What's Making Our Kids Sick?
People ask me all the time about the links between the tens of thousands of chemicals in our world and the skyrocketing rates of asthma, autism, cancer, and allergies. Although scientists have begun to study the cause and effect of many of these diseases, we still don't know with absolute certainty the reality behind these increases. But here's what we do know:
* The rate of childhood asthma has skyrocketed, and the death rate among children from asthma has doubled. 
* The incidence of acute lymphocytic leukemia in children has increased more than 27 percent between 1973 and 1990.
* The incidence of childhood brain cancer increased almost 40 percent between 1973 and 1994.
* The incidence of the male genital defect hypospadias doubled, and the rate of testicular cancer among young men (age twenty to thirty-nine) rose by nearly 70 percent between 1973 and 1994.
* Autism, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactivity disorder in children have risen at alarming rates.
Why is this happening? The causes are complex and not fully understood, but the nation's leading child health researchers say its no coincidence that these changes have occurred during the same decades that tens of thousands of new chemicals have come onto the market--chemicals used daily in homes, schools, and everywhere else...
One leading researcher and pediatrician states flatly: 'We are conducting a vast toxicological experiment, in which our children, and our children's children, are the experimental subjects.'
But this week, a major announcement brought us hope--we may have answers somewhere in the future. Researchers are embarking on a 21 year study in children to find explanations for the rising rates of childhood illnesses. The study, being conducted by the National Institute of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Education, plans to include many possible factors including chemical exposures, genetics, geography, nutrition and pollution.
But some believe that the cost of this study, $2.7 billion to be exact, is exorbitant and could divert funding from other important research initiatives. The naysayers have a point--$2.7 billion is an enormous amount of money especially when we consider our current economy. But how can we ever put a price on the health of our children? This is an extremely comprehensive long-term study spearheaded by the best in the field. Our kids are spending too many sunny days away from the playground. Isn't it time for them to leave the EpiPens, the inhalers, and the chemotherapy at the hospital and live in a world where we think about prevention way before treatment.
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There's a soccer field that I pass by on the way to my morning work out. I am careful to stay well away from this well groomed field..
Year after year I have watched tons of herbacides being dumped on the field, despite their link to non hodgkins lymphoma, and mulitple myloma. This along with genetically modifed grass seed, and insecticide. I sometimes wonder how many of those children grow up to develop medical issues.
I also notice that the city in which I live, gets free use of trucks and other equipment donated by the chemical company that provides the herbacides.
I suggest you take a walk through your local hardware store, into the garden section, and read the labels on some of the herbacides and pesticides. ( If you can stand to stay there long without a gas mask.) Some these chemicals were used against the Viet Cong, but are now used on American lawns, and gardens instead.
I don't mean to play devil's advocate for the chemical industry or anything like that, but I do have a couple questions:
Do your numbers take into consideration the increased quality and availability of children's healthcare? For example, what if only 50% of children who died of leukemia in 1973 were tested for it, but 80% are tested now (my numbers are hypothetical), would that account for some rise in the "leukemia statistic"? Does increased reporting of testicular cancer due to improved education raise the percentage you cite?
I have heavy metal poisoning: primarily lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium.
From my point of view, a large percentage of people suffer with the same condition. They just don't understand why they have allergies, flu and chronic aches and pains.
Orthodox medicine denies the widespread existence of this condition, and I expect it will wipe out the human race before they wake up.
I'm sorry to hear that. I've been reading about that. Can you do some chelation treatments to flush them out?
I had the silver fillings removed from my mouth years ago after I read that I was constantly being fed mercury from the fillings....then stopped using fluoride and have been sick rarely if ever.
Aluminum cooking pots are also a source of chemical poisoning, as well as teflon.....and almost everyone cooks on both.
Another childhood disease now in epidemic proportions is juvenile diabetes (Type 1 diabetes). Endocrinologists are being bombarded by new onsets. No answers here, just concerns. These are serious chronic illnesses for the children, their families and our society. What a shame.
It isn't that any one of the chemical-laden products is terrible in and of itself - but when you breakfast on processed cereal, make your coffee with water full of pharmaceuticals, clean the kitchen with stuff that makes you cough, fix your hair with yet more chemicals and then drive to work through air pollution while the daycare center feeds the baby from a BPA containing plastic bottle...well...
I believe the cancer rate increase is a result of all your points LadyX.
flouride
chemtrails
FDA
Funny you should mention chemtrails Pdub.
I just became aware of this freakish development last week. Having seen them almost every day since then, I am just beginning to learn about them. Others would be well advised to do the same.
Flouride is such old news, does anyone care anymore?
If you consume water, you probably should care as this stuff is a crime against humanity.
Google is our friend, and mass media is our enemy.
Fortunately we still have a choice about how we "consume" our news, unlike flouride and chemtrails.
I'll tell you one thing I know has contributed to it. We've been living in a sick society and naturally the kids are symptoms of it. It is sick to claim to be the greatest nation on earth, to be by the people and for the people and to really be by the rich and for the rich, to be the richest nation on earth and then leave the most sick and vulnerable to die in the ditch. I could go on and on. For the last 40 years the country has been sick and naturally so are our kids
I am not going to deny the benefits of your study. However, my son has been diagnosed with Asperger's, and Asperger's does run in our family. He is the only one with an clinical diagnosis. This is an example, but the truth is that the vast majority of autism spectrum cases were completely undiagnosed in decades past, which chips away at the theory that chemicals are at fault.
