Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Measuring Pollution In Humans

Posted by Hemos on from the you-come-out-to-3.5%-filthy dept.

CHaN_316 writes "Scientists have begun measuring pollutants in our body and the results sound like a chemical clean-up site. They've found things such as flame retardants, chemicals derived from DDTs, mercury, uranium, cotinine, and many more. The concern is a lot of this stuff is ending up in mother's milk. But hey, at least in the event of spontaneous combustion, I'll be partially protected."

19 of 423 comments (clear)

  1. Prevention? Antidote? by Locky · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Drink more Water.

    1. Re:Prevention? Antidote? by miracle69 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Except for the fact that our water is one of the main reasons that expected lifespan has exploded over the past 100 years. I mean, when was the last time 50% of the population in a U.S. community under 10 died from cholera?

      When you're expected to live to 75 and you're worried about the quality of the stuff that allows you to live that long, perhaps the problem is that you *ARE* living that long.

      --
      Linux - Because Mommy taught me to Share.
    2. Re:Prevention? Antidote? by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 3, Interesting

      This might be an opportune time to mention the campaign to Do Something about the growing danger posed by dihydrogen monoxide in the environment and in our very bodies.

      This substance (H2O) has an even more obscure name in the IUPAC chemical naming system: "ozane" (H-saturated oxygen). It is so rarely used you can't even find it in Google.

      "Trihydrogen mononitride" (NH3) has its own IUPAC name too: "azane".

  2. I inquired with my county about testing my water.. by vudufixit · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And they told me I'd have to have a private lab do it for me - and pay dearly for it! Why the hell won't they test my drinking water without my having to pay for it? Isn't delivering water that's reasonably free of contaminants part of their responsibility?

  3. $5,000 a test?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Wow are we in the wrong business.
    What kind of scam is that for blood and possibly urine workups?

  4. Healthy future ... by foobsr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Milloy noted that despite all the chemicals, the overall U.S. population is living longer and healthier.

    I do not know about the U.S., but things are different in Germany.

    [QUOTE]
    Overweight & Diabetes in Germany Due to overweight, obesity and inactive lifestyles, the number of people with diabetes is set to double from five million to 10 million in Germany in the next 10 years, doctors warned at a meeting of the German Society for Internal Medicine in Wiesbaden this week. Most worrying is the number of young people who are developing type 2 diabetes because of obesity. Unlike type 1 diabetes - an autoimmune disease that usually develops in children or young adults - type 2 diabetes is linked to obesity and lifestyle, and has traditionally been seen in mainly middle-aged and older adults.
    [UNQUOTE] ( c.f. here )

    CC.

    --
    TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
    1. Re:Healthy future ... by TheSync · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I bet in 1991 people started to stop smoking in large numbers...

      It is not suprising that cancer rates increase as the population lives longer, as if you don't die from other things, eventually a chance mutation, virus provided oncogene, and/or telomere shortening will begin carcinogenesis.

      If you look at countries with very low life expectancy, cancer rates are very low as well.

    2. Re:Healthy future ... by Smidge204 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Are infant deaths factored into life expectancy calculations?

      http://mathworld.wolfram.com/LifeExpectancy.html

      Seems to me that at least the above method has a built-in correction. That they are actually measuring is the number of people (% of population) who die within age catagory x. If x is ages 30-40, then it has decreased in the past 100 years. If x is 70-80, then it has increased in the past 100 years.

      The conclusion is that more people are reaching the 70-80 age group, and therefore people pn average are living longer.

      At least that's my understanding...
      =Smidge=

    3. Re:Healthy future ... by jfisherwa · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "... an abundance of very fatty foods and a decrease in physical activity are among the causes."

      Perhaps you meant an abundance of easily-accessible complex carbohydrates and refined sugars that allow our children to get a sugar high from every meal of the day.

      Blood-sugar level spiking -> accumulative insulin resistance -> ineffective pancreas -> type-2 diabetes.

      Please see how insulin works .. and when it doesn't. Simple answer? Less carbohydrates, more protein.

      Regards,

  5. Flame retardant example by plinius · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A recent article in Science News (a journal) described how one class of flame retardants called PBDEs are more common in the US than in Europe and how blood levels in Americans are on average 10 times higher. It also says there may be a link to ADD, which is also more common in the US. Maybe your next futon should be an organic one?

  6. Avoiding pesticides by Via_Patrino · · Score: 2, Interesting

    To reduce pesticides in fruits that you eat the rind (like apples), wash them with water and *soap*. Just water won't work because pesticides are oily (not soluble in water), to avoid being washed by the rain.

    After that, wash well just with water (and leave them for a while in water before that if you wan't) to remove all the soap. Soap can also harm your health.

