Pass the Pollution, Please

Georgia Nursing, Nov 2004-Jan 2005 by Sattler, Barbara A

Concerns about American food consumption are being raised everywhere-on the front pages of newspapers and magazines, on television and radio programs, within federal agencies like the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control. Low-carb, low-fat, and cholesterol-lowering diets are all competing for our buy-in. Rising obesity levels are raising the volume of food discussions and debates. However, there is comparatively less discussion about the toxic pollutants that are showing up in our foods and the health implications of these foodborne toxic chemicals or the public health risks that are created by modern-day food production. Our diet may very well be the number one source of toxic chemicals in our body.

Pesticides

If you purchase fruits or vegetables that are not labeled "organic," then pesticides and herbicides were probably used in their production. Pesticides are chemicals that have been formulated to kill something-either by poisoning it and killing it outright or by preventing it from reproducing, thus preventing further infestation. For pesticides that act on insects or rodents, two of the primary modes of action are on the nervous system or the reproductive systems. Many commonly used pesticides in agriculture, and even those used for homes and gardens, have not been sufficiently evaluated for their effects on human health-carcinogenicity, reproductive or neurological risks.

The National Research Council (NRC) estimates that by age 12, in the U.S., we will have received 50% or our lifetime exposure to pesticides. That's because children eat and drink way more fruits and vegetables than adults. Just consider the raisin-eating habits of the average two-year old, to imagine how this estimate might be substantiated. For those children who also live in homes or communities where pesticides are commonly used -for insect control in inner-city homes, pest control on suburban lawns, aerial spraying in agricultural communities-one begins to see the pesticide exposures accumulate. Additionally, in the Chesapeake Bay, as well as many other American bodies of water, alerts warn us of unhealthy levels of pesticides in the fish that are the result of pesticide run-off.

The active ingredients in many outdoor pesticides are often formulated to biodegrade in sunlight into a less or non-toxic state. That's fine, as long as they remain out-of-doors. What happens when they are tracked into our home and are no long in direct sunlight. That's right. They remain in their active state. And when children play on the floor and/or engage in their normal hand-to-mouth exploration, they will get yet another "dose" of pesticides.

We can reduce our exposures to pesticide residues on foods by choosing organic foods. By making this choice, we will also reduce the use of pesticides in our fields, thus reducing the pesticides tracked into our homes and the pesticide run-off into our streams, rivers, and lakes. We know that good and delicious foods can be grown without pesticides, because we are increasingly seeing organic product options in our grocery stores. Some school districts and hospitals (like the Kaiser Health Systems) are now stating a preference for pesticide-free produce when they are purchasing foodstuffs. Using our purchasing power to move the market can be an effective policy strategy. As nurses we have enormous potential to help move our hospitals and school systems in this positive pesticide-free direction.

Dioxins

Dioxins are a family of highly toxic chemical compounds that are created when we combust chlorine compounds: Dioxins mimic human hormones and thus can create a range of potential dysfunctions in the human body-reproductive, neurologic, immunologic. They are also carcinogenic. You won't see dioxin listed on the, label of your meats and poultry, but all meats, fish, poultry, and dairy contain dioxins. Dioxins are lipophilic and in animals and in humans this means that dioxins can be found in our fatty tissues, including our breastmilk. Dioxins are one of the 12 really bad persistent organic pollutants (POP's) that have been identified in an international treaty that calls upon all nations to reduce sources of dioxins and the other toxic pollutants bad pollution actors. Dioxins are a family of highly toxic chemical compounds that are created when we combust chlorine compounds. Dioxins mimic human hormones and thus can create a range of potential dysfunctions in the human body-reproductive, neurologic, immunologic. They are also carcinogenic.

Consumer Reports has tested baby food meat products and found them to have dioxin levels 100 times the Environmental Protection Agencies allowable amount. This is really unacceptable. We can't get the dioxin out of our current meat and fish products. We can't fry them out or steam them out or saute them out-we must get them out of the environment.

One of the manmade modes by which dioxins get into the environment is during the production of or burning (incineration) of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products. Think vinyl siding, PVC pipes, and the miles of PVC (faux-wood) fencing that are now populating our neighborhoods. Also, think PVC plastic tubing and PV bags used in health care. In every instance, there is now an alternative, non-PVC substitute. If we want to reduce the dioxins in our food, we have to pay attention to our product choices. We can do this individually and we can do this through the institutions in which we work and via policies at the state, national and even international level.