A new report has revealed a strong link between toxic chemicals in food, water, and air and a range of serious health issues, including cancer, obesity, dementia, infertility, and ADHD. The report, titled “The Invisible Tsunami,” warns that the risks to human health are widely underestimated and that the impact of pesticide use on cancer rates may be rivalled by smoking.
Researchers found that over 3,600 synthetic chemicals from food contact materials are present in human bodies globally, with 80 feared to be especially dangerous. These chemicals, known as Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), were found in almost everyone tested, including European teenagers who had high levels of the chemicals in their blood that posed serious health risks.
The report highlights a shocking link between pesticide use and increased risk of leukaemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and bladder, colon, and liver cancer. Prenatal exposure to pesticides has also been shown to increase the odds of childhood leukaemia and lymphoma by over 50%.
In addition, synthetic chemicals have been linked to a decline in sperm count, with men having high levels of certain PFAS found to have less than half the normal sperm count.
The report’s authors warn that the current international approach to managing synthetic chemicals is inadequate and that more coordinated action is needed across the world. They call for better standardisation to safeguard humans and the planet alike.
“The industrial economy has created over 100 million new chemicals, with 350,000 currently in commercial use,” said Dr Adam Tomassi-Russell, director of climate at Deep Science Ventures. “The production of persistent chemicals has grown so large that a safe planetary boundary has been breached.”
The report highlights the need for a fundamental shift in how we approach understanding, funding, and innovation efforts to solve this problem.
Toxicity is the most underrated threat facing humanity, according to Jeremy Grantham, co-founder and chair at The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment.
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/cancer-alzheimers-risk-toxic-chemicals-food-water-invisible-tsunami-b2800237.html