Phthalates in Chemical Fragrances and Plastics

Some people act like I am crazy when I talk about the evils of chemical fragrances in soaps, detergents, fabric softeners, and the ubiquitous artificial perfumes that men and women splash on as if it were rain.

They seem to think that I am nuts when I explain that the synthetic odor that wafts off their clothing and bodies is a by product of the petroleum refining process, just like plastic and gasoline and nail polish.

O! For the days of glass bottles and waxed cardboard yogurt containers.

Now here comes an article by Nicholas Kristoff in the New York Times on the links between environmental toxins and increased rates of Autism and other diseases for which there is "no known cause."

It seems exposure to these chemical toxins in utero and early infancy are causing permanent damage to little growing brains. And what is one of the chemicals? Phthalates. And where do we find phthalates? In fragrances, shampoos, cosmetics, and nail polishes.

Here is the quote:

One peer-reviewed study published this year in Environmental Health Perspectives gave a hint of the risks. Researchers measured the levels of suspect chemicals called phthalates in the urine of pregnant women. Among women with higher levels of certain phthalates (those commonly found in fragrances, shampoos, cosmetics and nail polishes), their children years later were more likely to display disruptive behavior.

And another:

“There are diseases that are increasing in the population that we have no known cause for,” said Alan M. Goldberg, a professor of toxicology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. “Breast cancer, prostate cancer, autism are three examples. The potential is for these diseases to be on the rise because of chemicals in the environment.”

And one more:

Suspicions of toxins arise partly because studies have found that disproportionate shares of children develop autism after they are exposed in the womb to medications such as thalidomide (a sedative), misoprostol (ulcer medicine) and valproic acid (anticonvulsant). Of children born to women who took valproic acid early in pregnancy, 11 percent were autistic. In each case, fetuses seem most vulnerable to these drugs in the first trimester of pregnancy, sometimes just a few weeks after conception.

As Nicholas Kristoff points out, these are not granola munching fringe folk (Hey, I never liked granola;its hard to digest and full of fat), but respected scientist physicians. Hmm. Go Figure.

Here is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/opinion/25kristof.html?em

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San Diego
http://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

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