Chemicals Affecting Human Health

Artificial chemicals are an integral and essential part of our modern lifestyle. They are found in a wide range

of consumer products - furniture, clothing and toiletries to electrical appliances, car interiors and cleaning products. As you have undoubtedly improved the quality of our lives, many have serious health problems.

They can be harmful to health and many can persist in the environment and accumulate in the bodies of wildlife and people.

This resulted in ecosystems and people throughout the world is contaminated with a cocktail of chemicals produced by man. Examples include the chemicals DDT (an insecticide) and PCB (poly chlorinated phenylalanine - used in electrical components), which despite having been banned for decades, are still in the global environment.

In recent years, modern chemical compounds such as abominated flame retardants (used to prevent fire in plastics eg TVs, computers and textiles such as furniture, carpets) and fluoridated chemicals "Non-Stick" (used for waterproof and smudge coatings) have followed PCB and DDT to all corners of the globe.

Some chemicals can also interfere with hormonal processes in the body - these chemicals are known as "endocrine disruptor" (ED). Examples include phosphates, primarily used to soften plastics and found in many consumer products, from vinyl flooring to cosmetics.

There is a wealth of scientific data on the adverse effects of chemicals man made wildlife. Research and studies have also shown that people around the world are too exposed to a cocktail of potentially hazardous chemicals, including DDT and PCB and abominated flame retardants, fluoridated chemicals (non-stick cookware) artificial musk (used as synthetic fragrances in many consumer products) and phosphates.

Many of these substances have been detected in young children as well as adults, and in some cases at higher levels in children than in adults.

At the same time, there is growing concern over possible links between certain chemicals (particularly endocrine disruptor) and impacts on human health, including cancer, reproductive problems, birth defects, asthma, allergies, behavioral problems, impaired childhood brain development, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

Many leading scientists are increasingly concerned because there is more evidence linking persistent chemicals, endocrine disruptor and cumulative with negative health effects of chemicals.

However, despite our exposure to these chemicals, there is currently insufficient health and safety data publicly available to assess the potential impacts of most chemicals in use today.

The short-term exposure to these chemicals is not likely to cause immediate health outcomes, but there are concerns about the effects of long term, low level exposure to chemicals in the diet, especially in the developing fetus babies and young children.

There is also greater use of hazardous chemicals continue to contaminate issue the global environment and the food we eat.

Similarly, bio accumulative and persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals are removed and replaced with safer alternatives, there is no reason why we should continue to risk our health when there are safer alternatives.

Learn more about the chemicals in the products they use and consume daily and stop buy and stop using them. Seek alternatives or safer products. If governments fail to change the industry so it is safer, in fact, you can just buy safer alternatives exist consumers.