Jumat, 11 Mei 2012

Chemicals in household items are 'causing huge increase in cancer, obesity and falling fertility'

Chemicals in household items are 'causing huge increase in cancer, obesity and falling fertility'

  • Among the everyday items containing endocrine disrupting chemicals are food, cosmetics and drugs

By Graham Smith

PUBLISHED: 08:17 EST, 11 May 2012 | UPDATED: 08:47 EST, 11 May 2012


Chemicals found in household products may be causing significant increases in cancers, diabetes, obesity and falling fertility, the European Environment Agency has warned.

Among the everyday items containing endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which affect the hormone system, are food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

The chemicals, which can leach out into food and be absorbed by the body, are also causing an increased number of neurological development problems in both humans and animals, it is claimed.

Warning: Chemicals found in household products may be causing significant increases in cancers, diabetes, obesity and falling fertility

Warning: Chemicals found in household products may be causing significant increases in cancers, diabetes, obesity and falling fertility

In recent decades, there has been a significant growth in many human diseases and disorders including breast and prostate cancer, male infertility and diabetes.

The substances mimic female hormones and have already been linked to breast cancer, low quality semen and thryoid disease as well as sex changes in fish in polluted waterways.

Many scientists think that this growth is connected to the 'rising levels of exposure' to mixtures of some chemicals in widespread use.

Jacqueline McGlade, EEA executive director, said: 'Scientific research gathered over the last few decades shows us that endocrine disruption is a real problem, with serious effects on wildlife, and possibly people.

The EEA has called for a 'precautionary approach' to the chemicals until their affect is better understood, but stopped short of recommending a complete ban.

It did, however, fully accept that there is a definite link between the chemicals and some diseases seen in humans.

The chemicals mimic female hormones and have already been linked to the rise in obesity

The chemicals mimic female hormones and have already been linked to the rise in obesity

The study says:  'There is a large body of evidence linking chemical exposure to thyroid, immune, reproductive and neurological problems in animals, and many of the same or similar diseases and disorders have been observed to be rising in human populations.

'Both animals and humans may be exposed to these chemicals in the environment, or via water or the food chain where the chemicals can build up.'

EEA scientists arrived at their findings after combing through scientific literature commissioned by the agency over the past 15 years.

The study has been published in a report titled 'The impacts of endocrine disrupters on wildlife, people and their environments'.

It concludes: 'Tthe effects of EDCs on humans may be more difficult to demonstrate, due to the length, cost and methodological difficulties with these types of studies â€" so wildlife and animal studies may be seen in some cases as an early warning of the dangers.'

 

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

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- anon, anon, 11/5/2012 19:11. Unhelpful? Think of the fuss that is made of smoking, alcohol, obesity, litter in the streets and etc. This is a thousand times worse. It effects unborn children and it may be linked to other things like autism. A really big fuss must be made to wake Westminster and Brussels up. They are part of the problem. Keep it up Mr Smith.

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examples are........???? - pride, london, 11/ +++ roundup weedkiller would be one biggie, although i thought that one was well-known already

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The simple apple is so contaminated you wouldn't believe it, this so called healthy fruit is sprayed at least three times with herbicide fungicide and pesticide, whats the old saying 'eat an apple a day and keep the doctor away' yeah right.

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any chance of letting us know what products are harmful then??!! - TomO , Newcastle UK, 11/5/2012 15:11 +++ It is pretty near impossible to pin down and say what to avoid. The water we drink because of crop spray, discarded ECO Bulbs (containing Mercury) getting into water courses, plastic bottles containing EDC's and all of the previous comments suggesting SLS and cling film, E Number Chemicals in food. We need the government to take this seriously and do the research. Low Sperm Counts, Heart Disease, Birth Defects and more are being studied, but not nearly enough. It is only when you trawl the net that you find some of it.

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Your comments:Golden Rule No.1 - NEVER trust anything that has been tested on an animal. Think about it. Why do you think these ingredients and chemicals need testing? Because they have the potential to be harmful. Like other posters on here, I have seen the light now only use white vinegar and Ecover bleach to clean my home, natural soap in the shower, facial products from companies that use only natural ingredients (I get all mine from Appuru.co.uk. - they have a lot of great ranges to choose from). In short if it's from a big company like L'Oreal, Proctor and Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser, GSK etc etc then it WILL have been tested on an animal and it WILL be bad for you. BPA's, PCB's, E numbers, all the chemicals they spray on your food, the list is endless and all this stuff is really dangerous - as pointed out in this unhelpful article.

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This has been known for years, but happily ignored by the Ninny State types who relish the power they'd have over people if they could legally force diet and exercise regimens on them. The NHS doctors with similarly punitive attitudes are just as guilty. What a shame and danger to us all.

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It's not just the chemicals in the packaging and household products, it's also the vast amount of GM SOYA stuffed into our foods, often without being on the label. It has the same gender bending effect, destroying thyroids for good measure.

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And crop spraying and numerous other additives in food.

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Eco friendly products which generally speaking have not been tested are the ones that are safe to use. - Lees, London, 11/5/2012 17:52 . If something has "not been tested", then how do you know that it is safe to use? I personally use several products which come with an "Eco friendly" label as I happen to think that they do the job in question very well - some washing up liquids and laundry liquids would be an example of this. I have switched to them recently because I am very impressed with their performance and it MAY be that any risk either to my health or to the wider environment is lessened. However statements such as the one you have made in this column make no sense at all and simply serve to undermine any rational debate about the advantages that so-called ecologically sound products may have.

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Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLS) and triclosan in toothpaste and shampoo is another concern. Would they tell us though if it were dangerous? I wonder....So err on the side of caution is my advice. - jules, Middle England, 11/5/2012 17:58 It took me years to discover that it was the SLS in toothpaste which was causing my gum problems. Switching to an SLS free brand solved the problem completely.

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