The discovery that man could combine elements and chemicals into new compounds has led to the development of our modern world with its amazing advances in medicine, technology, agriculture, energy and manufacturing. At the same time, our natural world has become contaminated with the chemical residues of these “miracles of science.”
It has also become increasingly clear that we don’t fully understand the complex interactions between chemicals and the human body, even at very low levels of exposure. What we do know is that pregnant women and young children are most vulnerable to environmental toxins because of the exquisitely sensitive development of the fetus and children’s rapid growth and typical behaviors. Environmentally mediated disease and disability can no longer be attributed to occupational exposures – today we all live, work and play in compromised environments.
In these pages we examine some of the most common chemicals found in our everyday lives, particularly those that pose an imminent threat to our family’s health.
