New Orleans' Toxic
Soup Is Served Up All Over America -- A Guest Commentary
November 03, 2005 — By Dr. James Martin, The Martin Clinic
News of the "toxic soup" contained in
the floodwaters of New Orleans has been making headlines around the
world, but this recipe is served up daily in practically every city
throughout the United States. While the recipes differ from state to
state, the "backbone" ingredients -- pesticides, heavy metals, petroleum
products and other industrial chemicals -- are virtually everywhere.
Americans watched in horror and shame as our government -- on every
level -- did not live up to our expectations and as a result so many
suffered in New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast following
hurricane Katrina. Yet this same travesty continues with the toxic
assault on our environment that affects everyone within our borders.
So many have put their trust, along with the health and well being of
our country, in government agencies like the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), National Institute of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), but the proverbial levee won't hold here
either. To date the EPA has approved over 80,000 synthetic chemicals
that continue to be released into the environment. We are told that
these toxins are at "acceptable" levels but common sense tells us
otherwise.
Toxic chemicals are in our air, our water, our fruits, vegetables,
meats, fish and poultry. They're in everyday products like household
cleaners, nail polish and remover, make-up, lotions and cigarettes. And
now they're showing up in newborn babies.
A study released this summer by the Environmental Work Group (EWG)
tested umbilical cord blood of infants born in the U.S. and found an
average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants. In total, tests
identified 287 chemicals of which 180 cause cancer, 217 are toxic to the
brain and nervous system and 208 are linked to birth defects or abnormal
development.
These findings refute the assertion by some that the placenta shields
cord blood (and the fetus) from most chemicals and other toxins in the
environment. But we don't need a researcher's study to tell us what we
already know -- carrying around these toxins in our systems is not
acceptable.
For those who need a little more convincing, consider this: A Washington
State University study reported in the June 3 issue of Science
Magazine indicates that exposure to environmental toxins impacts
health far greater than anyone ever imagined. Researchers found that the
effects are passed along to offspring for as many as four generations.
It's time for the national spotlight to shine on the actions we must
take to reduce our exposures to these toxins in our homes, schools and
businesses. First and foremost -- ignore the chemical industry's assault
on our lives. Don't buy into the current "better living through
chemistry" mind set. We need to be conscious of our actions. The days
are gone when we can spray chemicals without a thought of where these
chemicals end up because they end up in our air, our water, our soil and
in our children.
There are plenty of all-natural alternatives to keep any surface clean
and germ free. The same is true for pesticides. Buying organic fruits,
vegetables and meats may be a bit more costly, but what price do you put
on the hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and other chemicals in
non-organic foods we consume?
We don't have to wait for Congressional confirmation to recognize that
our children are facing problems like asthma, leukemia, autism spectrum
disorders, ADD/ADHD and diabetes in alarmingly high numbers. And the
rates keep rising. There are safe, accessible and effective methods
available to eliminate these toxins from the body. This information must
be mainstreamed into our national healthcare system and national media.
It's time for America to take a long hard look at our actions -- and
inaction -- over the past centuries. Some view our toxic environment as
an unavoidable byproduct of our industrialized world; others claim it is
callous greed -- the need for power and money at any cost. No matter
where we ultimately choose to lay blame, we owe it to our children and
to the planet they must inherit to do all we can to clean up our act.
____________
Dr. James H. Martin is a clinical nutritionist, certified
naturopathic physician and doctor of chiropractic with an expertise in
toxicity. For the past 30 years he has served as clinical director of
the Martin Clinic in Sarasota, Florida, which provides
complementary/alternative health services to patients from all over the
world. Dr. Martin is also the editor and publisher of the Well News
Newsletter, a cutting-edge resource of nutritional information.
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