CDC Report on Environmental Chemical Exposure

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The latest national survey on the levels of chemical pollutants (such as heavy metals, toxic solvents, endocrine-disrupters, flame-retardant chemicals, PCBs), and pesticides (such as DDT) in the bodies of pregnant and non-pregnant Americans.

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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

Every few years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measures the levels of chemical pollutants in the bodies of thousands of Americans from across the country. What did the latest report tell us about our toxic burden? Or, more importantly, that of pregnant women in the United States?

Published last summer in the journal of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, here is the list of chemicals they measured (on the left). And, on the right is the percentage of women (both pregnant and non-pregnant) with detectable levels of these pollutants in their bodies. Look at those numbers! Most women in this country are contaminated with heavy metals, a number of toxic solvents, endocrine disrupters, fire-retardant chemicals, PCBs, and pesticides, like DDT. And, that’s just the first page.

Continuing on the next page—more pesticides, plastics chemicals, industrial toxins circulating through their bloodstreams. Look at these numbers; in many cases 99% or 100% of the hundreds of women tested were found with these chemicals in their bodies—and, potentially, passing them on to the next generation.

On average, pregnant women harbored about 35 different chemicals. Each of these bars represents one woman. That’s how many chemicals they found in each of their bodies.

Bottom line, they “found widespread exposure to pregnant women in the United States to multiple chemical [compounds and their metabolites], including both banned and contemporary contaminants.” Americans are walking chemical cocktails.

So, let us explore what consequences they may have, and how to minimize our exposure to them.

That will be the topic of this next series of videos on NutritionFacts.org

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

Every few years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention measures the levels of chemical pollutants in the bodies of thousands of Americans from across the country. What did the latest report tell us about our toxic burden? Or, more importantly, that of pregnant women in the United States?

Published last summer in the journal of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, here is the list of chemicals they measured (on the left). And, on the right is the percentage of women (both pregnant and non-pregnant) with detectable levels of these pollutants in their bodies. Look at those numbers! Most women in this country are contaminated with heavy metals, a number of toxic solvents, endocrine disrupters, fire-retardant chemicals, PCBs, and pesticides, like DDT. And, that’s just the first page.

Continuing on the next page—more pesticides, plastics chemicals, industrial toxins circulating through their bloodstreams. Look at these numbers; in many cases 99% or 100% of the hundreds of women tested were found with these chemicals in their bodies—and, potentially, passing them on to the next generation.

On average, pregnant women harbored about 35 different chemicals. Each of these bars represents one woman. That’s how many chemicals they found in each of their bodies.

Bottom line, they “found widespread exposure to pregnant women in the United States to multiple chemical [compounds and their metabolites], including both banned and contemporary contaminants.” Americans are walking chemical cocktails.

So, let us explore what consequences they may have, and how to minimize our exposure to them.

That will be the topic of this next series of videos on NutritionFacts.org

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Doctor's Note

This is the first of a long series of videos on the role of diet in both accumulating and eliminating industrial pollutants that build up in the food chain. In this video, and also in President’s Cancer Panel Report on Environmental Risk, I set the stage. And then, we’ll get down to the nitty-gritty, in terms of what we may want to avoid to decrease our toxic burden. I’ve done dozens of other videos on persistent organic pollutants, including Fish Oil in Troubled Waters and Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants.

For further context, check out my associated blog posts: How Chemically Contaminated Are We?; Pollutants in Californian Breast Tissue; and Protecting Our Babies From Pollutants.

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