There is no clearly safe level of exposure to four of the most common environmental toxins in the world, and more should be done to protect the public, researchers argue in a new report.
The toxins in question — lead, radon, tobacco smoke and byproducts of drinking-water disinfection — are ubiquitous, and there is growing evidence that even low-level exposure can have health consequences, according to the report, published in the medical journal PloS Medicine. Add on exposures of pesticides, herbicides, plastic residues, dry cleaning and many other chemical exposures and you have an impossible task for the body to rid and keep clear of toxic interactions and their potential disease causing effects on the human body.
“Emerging evidence indicates that exposures must be virtually eliminated to protect human health,” conclude Dr. Donald Wigle, of the University of Ottawa in Canada, and Dr. Bruce Lanphear, of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio.
The problem is that there are no known safe levels of exposure to these toxins, yet people are persistently in contact with them.
“These are widespread exposures,” he said. “They’re not rare.”
Lead, for instance, is present in the air, soil and water, and it has become clear that even relatively low-level exposure can damage the developing brain in young children and fetuses, leading to learning and behavioral problems. In adults, lead exposure may raise blood pressure and damage the kidneys, brain and nerves.
In the U.S., the “level of concern” for blood lead levels is 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter (mcg/dL) of blood. Health officials, Wigle noted, have never dubbed the 10-microgram level as “safe.” Conversely, “The science suggests (the level) is too high, and should be moved down,” he said.
One way to curb lead levels in tap water is to use a carbon-based water filter — a tactic that also reduces disinfection byproducts, Wigle noted.
Disinfection byproducts form when drinking water is treated with chlorine to kill disease-causing microbes. The chlorine reacts with organic materials in the water to create a range of chemicals, including a group known as trihalomethanes (THMs). THMs are known to cause cancer in animals, and some studies have linked them to miscarriage and other pregnancy risks. There is also evidence tying them to bladder cancer in humans.
Wigle and Lanphear point to a recent analysis of several studies that found that exposure to water with THM levels of 1 mcg/dL may increase the risk of bladder cancer. In the U.S., the maximum allowable THM level is 80 mcg/dL, and in Canada, it’s 100 mcg/dL.
Again, Wigle said, these levels may be “much too high.”
The two remaining toxins he and Lanphear highlight — secondhand smoke and radon — also have no apparently safe level of exposure. Radon is a natural radioactive gas found in soil, air and ground water that is known to cause lung cancer.
When it comes to tobacco smoke, the researchers say, growing evidence suggests that low-level, secondhand exposure during pregnancy can impair fetal growth — a long-recognized danger of active smoking.
SOURCE: PloS Medicine, December 2005.
Intermix all of these toxins and it puts most, if not all of us in a very tough situation. The effects on the liver, kidneys, lungs and nervous system are overwhelming. Unfortunately, these issues are swept under the rug for expensive testing and treatment protocols that may miss the underlying cause. Help your Doctor’s and yourself by keeping clear of these exposures and frequently undergoing detoxification processes such as: exercise, bowel and liver cleanses, fasting, juicing as well as, sauna and dry heat therapy.
Sincerely,
Dr. Benzinger