  7. washing up liquid by Tandoori+Haggis · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Washing up liquid! Why do folk insist on leaving these chemicals on food utensils? Do we really have to beat sense into them or serve them food with large doses of added "lemon fresh -squeaky clean" before it penetrates their thick skulls?

    http://www.nielsenchemicals.com/datashts/dshy_wa sh liqu.htm

    11. TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION:
    MEDICAL SYMPTOMS:
    EYES AND MUCOUS MEMBRANES. Irritation of eyes and mucous membranes. DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including upset stomach. MOUTH AND THROAT. Irritation of mouth and throat.

    4. FIRST AID MEASURES:
    INHALATION:
    Not relevant.
    INGESTION:
    Rinse mouth thoroughly. DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING! Get medical attention.
    SKIN:
    Wash off with water.
    EYES:
    Promptly wash eyes with plenty of water while lifting the eye lids. Continue to rinse for at least 15 minutes. Get medical attention if any discomfort continues.

    Besides, have you ever been given a mug of tea by someone who assumed that they need not rinse the mug of any detergent? It's undrinkable! Yuk!

    Stay safe: Keep window lickers out of the kitchen!

    --
    My hyperlinks aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
  8. Chlorine on the water by Via_Patrino · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Don't know why they didn't mentioned that but the water you drink (except bottle water) contains chlorine. Chlorine is a chemmical that was even used as poison on WW I.

    To avoid chlorine on your drinking (and cooking) water, use a chlorine filter like this

  9. you can overdose on water by peter303 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It happens in marathons: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A9158-200 3Oct23?language=printer. Fatigue or some pain-killers like ibrofprofen can distort the sense of thirst.

  10. Body burden hard to measure by dgh · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Blood and urine tests are often not reliable indicators of total body burden of a substance. Blood or urine levels can be low while significant (possibly toxic) amounts may be stored in various organs and visa versa.

    Also, due to health and genes, different people can tolerate vastly different amounts of a toxic substance before showing symptoms or being disadvantaged.

    Remember that the risks of cigarette smoking and factors contributing to heart disease have been researched for decades and are still not fully understood. To just as accurately assess the risks of all of these chemicals, or even just the chemicals that should be assessed is a massive undertaking that our society is not willing to take on. Pronouncements of levels of safety and risk are just guesses.

    The bottom line is, we are all guinea pigs. Some of us will get sick and die early from some pollutants, and the rest of us won't notice.

  11. Re:Utterly pointless article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
    Didn't you just point out that we shouldn't believe things unless we're given facts, yet you still try to tell us that what you're saying is the truth, without backing it up?

    In his defense, it should be anectotally obvious to nearly everybody that you are much more likely to die of a fatal car crash than pesticide poisoning from supermarket veggies. There are few among us who have not witnessed a highway collision scene, yet almost nobody dies as a direct result of bug spray on their apples.

  12. Re:I inquired with my county about testing my wate by spickus · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What contaminents would you like to see monitored more closely/have a lower MCL (maximum contaminent level). You do realize that a large percentage of our (USA) water supplies are filtered (not all ground water needs filtration). ALL public water supplies are disinfected and monitored closely. I monitor no less than 15 key parameters daily (holidays included). We perform routine bacteriological sampling monthly (analyzed by a third party lab and reported to the STATE BY THEM - to keep me honest). Every public water supply must also perform a slew of addition testing - SOC's, VOC's, radionuclides, TTHM's, lead and copper sampling, etc, etc.

    --
    Indecision is the key to flexibility.
  13. Re:as a chemist... by KrispyKringle · · Score: 2, Interesting
    He's not specifically trying to pass the buck. He's pointing out that we get ourselves worked up over certain risks more than others.

    For example; I know people who refuse to fly, for fear of airplane crashes, but are willing to drive hours every day. Many people, in a similar vein, stopped flying after September 11, even though the probability of being a casualty of terrorism is still extremely low (lower than many other activities they would willingly engage in).

    The point is not passing the buck (though I think maybe ou meant to say something else here, since he wasn't trying to say anyone else was responsible for the pollution instead of polluters), but rather that we are perhaps overly concerned about unknown risk, though it is likely smaller than many known risks we willingly accept.

  14. Purification Program by Ferguson · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Toxins from the enviroment deposit in the fatty tissue of the body. Over the years as the residues accumulate, they can have a great effect on the body. Heavy drug cases are among the worse.

    The Purification program which consists of a regime of heavy vitamins, niacin and long sauna sweatouts can actually purge the body of toxins. Anyone who has ever been poisoned (heavy drug users), exposed to radiation or has lived in a toxic environment (LA) could greatly benefit.

    I did it five years ago and the results were amazing. Incredibly, my eyesight improved.

    read more here .

    And this is the book, Clear Body, Clear Mind.