Our Toxic Load

Another article on Bisphenol A (BPA) from Kristof of the NY Times. Commenting on recent research including a study by Consumer Reports, he reports that 92% of Americans are carrying BPA in their bodies as it is now widely contaminating our food supply through plastic and the unseen plastic lining of most canned food. He doesn't yet mention that we're all carrying a toxic chemical load. For instance, after a quick google I found an article from Environmental Working Group (EWG) in 2002: in a study of average adults who did not use chemicals in the workplace, a screen for 167 toxic chemicals in their bodies turned up a body burden average of 91 toxins. I know there's more recent research out there, too, showing the same. That's just the first one I found.

There's also this one - on flame retardant and formaldehyde on children's sleepwear and clothing. This is the one that made me cry for a week a couple of years ago. I was in a complete depression for probably a year. It was after reading this that I knew just how little I could protect my children and just how much my job as a parent had been needlessly compromised by someone else's desire for profit. I still get a chill every time I think about it. I've been writing government agencies, newspapers, and my congresspeople ever since. It's just whistling into the wind really, but at least I don't feel so helpless.

Just look at these guys? Should they have to carry a toxic load?