mother Earth has the ability to absorb and purify small quantities of pollutants. She is helpless, however, in the face of today's industry, cars and deforestation.
Every day on the surface of our planet, cars are spewing out high levels of carbon monoxides (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). These chemicals are polluting the air we breathe and are even entering our blood streams. Cars are known to release quantities of tar and compounds through the smoke from exhausts. When these compounds land on the ground they pollute our soil, and they can even enter our ground water.
Air pollution is not confined to the outdoors; the air we breathe at home can also contain various pollutants. If indoor pollution is severe enough, it can cause the inhabitants to become ill, a phenomenon referred to as "sick building syndrome." According to a report from Ohio State University, http://ohioline.osu.edu/cd-fact/0194.html, there are four broad categories of contributors to sick building syndrome: those from combustion, biological air pollutants, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals. A disturbing study carried out in 1985 by the Environmental Protection Agency discovered that toxic chemicals found in the air of almost every American home are three times more likely to cause some type of cancer than outdoor pollutants.
The most detailed study to date of human body pollution was undertaken by Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, a summary of which can be found at http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden/es.php. Using two major laboratories, the scientists examined blood and urine samples provided by nine volunteers, all American citizens who had never worked with chemicals or stayed in close proximity to any industrial facilities. Ninety-one industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals were found in their blood and urine, with a total of 167 chemicals found in the group. Of the 167 chemicals found, 76 can cause cancer, 94 are toxic to the brain and nervous system and 79 can cause birth defects or abnormal development.
The preceding study examined adults. What about newborns? The Environmental Working Group examined 10 samples of umbilical cord blood taken by the American Red Cross and found 287 contaminants in the blood, including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides, PCB's and many other toxic chemicals. A summary of the study can be found at http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php.
These findings are a demonstration that our bodies may be polluted far more than we originally believed, and much needs to be done to reverse this problem. The industrial age has solved many of humankind's problems but has caused many, including this life-threatening one of environmental pollution. Time to step back and take a close look at what really matters and how to preserve and protect that.
