The Chemicals Within

I just purchased this edition of Newseek today (2/4/08) and have recently finished a couple of books on this subject. I was amazed to discover that there was no mention of the European Union's ban of many of these chemicals, esp. in light of the comment "no government in the world..." while the author may have been referring to a specific chemical, the omission of the EU's position on much of this kind of research was curious. The studies seem to point to the problem of cumulative damage from so many sources of the same chemicals. Most frustrating is the multi-corporations that make these unsafe products willingly (after much lobbying) removed many of the banned chemicals from EU products (since safer ingredients are often available already) while fighting tooth & nail to avoid doing that in the U.S. Admittedly, I don't have personal experience with the reconfigured products in the EU (and I know Americans can't tolerate any natural odors), but I'd love an opportunity to find our for myself to see if they work as well. At least give us choices!

You can see that all Companies have been hidden what we need to know. When we buy a common toy, a bottle or a sofa, we are taking many things (or many substances) as well. I know the Medical Science is very advanced but can It help us to avoid health damage in a long term ? We can't forget some substances can cause injuries in a long term : they simply are accumulated in our bodies !!!!

You omitted something that to me is very stupid. The use of Teflon cookware which is made with Fluorine which as a gas will form hydrofluoric acid . Probably the singular most toxic chemical known to man (excluding radioactive materials). DuPont admits that fumes from teflon routinely kill pet birds yet we expose children, adults even pregnant woman to this stuff.

You omitted something that to me is very stupid. The use of Teflon cookware which is made with Fluorine which as a gas will form hydrofluoric acid . Probably the singular most toxic chemical known to man (excluding radioactive materials). DuPont admits that fumes from teflon routinely kill pet birds yet we expose children, adults even pregnant woman to this stuff.

As a chemist, I've come expect that news coverage of chemical toxicity issues will be relatively short on facts and long on scary innuendo. However, I was truly surprised at the level of carelessness evinced by Newsweek showing incorrect chemical structures for all three compounds in question. Moreover, the phosphate-bearing structure that is passed of as a phthalate bears absolutely no relation to any phthalate. There are real questions about the health effects of the compounds your article discusses, especially polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). But how can you expect anyone to trust what your reporting on complex matters when simple matters of scientific fact, such as structures that can be looked up on Wikipedia, are in serious error?

As a professional chemist I zeroed into this article seeking facts and research sources that back the words. Immediately, my attention was drawn to the chemical structures featured, because three out of three structures are incorrect, one of them not even close to the substance, the "phthalate" . The chemical structures for compoiunds are not trivial, esoteric drawings that look good as a picture, rather, every detail is critical in defining the properties, including toxicity, of every substance known to man. While none of us scientists would like to see contamination by otherwise useful chemicals being treated lightly, it is disheartening to contemplate the poor scientific literacy that even a global resource of information as Newsweek displays, not to mention poor fact checking on such serious matter as the health of individuals in our communities. Who should people trust for accurate, factual information? And, lets remember, the industries that manufacture all these products are driven by the consumers, so ultimately, these products exist today because we keep buying them.

Our Children are the Canaries in the coalmines. Anyone notice all the respiratory problems, allergies, attention deficit disorders, depression, infections, addiction, eating disorders, hormonal problems etc in even small children? And still expectant moms are ignorant or just don???t care about the content of the products they use! The don???t protect their unborn or are willing to breastfeed for any significant period of time during the most formative years of life. We give them products that are so far removed from real food that they are unrecognizable to the eye or to the body. We irradiate everything so that there are no digestive bacteria or enzymes to absorb what little nutrients are left. Soon we will be as well nourished as those starving in the deserts and still be obese.

It would be helpful if products had warning labels conspicuous to the consumer in the store when you're still considering whether to purchase the item. Sometimes people would still buy them anyway, but it could help create a market for products labeling themselves as free from such dangers.

Oh, and proof that most Americans are ignorant and apathethic lies within the small number of posings to this important article which shows that most people wont read anything unless there are lots of pictures, or britney spears name is in the heading.

Is anyone else infuriated by this article? The common sense soloution to this problem is to stop producing this stuff, how difficult could that really be? If the American public was better educated and not so Apathetic towards everything except for what tom cruize and britney (the ignorant slut) are doing right this minute than maybe things would change. All of the people who dont care, the politicians that dont act and the people responsible for knowingly designing these products should be rounded up and beaten to a bloody pulp for thier role!

my daughter is 8 now..........due to problems with breastfeeding i had to bottle feed........after alot of research i finally found a feeding bottle made from glass.....i still had to use the plastic nipple but at least the milk was not being heated in plastic........

I agree with freezeframe. It is pretty difficult to 'avoid using' plastic products. Everytime I use a plastic grocery bag or drink from a plastic water bottle I feel bad because I know that plastic takes an extremely long time to biodegrade and so it ends up floating around in the ocean and being washed up on formerly pristine islands. I recently found out about the miles of plastic waste in our oceans, and how plastic products disintegrate into tiny particles that marine life consume. The marine life dies or is consumed by human beings. How am I as an individual to do anything about this predicament? The only way to do anything is to kill the source, which is the plastic manufacturer. Not that Mr. Plastic Manufacturer is The Devil or the one and only culprit, but as long as the plastic plants exist and continue producing plastic products, one person choosing not to use these plastic products isn't going to do much about this monstrous problem.

I know I have problems with chemicals ever since I was exposed to chlorine gas 15 years ago...since then I have developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, various food / chemical allergies among other things. My mother and brother also have these problems, so I know what can happen.

Interesting... i just donated my gas guzzler for some serious cash at autogiver.com

O great something else we all get to wonder about. Neither my husband or I want kids so I dont need to worry about that part, but really does everything we own have to contaminate our bodies. Very informative article.

Right on, silentminority! Yeah, shame on environmentalists for looking out for people's health and well-being! How selfish of them! ! Didn't anybody ever tell them to mind their own business? So what if males have lower sperm count as a result of leached chemicals--that's like birth control right there folks. Let's protest them by microwaving our leftovers in plastic!!! Let's let that plastic melt into our foods, that'll show 'em! BPA! BPA! BPA!

Right on, silentminority! Yeah, shame on environmentalists for looking out for people's health and well-being! How selfish of them! ! Didn't anybody ever tell them to mind their own business? So what if males have lower sperm count as a result of leached chemicals--that's like birth control right there folks. Let's protest them by microwaving our leftovers in plastic!!! Let's let that plastic melt into our foods, that'll show 'em! BPA! BPA! BPA!