Besides that, I have discussed increasing allergy/asthma rates with a couple of pediatricians. However, their theory for the increase is completely different. Allergies and asthma are auto-immune diseases. Our immune systems identify a non-toxic substance (like peanuts), mistakenly identify it as a toxic substance and react (making us ill). In 3rd world countries, asthma & allergies are non-existent. However, in 3rd world countries, people's immune systems get quite a workout defending against malaria, small-pox, typhoid, etc. You could almost consider asthma and allergies to be the unfortunate side-effects of not giving our immune systems enough work to do.
Although their theory is unproven (as of yet) it makes more sense than yours. You have no reason to specifically blame chemicals other than the coincidence (yes, coincidence) that new chemicals are apparently in the market. Step out of the box and look around a little.
Bingo. Which is why all this germ paranoia is really bad.
Or you could acknowledge the fact that both aluminum and barium are both proven to weaken immune systems beyond any doubt.
Then you could look for proof that these two chemicals are polluting various geographic or demographic groups and see what the data says.
Or you could continue on with your "unproven theory" strategy which worked wonders for big tobacco when they continually rejected study after study showing cigarettes caused cancer. This tactic bought them 20 years to continue on with their delivery of poison at a profit.
This tactic works well for the global warming deniers too, who continually reject good science that might cost them money.
You want to step outside the box my friend? Get way out of it and look straight up on a blue sky day, and see the chemtrails.
I really dont think so I have been doing this for 44 years and the child who didn't "fold" with the mother but was poker spined and distant about contact has been known for years. We felt it was a childhood form of schizophrenia. But we recognized it. Remember the half life of medical knowledge is 10 years and I think that number was published about 15 years ago.
I remind my patients of that fact daily.
America has endured a multi-generational experiment on the results of injecting billions of tons of toxic chemicals into the air, earth and water. The idea being, if it is good for industry, it doesn't much matter about the effects on people.
We are now seeing the results of the experiment. These toxins are changing life on earth, probably for a million years. The best thing people can do is avoid using synthetic chemicals as much as possible, grow organic food yourself, and quit using personal care products made of chemicals. Also, stay away from pharmaceuticals, unless it is some acute emergency.
When I was a kid in California, we would get in the old Chevy and take a drive. I recall how the windshields would be plastered with insect bodies of all kinds, and when we got home, I was always eager to look at the grille on the front of the car, to see if any new insects were caught in there. Now, you rarely see one insect on your windshield. Where did all the insects go? DDT I guess.
All aromatic (those with a benxene ring) organic chemicals are carcinogenic.
All heavy metals are toxic.
Thank you!...I don't have allergies to speak of..EXCEPT... certain (usually the expensive designer) perfumes...my GOD..one whiff...and I get dizzy and nauseous...it makes me feel neurotic to say .."please don't wear that perfume"...but I swear to God...throw pollen at me..I'm fine...throw many perfumes OR those dreadful car freshener thingy's...and I'm sick for a day...so I can't imagine how a baby might react to aromatherapy overload... what's wrong with just "air"..soiled as it is...
oh...and the insects are gone (dangerously...the bees)....probably due to the use of NICOTINE as a pesticide after DDT was banned..."they've" tested hives that have been abandoned..and..voila..nicotine..
So..as our nation quits smoking..we just let tobacco lobby use their toxin on our pollinators...
it's a mess.
There are a lot of nasty aromatic compounds, but also some that are the opposite of toxic; for example, amino acids that are used by every organism on the planet.
While science finds proof, farmers, chemical plants and food items supply us with plenty of toxic chemicals. I am a Chemistry / Biology college major. I can tell you that there is no doubt in my mind that we are poisoning ourselves. Atracine, a pesticide long banned by the rest of the world, is still used here in the US. As students we looked at DDT. A banned substance can be still found in the blubber of seals in the Arctic. It is very aggressive. Remember Bhopal. Dioxin wiped out a whole city. Dioxin is still used. Warning sign are posted along the Houston Port Shipping channel. It really comes down to very lax regulation by the government. Profit and lack of imagination by corporate America is to blame and us for not stepping onto toes. We are among other things poison ourselves out of existence.
i have never used any chemical cleaners in my home. for years i have purchased only non-toxic cleaners. i don't use any toxins on my yard. we're all vegans and my kids are healthy, smart and energetic - and in trim. i hate it when the neighbors spray all kinds of crap all over their yards to help the grass grow or to get rid of insects. there are better, safer ways to do these things. anything that has a skull and crossbones on it should not even be on the shelves. i think a lot of the problems kids are having is a direct result of chemicals and a consistent pattern of unheathly eating - sodas, fast food, etc. wake up, people!
Unfortunately, all the airborne chemicals (jet fuel, refinery effluvia, etc.) fall to earth with the rain. Even organic vegtables grow in polluted earth.
There are about 40,000 chemicals produced in large quantities in the world today. Of that amount, we know the toxicological effects of roughly ~100. What does that tell you?
Our policies need to move to a "precautionary principle" model, where these chemicals must be proven safe before they can be widely distributed. Right now we have a "free for all" model, where it's safe until people die and lawsuits occur.
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It amazes me that many people will spead any chemical concotion around their house just because some corporation put it in an attractive bottle and said that it is useful. In almost all cases, there is no ingredient listing on the bottle and even if there were most people would have no idea what those ingredients actually did.
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I have heavy metal poisoning: primarily lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium.
From my point of view, a large percentage of people suffer with the same condition. They just don't understand why they have allergies, flu and chronic aches and pains.
Orthodox medicine denies the widespread existence of this condition, and I expect it will wipe out the human race before they wake up.
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Very true.
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