Toxins Part 1

Toxins Part 1
Today we’ll investigate the types and sources of toxins that can impact our health.

Stay tuned for the next instalment where I will cover tips and tricks on how to eliminate toxins.

It is definitely more challenging in our modern world to avoid toxins.  Especially as we know that there are more than 80,000 chemicals registered for use today, many of which haven’t been studied for safety by any government agency.  This equates to around 1.4 billion kilograms of chemicals each year.  If chemicals have been studied, it is usually as single agents and not in combination with other chemicals seen in many of the products they are found in.  More disturbingly, the Environmental Working Group states that the average newborn baby has 287 known toxins in his or her umbilical cord blood at birth.

A recent reform of the US Toxic Substances Control Act will hopefully (but probably slowly) reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals.  Previously, chemical company appointed regulators had to prove a chemical posed an “unreasonable risk” before action could be taken.  This was so difficult that the Environmental Protection Agency couldn’t even ban asbestos, a known carcinogen that still kills 15,000 people each year.

Even government agencies state that rates of endocrine-related health problems are climbing with growing evidence that chemicals are to blame.  Commonly known sources of toxins include:

  • Farming and gardening related chemicals, e.g. fertilizers and pesticides
  • Vehicle related chemicals e.g. petrochemicals
  • Heavy metals, e.g. mercury and lead
  • Cleaning products, e.g. bleach

However, there are other less obvious toxins in our environment, including those found in:

  • Medications.  Although we sometimes need medications, in general medications (including over the counter meds) are over-prescribed and over-used.
  • Food chemicals, e.g. preservatives, colours, flavours, trans fats and emulsifiers.
  • Food production/preparation, e.g. oxidised fats found in deep fried/over-heated foods, and excess sugar.  Yes, you read that right, sugar is a form of chemical toxin if eaten in excess and this is easy to do with many foods containing hidden sugars.  We ideally should eat no more than 5-6 teaspoons/day of added sugar whereas the average New Zealander eats about 20-25 teaspoons of added sugar/day!
  • Food storage, e.g. BPA in plastic containers.
  • Pathogens, i.e. bacteria, viruses and fungi and their toxins.
  • Personal care products, e.g. shampoos, sunscreen and skin creams.
  • Allergies, i.e. to food or the environment (e.g. pollen).
  • Metabolism.  We generate toxic metabolites (by-products), e.g. when we break down our hormones and food.
  • Psychosocial, emotional and spiritual toxins.  Negative feelings such as anger and loneliness are interpreted by our body as a toxin and therefore generate a similar negative effect.

Although it seems hard to escape all these toxins, never fear, there are solutions.  In the next article I’ll tell you everything you need to know about detox!  In the meantime, let me know your toxin exposure stories by commenting below.

See more Health Helpline articles here.

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