Summer, a time for eating, drinking and catching up on some
reading all of which you often do while on vacation or enjoying a lazy
afternoon at the cottage. With this in
mind.....and as many of our Guest Bloggers are, have or will be taking
vacation, we thought for the summer months we would change gears and blog about
a book we think is worth reading. While
perhaps not topping the charts like "Fifty Shades of Grey",
"Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life
Affects Our Health" by Rick Smith, with Bruce Lourie and Sarah Dopp is an
excellent, although at times exasperating book.
The easy-to-digest tone of the book, and the lighthearted title
might lead one to misjudge the seriousness of the message, but make no mistake
that the core of the book is very serious indeed even to the extent that the
researching of it became a real threat to the well being of its author.
might lead one to misjudge the seriousness of the message, but make no mistake
that the core of the book is very serious indeed even to the extent that the
researching of it became a real threat to the well being of its author.
stocking Smith read the fine print on a package of socks. The label identified that Triclosan - a
broad-spectrum antibacterial agent registered with the US EPA as a pesticide,
and linked to human health effects and antibiotic resistance - was a component
of the sock fabric. In fact Triclosan
showed up in many of his child's stocking stuffers from rubber ducks to
underwear, and the discovery of its ubiquity launched Smith on an unnerving
adventure. After reading this, I took
the "Triclosan Challenge" and read through countless product labels
in my home. Much to the chagrin of my
husband we no longer use his favorite brand of toothpaste and you will most
definitely NOT find any antibacterial soap in the Kenny household. I don't care how great a sale is on!
turned himself into a human guinea pig.
Having identified potentially hazardous pesticides, preservatives, and
other known toxins (to humans and/or the environment) Smith purchased scores of
brand-name products in which these agents appeared and resolved to use the
exclusively over a 4-day period. The products included stain removers, shower
gel, shaving cream, soap, microwaveable plastic containers, toothpaste, air
freshness, canned foods, and more. Blood
and urine samples were taken before the experiment, regularly during, and at
its conclusion. The results were
remarkable. In fact so compelling that
like the "Triclosan Challenge", at home we changed the type of canned
tuna we eat, we no longer use non-stick cooking pans, and I can say I have
probably only had 2 bags of microwave popcorn since reading this book several
years ago.
which is believed to cause testicular dysfunction in children, went up by 22%;
the amount of BPA in his blood, linked to breast and prostate cancer, climbed
7.5%; and the level of Triclosan shot up by 3,000%!!! Triclosan is believed to interfere with thyroid
function and is not metabolized by the human body or even by the sewage waste
process, making it an almost ubiquitous environmental chemical in water. I wonder what the levels are in the Trent
River where I just spent the weekend swimming and bathing in (using Triclosan
and phthalate free soaps of course!).
we do in our everyday lives really matters in terms of the level of pollution
affecting us". And, "It
doesn't seem to matter where you live or what you do for a living; we're all
united by pollution."
here. Science simply responds to the
needs and/or wants of society. In recent
years the rapid reduction of toxic and persistent chemicals such as
gluteraldehyde, Triclosan, and quaternary ammonium compounds from the healthcare
environment, and the explosion of less toxic products or procedures are
examples of a scientific response to the desire of the marketplace. Humans needn't fear science; indeed this is a
book of optimism. To close with the
words of the author, "We're very
much at a watershed moment. The
scientific evidence of human harm from these chemicals is overwhelming. It's driving different consumer buying habits
and forcing companies to change."
reading list this summer. I have to admit,
there we're times I had to put it down for fear of scaring myself into living
in a bubble, but in the end I think I am a far wiser consumer!
Bugging Off!
Nicole
