Sunday, September 9, 2007
Toxins on the WTC Pile - Did Rudy Call OSHA?
On CBS 60 minutes, blame was discussed, as regards the EPA, and Christine Todd Whitman who was EPA director at the time. If they were discussing exposure of average New Yorkers in Lower Manhattan, Whitman was the one to explain, but the EPA doesn't regulate worker exposure. The federal agency with that responsibility is OSHA, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, headed by then Assistant Secretary of Labor John L. Henshaw. The question I pose is, did those in New York handling the project request OSHA help, and did Henshaw respond. Given the political atmosphere of the time, one would expect Rudy Giuliani to seek the best help available, and get it easily. How could anyone in the US government refuse such a request just after 9/11? It would have been political suicide.
In order to learn from the failures of our 9/11 response, we better look to those in a position to protect the volunteers and workers on the pile for answers. OSHA regulators ensure safety in construction, mining, manufacture of building materials, demolition of buildings and all other industrial and construction work in the US; clearly, they had the expertise to know what protection was appropriate. So tell us, Mr. Gullianni and Mr. Henshaw, What was done to harness the formidable resources of OSHA and use their knowledge to protect the people on the pile? Why was their protection so poor that we have a secondary disaster?
Mr. Giuliani, Did you ask for advice from OSHA on how to protect workers on the pile? If so, when? Why were so many exposed to toxic injury?
Mr. Henshaw, did OSHA provide (or offer) assistance or advice on worker protection for those working to save or recover victims of the WTC disaster? Did OSHA inspectors monitor conditions in which people on the pile worked?
If any of you can shed light on this question, please post a comment. If we don't learn from such disastrous mistakes in our past, we condemn ourselves to repeat them in the future.
Beware of the Bugs That Love You- Insect Borne Diseases
Friday, September 7, 2007
Have Some Toxic Mineral Water?
I consumed too much of this stuff when I cooked in it, stored in foil and drank from aluminum cans. A former FDA director and proponent of Pure Food Law promoted eliminating it from the food supply, but it is exempted from testing by law, due to classification as GRAS (Generally Accepted As Safe). That's why the FDA applies no restrictions and requires no testing. Given how common it is in our natural and commercial environment, aluminum may be the most difficult toxic material to avoid.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Ahhh the Great Toxic Smell of a New Car
None of these chemicals are likely to kill in concentrations present when the car gets to you, but they aren't the best compounds to breathe. If you aren't eager to lose more brain cells or stress your organs more than they are, consider driving with a window open a bit, at least for the first few weeks. Some suggest that you keep that window open for the first 6 months.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
What IS that Stuff ... Checking Suspicious Chemicals
- Check out the Material Safety Data Sheet or MSDS. Any chemical used in manufacturing must have an MSDS so workers and employers know how to handle it safely. A quick google search for 'chemname' MSDS will usually get a few hits with material data safety sheets for the chemical. If not, dig deeper and expect to find problems.
- Contact the manufacturer and ask about published information and health studies.
- Search on-line, or better still, get help from a librarian. (Yes, there really are still librarians out there)
If you find WAY too much contradictory information to draw a conclusion, dig deeper; you may find books on the stuff, and you may be inspired to do some serious reading. I promise you this- research a few food additives or household chemicals this way, and you'll learn far more than just the answers than you were looking for. You will start to understand the stuff you put in your body. There's a powerful education waiting for you, and it can change your life!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Poison Pills ... Feel better??
Sunday, September 2, 2007
mmmm, A Slice of Toxic Pie
Calcium propionate – Toxic preservative, too many known health effects to list
Xanthan gum – Viscosity additive – fermentation product – allergy risk, possible irritant
Red 40 (2-Naphthalenesulfonic acid) – Dye, not considered toxic in small quantities, but known to cause adverse behavioral effects in children, acute allergic reactions in some adults and other problems
Sodium caseinate – considered hazardous in case of ingestion – biodegrades into more toxic products, generally a problem for people with dairy allergies
Methylparaben – preservative, hazardous ingested in quantity, suspected carcinogen
Propylparaben - preservative, hazardous ingested in quantity, lethal toxin <1%>
Carrageenan – thickener from seaweed – suspected carcinogen, toxic inhaled, slightly hazardous ingested
A Nose for Survival - Smell Your Way to Safety
It's no accident that our olfactory sense is the one that is most powerfully linked to the emotions that trigger us to act - flight, fight, pursue food or sex. For millions of years our ancestors used this sense above all others as an early warning system to keep us safe, supplied with food and equipped for survival. Everything we breathe, eat or touch is sampled and tested when trace amounts of it pass through our noses.
The EPA monitors VOC levels in the air, and regulates industry to limit VOC emissions. This is good, as it reduces the "soup" of solvents and other toxic organic molecules that attack our lungs, membranes and skin every day. It is somewhat blind, however, as all VOCs are NOT created equal, even though they are lumped together for regulation sake. It is doubtful that many people die each year from bakery emissions, but in some regions bakery aroma VOCs are regulated just as chemical plant, body-shop and glue solvents are. In fact, everything you can smell, from roses to rotten eggs, you detect due to VOCs- airborne organic molecules that you inhale.
In our modern technocentric world we learn to ignore our noses and judge things by eye and ear; this can be our downfall. A fire in the attic, a lethal infection, a bio-terror attack, a toxic chemical accident - all these events are likely to be evident from odor before they are lethal. These things DO happen, though not every day; when they do, we won't likely see or hear them. If we pay attention to our noses, and alert ourselves to danger as our ancient ancestors did, we may well survive due to our ability to smell our way to safety.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Choosing a Non-Toxic Home
The sensible compromise is to make your home relatively toxin-safe, by avoiding the most likely risks. Here is a quick list to consider:
- Avoid leaded paint, asbestos insulation & formaldehyde insulation
- If you are in an area where radon may be present, have the house tested for it
- Avoid homes with past insecticide treatments that are still hazardous
- Watch out for industrial facilities nearby, or old industrial pollution from past activity on or near the property
- If you have allergies, sensitivities or autoimmune issues, check out the risks of the house and neighborhood related to those concerns
Ultimately, you can live a relatively clean life where toxins and disease are not putting you at a high risk of illness or death with some effort. Depending on what you are willing to give up, you can live cleaner but more rustic, or a little riskier, with more conveniences. The choice is yours.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Nobody is Cleaning Our Cage
The reason we have a toxic planet is that we CHOOSE growth and consumption over having a "clean cage" that is better to live in. The ZPG (Zero Population Growth) movement was on the case, but they don't make much noise these days; tired of pushing a rope uphill, I guess. Unless YOU know a good way to get people to stop having lots of babies, driving lots of miles, burning lots of oil and filling lots of trash cans, a dirty cage life is in your future, and mine. Ozone, unstable radionuclides, avian influenza, clorodane and angry people with toxins, pathogens or explosives are here for the long haul. Shaking our fists at big bad industry, big bad government or mindless polluters won't fix the problem. If we are to survive and protect ourselves, we need to learn how to live in a "dirty cage" toxic world and that means avoiding contamination and damage.
I appreciate your ideas about surviving on this toxic planet. I will share mine regularly.