Toxics

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Description

Twelve Guiding Principles of Green Chemistry were put together and announced by Paul T. Anastas of The Green Chemistry Institute in 1998. The first principle is that Preventing waste is easier than treating waste. It only makes sense, right? How is it that humans survived thousands of years of drought, ice ages, disease and other challenges, only to start creating tens-of-thousands of chemicals per year (that's right, per year) to 'help' the human race with its need to make our lives more effortless; only to find that these chemicals have become the source of new human illnesses and environmental destruction?

One unpleasant aspect of toxic materials, is that once it enters the food chain, it becomes more concentrated in larger organisms at the top - particularly humans. Pregnant women are constantly warned that eating more than a few ounces of tuna per week can be detrimental to their baby. So if it's bad for the baby, what about the rest of us, particularly over time. We have names for different toxicological diseases, such as Minamata Disease, which is basically mercury poisoning. No matter where you go on the planet, artificial chemicals have migrated there over time.

Toxic material release is rampant and comes in all forms. Cyanide pits used for dissolving gold ore meanders into aquifers that we drink from. Nuclear testing over the past 60 years now allows scientists to carbon date any Baby Boomer without even seeing the persons medical records - seriously! Pharmaceuticals are flushed into watersheds all over the globe. And who knows what else goes down the sewer. Mercury emits from coal burning and spreads around the nation, usually flowing west to east, killing lakes with acid rain. Pesticides and herbicides are spread extensively over our foods throughout the Grain Belt and west coast. Who knows how this affects humans over time. For generations, major corporations dumped PCBs and other nasty materials into the same rivers we fished and swam in.

How is it that the most intelligent species on the planet can allow these things to happen? The best thing we can do is arm ourselves with knowledge. Recycle batteries and electronics through reliable sources. Buy cleaning products that are harmless enough that they do not need a poison control center sticker. Buy organic foods, recycled paper, and spend a little extra money on durable products that will not make it to the land fill for years.