Environmental Toxicity
The environment we choose to live in may have a significant effect upon our health. In particular, there are a number of toxic substances we may be exposed to, which can cause severe disruption of bodily functions. These may include fluoride, commonly added to drinking water by well-meaning health authorities, and heavy metals such as mercury, aluminium, arsenic, lead, cadmium, tin and nickel. Pesticide use in farming is in a similar category. The novel science of Genetic Engineering also poses a significant environmental threat to life.
While not wishing to downplay the significance of other toxins such as xenoestrogens in plastics, carbon monoxide, chemical and electrical pollution of all sorts, etc, I have elected to focus on just four areas due to the incredible irony of the choice made by many to voluntarily consume them.
- Mercury is one of the most toxic substances known to man, with strict exposure limits set in industrial settings, yet somehow it is deemed safe to place in a person's mouth. 100 years ago dentists who placed mercury amalgam fillings were called quacks - what has changed since then to make it safe and standard practice?
- Fluoride is extremely controversial and is the subject of much debate. Still sold today as the active ingredient in rat poison, sodium fluoride is remarkably added to drinking water in many major cities as a form of "mass medication" to improve dental health. However, calcium fluoride is indeed an essential constituent of teeth and bones. Regardless of what you believe about fluoride and whether any forms are desirable or not, one thing should concern you more, your right to make your own choice as to whether to consume it or not.
- Pesticides and herbicides have been in common use in the majority of commercial farms and even in our own gardens for several decades now but how much do we really know about their safety? There is an alarming body of evidence to support the health risks of both applying pesticides/herbicides and eating sprayed foods. This article, written by Dr John Whitman Ray, explores one notorious compound in particular, malathion. Malathion is only one of a huge group of pesticides called organophosphates, which have similar effects and are in nearly universal use.
- Genetic Engineering breaks nature's barriers to the kinds of life forms that can exist. In spite of any assurances that may be given by scientists, the simple reality is we do not know what will happen after years or generations of eating genetically engineered foods because the science is too new. We also do not know how nature will respond, what might happen once it is confronted with genetic variations it has not previously encountered or allowed. If we were talking about anything less than the future of our food supply and the long term health effects then we might be less concerned.
The article at the following link suggests that a significant precedent has been set to uphold the classification of fluoridated water as a medicine, unsuitable for food. European court ruling spells an end to fluoridation.
Excerpt: "Fluoridated water must be treated as a medicine, and cannot be used to prepare foods. That is the decision of the European Court of Justice, in a landmark case dealing with the classification and regulation of 'functional drinks' in member states of the European Community."
Click here to visit the NZ Health Trust website, from which you may subscribe to an informative newsletter or read up on many controversial health issues facing New Zealanders, including the use of mercury, fluoride, and genetic engineering.
Want to Read More on These Environmental Issues?
Follow these links to read more on mercury toxicity, the mercury removal protocol, fluoride, pesticide use, and Genetic Engineering - or use the navigation bars below and at the top of the page to read them through in sequence. There are also some articles of environmental interest in my article archive.
Or, you may want to look at some of the environmental toxicity and detoxification books I recommend.