Biomonitoring

"Just because we find chemicals in the body doesn't mean that it causes disease."

"What little we know is just the tip of the iceberg. And (un)fortunately I think that is enough to begin to act and proactively intercede and prevent chemical exposure."

I find that these two quotes show the two different sides to the issue on chemical exposure. On one hand, it seems that some people and organizations are okay with being in the dark on potential health risks that chemicals have on the body. On the other hand, there are people that believe that the current understanding of the chemicals' possible effects on the body are already a cause for alarm. After listening to the video and reading my theoretical lab results, it doesn't matter how much of which chemical I have in my body. I am on the side of those who believe that the little knowledge we have on the chemicals and what they can do to our bodies should push us to call for better laws that mandate proper chemical testing. The lack of knowledge also means that there is still so much we have to learn about these chemicals. Just because we find chemicals in the body doesn't mean it causes disease "yet." Chemical exposure may not seem to affect us, but like the family in the video, it can most definitely affect our children and future generations. The scary part is how they can be 2, 3, or 4 times worse than we are.

Comments

  1. Emebet AkliluSeptember 11, 2018 at 9:53 PM

    Chris,

    You are spot on! This reminds me of the quote, "ignorance is bliss". There is some kind of peace related to not knowing how harmful a chemical or material is to your body, but once you get a little glimpse of information it seems like everything begins to unravel. I definitely agree that it is better to know than to be left in the dark, but I think you also have to have the education, access, etc to understand how to move with that information. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. UnknownNovember 19, 2018 at 5:05 PM

    Hi Chris, I agree with you 100% when you say that even based on the little knowledge we know, we should be pushing for better laws. Along with this, I think we should also be pushing for more research on this topic. I am truly scared to think about everything that I am exposed to by simply walking outside. Also I tend to think that even if we don't realize that the chemicals affect us, they do in their own way. We tend to think that little exposures are okay because their little however, they definitely will add up. They not only affect us, but our children too as you stated.

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