Chemicals & Toxins

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Our modern way of life has brought us many scientific miracles and conveniences in living. But it has also come with several hidden costs. One of those hidden costs is the chemical and toxic contamination our children are now exposed to on a daily basis.

Chemical exposure in everyday life

There are currently more than 85,000 chemicals in use throughout the United states, and another thousand or so are added to this number each year. (Barber, 2014) Among these, 21,000 chemicals have been registered with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 because there is explicit evidence that they are harmful to human health. (There is no requirement to register a chemical as harmful until it’s proven to be so, which means the other 65,000 or so chemicals aren’t necessarily safe, just lacking in evidence.) Of these 21,000 harmful chemicals, only 15% have ever been submitted with health and safety data for human exposure, and the EPA has no power to require such data. Finally, of the more than 80,000 chemicals in use in the United States, including those known to be harmful or highly toxic, only five have ever been restricted or banned. Not 5%, five. (Scientific American, 2010)

Numbers such as these illustrate how important it is for concerned parents to be proactive and take matters into their own hands. Much of this contamination may be benign. Much of it isn’t. The problem is not only that we’re exposed to substances known to be harmful, but that there’s still so much we don’t know.

The good news is that there is a lot we do know, and there are many simple steps parents can take to limit their family’s exposure once they are aware of the risks. The information herein will help you take prudent steps to avoid harmful chemicals and improve the health of your family.

Information on toxic chemicals

The following excerpts from our book Toxic Childhood are available to read online for free:

Toxic Childhood

If you want the full story on toxic chemicals and how they are affecting your family, you need to get our e-book Toxic Childhood, which is loaded with valuable information you can’t get online. It’s just $7.99, and all proceeds from your purchase go towards helping us provide life-saving aid to children in need. Here’s a preview of what’s inside:

-Table of Contents-

Part 1: A Look At the Problem

Chapter 1: Jobs that Required Licking Radioactive Waste: A History of Toxic Exposures (e-book)

Would you eagerly accept a job licking radioactive waste, or take a toxic medicine that glows in the dark? History is full of folly when it comes to the use of toxic substances. This chapter explores a few of these examples, which serve as a cautionary warning for people today.

Chapter 2: The Toxic Age: Examples of Industrial Poisoning (e-book)

We live in a toxic age; one where companies routinely dump harmful chemicals into our air, water, and soil. In this chapter we look at case examples of polluted communities and the children poisoned by industrial waste. We also explore the problem of toxic dumping, including a look at the criminal market for illegal disposal.

Chapter 3: Pollution in China & the Developing World (e-book)

You can get a scary glimpse of where our world is headed by looking at the pollution problems in China and other parts of the developing world. The information herein will shock you, and it should serve as a warning to us all.

Chapter 4: General Information About Toxic Exposures

  • The scope of the problem
  • Facts about toxic chemicals
  • Toxic chemical statistics
  • Types of toxins
  • Understanding different levels of exposure

 

Chapter 5: Toxic childhood

A look at the chemically-laden environments children are growing up in and how it could be impacting their development, including information on why children are more susceptible to toxic exposures.

Chapter 6: The Effects & Consequences of Chemical Exposure

A discussion on the effects of chemical exposure, including additional information on….

  • How chemicals do their damage
  • Altered behavior in children
  • Endocrine disruptors
  • Are chemicals making you fat?
  • Why some people are harmed by chemicals whereas others appear to be fine

 

Part 2: How We’re Exposed: Where Toxic Chemicals Lurk

Chapter 7: Air pollution

Facts & statistics on air pollution, including what’s in our air, sources of air pollution, and information on the Clean Air Act.

Chapter 8: Types of air pollution

  • Types of air pollution
  • Particulate matter (e-book)
  • Ozone (e-book)
  • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e-book)
  • Nitrogen emissions & acid rain (e-book)

 

Chapter 9: Impact of Air Pollution

  • Health effects of air pollution
  • Air pollution’s effects on children
  • Your brain on air pollution: The cognitive & neurological effects (eBook)
  • Protecting your family from airborne pollution (eBook)

 

Chapter 10: Water Pollution

  • Polluted or contaminated water
  • Sources of water pollution
  • Polluted water in rivers, lakes & streams
  • Swimming in raw sewage (eBook)
  • Toxic beaches (eBook)
  • Our toxic oceans
  • Water pollution around the world
  • Water pollution statistics

 

Chapter 11: Drinking Water

  • The quality of tap water
  • Drinking water facts & statistics
  • Safe drinking water legislation (eBook)
  • Cases of water contamination
  • What’s in our tapwater?
  • Lead in water
  • Perchlorate in drinking water (eBook)
  • Arsenic in water
  • Fluoride in the water

 

Chapter 12: Becoming Water Wise

  • Bottled water versus tap water
  • Misleading claims by water companies (eBook)
  • Other problems with bottled water
  • Safe drinking water tips
  • Water purification systems (eBook)
  • Managing private wells (eBook)

 

Chapter 13: Chemicals in Food

  • Food toxins
  • Toxins in meat (eBook)
  • Pesticides in fruit and vegetables
  • Arsenic in rice (eBook)
  • Mercury in fish
  • Mercury in seafood
  • Other toxins in fish (eBook)
  • Chemicals in food coloring & food additives (e-book)
  • Avoiding food toxins (eBook)

 

Chapter 14: Chemicals in Products

  • Chemicals in common household products
  • Chemicals in household cleaning products
  • Chemicals in shampoos & personal care products (eBook)
  • Toxic air fresheners
  • PFC & Teflon: Poison in a pan? (eBook)
  • Toxic toys

 

Chapter 15: Pollution In & Around the Home

  • The chemicals in & around your home
  • Chemicals & toxins within your home (eBook)
  • Indoor air pollution (eBook)
  • Outside and in the yard
  • Detoxifying your home

 

Chapter 16: Toxic Schools (eBook)

Are your children being exposed to toxic chemicals at school? This chapter explains why schools are some of the most toxic places, & what you can do about it.

