CHAPTER 1: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 101

Almost all of the adverse health effects caused by environmental hazards are preventable. When we take effective steps to eliminate or significantly reduce environmental hazards, the health benefits can be immediate, tangible, and dramatic. The elimination of leaded gasoline in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and many other nations lowered concentrations of lead in the air by more than 90%, causing a major decline in children’s blood lead levels. A global ban on the dirty dozen—twelve persistent organic pollutants including PCBs, dioxins, and several pesticides—has lowered people’s body burdens of these chemicals, preventing countless cases of cancer, other debilitating illnesses, and premature deaths.

For every toxic substance, process, or product in use today there is a safer alternative—either already in existence, or waiting to be discovered through the application of human intellect, ingenuity, and effort. In almost every case, the safer alternative is available at a comparable cost. Industry may reject these facts and fulminate about the high cost of acting, but history sets the record straight. The chemical industry denied that there were viable alternatives to ozone-depleting chemicals, predicting not only economic disaster but substantial deaths because food and vaccines would spoil without refrigeration. They were wrong. The motor vehicle industry initially denied that cars caused air pollution, then claimed that no technology existed to reduce pollution from vehicles, and later argued that installing devices to reduce air pollution would make cars prohibitively expensive. They were wrong every time. The pesticide industry argues that synthetic pesticides are absolutely necessary to grow food. Thousands of organic farmers are proving them wrong.

Nations that are acting to protect people from environmental hazards are not only global leaders in environmental protection but in public health, economic competitiveness, innovation, and happiness. They are proving that a greener, cleaner, healthier future is possible. Sweden is consistently at or near the top in international rankings of performance in protecting the environment and achieving good health. For decades the Swedes have been using strong public policies—enacting stringent regulations, shifting taxes from income and investment to pollution and waste, and investing in green technologies—to clean up their environment. Sweden also enjoys one of the world’s most highly regarded health care systems, yet Swedish expenditures on health care have grown more slowly than any other wealthy industrialized nation over the past thirty years. This fact can be attributed partly to the country’s strong environmental policies.

While progress is possible through stronger public policies and changes in business practices, individual actions can also make a huge difference in the level of environmental hazards you face. By reducing, or better yet eliminating, your exposures to harmful substances, you can decrease the risk of adverse health effects. In one study, researchers tested the saliva and urine of children who switched from a conventional diet to a diet consisting entirely of organic food. When eating foods grown with pesticides, the children’s urine and saliva contained biological markers of two organophosphates (malathion and chlorpyrifos), a group of pesticides derived from nerve gases used in World War II. When the children switched to an organic diet, all traces of pesticides in their bodies disappeared within eight to thirty-six hours. Similarly in the U.K., a study demonstrated that children whose diet was altered to exclude artificial food colors and preservatives were less likely to suffer from attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity. In California and Canada, rates of lung cancer are falling as more and more people choose not to smoke. While there are obviously some factors beyond an individual’s control, smart choices can greatly improve your health and likelihood of long life. Primarily, you can protect your health by:

• Identifying hazards.
• Eliminating sources of hazards.
• Limiting your exposure.

This book contains the best scientific advice on minimizing the risks posed to your health by environmental hazards encountered in the air you breathe, both outdoors (Chapter 2) and indoors (Chapter 3), the food you eat (Chapter 4), the water you drink (Chapter 5), the consumer products you buy (Chapter 6), and the physical hazards you face (Chapter 7). While there are many simple and effective steps you can take to safeguard your health, certain risks are better addressed by governments and businesses—something you can ensure by exercising your powers as both a citizen and a consumer to influence public policy and corporate behavior (Chapter 8). As well, this book suggests how you can act to reduce the health risks associated with climate change and the decline of biological diversity, and how you can benefit from Nature’s positive influences on your health (Chapter 9). Woven throughout the book you will find sidebars on various topics, including several that summarize our understanding of the connection between the environment and specific health concerns, including cancer and reproductive problems. In each chapter you will also find lots of advice about those most vulnerable to environmental hazards—children—and a checklist of actions you can take to protect yourself and your family.

Some Toxic Bullets to Dodge

1. Air pollution still kills tens of thousands of Canadians and Americans every year.
Protect yourself: Keep an eye on the Air Quality Index, especially during summer, and schedule outdoor activities in the early morning or evening when air quality is generally better.

2. Poor indoor air quality is rated as a top environmental health threat by the US Environmental Protection Agency, as we spend about 85% of our time indoors.
Protect yourself: Make your home a no-smoking zone, use only low-and no-VOC (volatile organic compound) products—such as paints and varnishes, keep fuel-burning appliances well maintained (e.g. gas furnaces and stoves, wood fireplaces and stoves), and check your home for radon and asbestos threats.

3. Food can be a major source of exposure to POPs (persistent organic pollutants) such as dioxins and PCBs.
Protect yourself: Reduce consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products, while choosing low-fat and/or organic options when you eat these foods.

4. Potential health hazards in drinking water include the heavy metal lead, a parasite called Cryptosporidium, and cancer-causing byproducts of the water disinfection process.
Protect yourself: Find out if there are hazardous contaminants in your drinking water and, if necessary, install a home water treatment system.

5. Ordinary household items—from cleaning products and cosmetics to plastic toys and antibacterial products—can threaten your health.
Protect yourself: Use green cleaning solutions, avoid plastics with the recycling numbers 3, 6, and 7 (PC), and avoid products containing PBDEs, PFCs, phthalates, triclosan, or bisphenol A.

6. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US, Canada, and Australia.
Protect yourself: Practice sun-smart behaviour—pay attention to the UV Index, cover up with clothing, hats, and sunglasses, and regularly use sunscreen with a high Sun Protection Factor—SPF (at least 30 for fair-skinned individuals).

7. Climate change and the loss of biodiversity are potentially profound threats to human health. For example, climate change exacerbates heat waves and spurs the spread of some infectious diseases, while extinction may eliminate species that could have helped create new medicines.
Protect yourself: You can help reduce the risks of climate change and biodiversity loss by reducing your ecological footprint—making changes related to your home, the extent that you travel, the food you eat, and the products you buy in order to decrease your environmental impacts.