Chapter 17: Mining, Drilling & Fracking Operations

  • Fracking
  • Fracking facts & statistics
  • Fracking safety risks & dangers
  • Fracking accidents
  • Fracking & water contamination
  • Air pollution from fracking
  • Health consequences from fracking
  • Policy & politics of fracking (eBook)
  • Fracking fluids in your food (eBook)

 

Chapter 18: Chemical Hot Spots & Areas of Toxic Pollution (eBook)

Is your family living in a hot spot? This e-book chapter discusses some of the worst chemical polluters and outlines how you can check the area you’re living in.

Part 3: Meet the Toxins

Chapter 19: Pesticides

  • Pesticides
  • Pesticide exposure
  • Pesticide facts & statistics
  • The danger of pesticides
  • Effects on children
  • Pesticides & cancer
  • Kids hurt by pesticides
  • How we’re exposed & how to avoid pesticides

 

Chapter 20: Types of Pesticides (eBook)

  • Organophosphates
  • Chlorpyrifos
  • Atrazine
  • Neonicotinoids
  • Roundup
  • DDT
  • 2,4-D (Weed B Gone)
  • Methoxychlor
  • Other pesticides

 

Chapter 21: The Environmental Effects of Pesticides

Pesticides are even more damaging to natural ecosystems than they are to humans. We discuss the environmental effects of pesticides, including their role in honeybee collapse.

Chapter 22: The Agrochemical Industry (eBook)

Farming operations have been taken over by multi-billion dollar corporations that profit in large part by selling the chemicals used on crops. But what if all these pesticides simply weren’t necessary? Learn the truth the agrochemical industry doesn’t want you to know about.

 

Chapter 23: Lead

  • Lead information
  • Lead facts
  • Lead statistics
  • Sources of lead exposure
  • Understanding different lead levels & what they mean (eBook)
  • Lead exposure in children
  • Child lead poisoning
  • Effects of lead on children
  • Lead testing
  • Protecting your family from lead
  • Lead in toys

 

Chapter 24: Mercury & Arsenic

  • Mercury
  • The effects of mercury exposure
  • Mercury in the environment
  • Arsenic

 

Chapter 25: Flame Retardants (eBook)

Flame retardants are some of the most toxic chemicals we have, and they are frequently added to products for children. This chapter discusses the risk.

Chapter 26: Chemicals in Plastics

  • Plastics chemicals
  • Phthalates (eBook)
  • PVC (eBook)

 

Chapter 27: BPA

  • Bisphenol-A (BPA)
  • BPA safety & health concerns
  • Sources of BPA exposure
  • BPA health effects
  • BPA exposure during pregnancy & its effects on babies (eBook)
  • BPA & its effects on children
  • BPA research & studies
  • Lowering your exposure to BPA & other plastics chemicals (eBook)

 

Chapter 28: Nanotoxins (eBook)

Nanotechnology is creating all new potential health risks by manufacturing materials on an extremely small scale that can make their way into the human body. Learn about the threat of nanotoxins & why they might already be affecting your family’s health.

Chapter 29: Cigarette Smoke

  • Chemicals & toxins in cigarette smoke
  • Smoking statistics
  • Smoking around children
  • Health effects on children from cigarette smoke
  • Smoking around pets

 

Chapter 30: Radiation & Nuclear Waste (eBook)

Information on radioactive material and the threat posed by radiation and nuclear waste.

Chapter 31: Other Harmful Chemicals & Toxins

An alphabetized list of information on many of the different chemicals discussed in this book and others that pose a concern.

Part 4: The Puppet Masters: How Industry Gets Away With Poisoning Our Kids (eBook)

Chapter 32: Chemical Regulation

Ever wonder how companies get away with poisoning the public? Where are the regulators who are supposed to protect us? This chapter explores how chemicals are regulated and why human health risks are often ignored.

Chapter 33: Chemical Testing (eBook)

Learn how chemicals are tested, the tricks companies use to disguise harm, & why glaring loopholes in regulatory requirements allow your family to be exposed to harmful pollutants.

Chapter 34: The Chemical Lobby & Industry Influence (eBook)

A look inside the chemical lobby. Learn about the powerful companies and interests that are working to poison your children, & how these interests exert their influence on both government and society.

Chapter 35: Corporate America’s Misinformation Campaign (eBook)

Get a glimpse into the misinformation campaigns being waged, & how companies deceive the public about the true costs of their pollution.

Chapter 36: Attacking the Truth Tellers: Corporate Bullying (eBook)

Polluting corporations frequently bully and intimidate scientists who dare conduct work on the toxic legacy they are leaving behind. Find out how corporate America is attacking the truth tellers.

Chapter 37: A Look Inside A Broken Regulatory System (eBook)

Our chemical pollution regulatory system is clearly broken. Here’s a look at how it got that way, and why policy is being guided by politics and special interests as opposed to science.

Chapter 38: Injustice for All (eBook)

An infuriating look at how large corporations pollute our communities with impunity & leave us stuck with the bill.

Chapter 39: The Flint Water Crisis (eBook)

The Flint water crisis is a microcosm of many of the problems we discuss in this book. Learn how it all unfolded.

Chapter 40: Advocating for Your Family & Community (eBook)

If you think your child has suffered ill effects from toxic exposure, this chapter talks about what you can expect when bringing these concerns to the attention of others. It also discusses basic ways for citizens to push for cleaner communities.

  • Glossary of terms
  • References

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