Environmental factors?

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I have thought for a long time that there are very possibly long term ill

effects from exposure to toxic chemicals, particurlary at young age when growth

development is going on and body weight is low. I do have some (although long

ago) professional experience in this area.

But, unfortunately, this is a very muddy area. Records were not kept,

application rates were easily exceeded by those who applied the chemicals.

Chemicals

were used and then were displaced by newer chemicals and there was no tracking

of the earlier products. Early testing was done on the basis of effect to the

end used of products not considering those who were working within the area

and had longer and more intense exposure. Some chemicals naturally break down

to harmless by-products, but when " fresh " could be quite toxic. And the list

goes on and on.

Less that 50 years ago it was common, even in schools to have students handle

(with bare hands) the element Mercury. One of the most long range toxic

materials ever known to mankind.

Shortly after WWII, usage of radioactive materials were used to paint

childrens toys to make them glow in the dark, and there are cases of poisioning

that

have been traced to this practice and thus it was stopped. But what has

happened to all of those who were exposed?

Fully Lead paint was commonly used and sold until the early 1970's. And now

it takes a fully encased suit of " Hazardous Material " complete set of " body

armor " to remove old " Lead Paint " . How much Lead paint is still out there.

England recognized Asbestos as a fatal hazard in 1937 and banned it's use in

that country. Many other contries soon followed the same restriction. In the

USA, Asbestos was commonly used, added to common products like flooring

materials, sold " over the counter " , used in school and hospital construction,

etc.

until the mid to late 1970's. It was used for many things from the recessed

fiber tiles on the ceiling (think flourscent lighting ceilings) to the

composition

tiles used for floor covering.

The material DDT was a very common household used product ( available easily

until the early 1970's) long after it was known that it affected the children

of those mothers carring unborn children who were exposed. Final determination

testing was never done as they never could figure out how to test without

harming or even killing unborn children. BTW this was one of the most over used

products ever available. Almost all users thought that if a little was good,

and it was effective, a lot would be better. And just what is in those

insecticides used today, have you ever read the lable or checked the recommended

usage

rate?

These examples are but a few of a great many hazardous or potientally

hazardous materials. Since there is very little or no profit for anyone to

pursue

this issue of past chemical exposure, it's not likely we will ever know about

many materials or products developed and used in the past. Also, it's really

impossible to know or trace all of those products used in the past 50 years.

As a country, we do a much better job of examination and testing and approval

today than we ever did in the past, and we do the inspection and testing

because we now are more aware of the potiential hazards, but that doesn't change

the past. And another very elusive area is " what about chemical interaction " ?.

Where exposure to each of two or more chemicals might be a problem but limited

exposure to only one of them is harmless.

I firmly believe there was harm from exposure in the past or even today, but

that it will never be resolved.

Sorry for the long post (and rant) but this is a sore point for me at a

professional and personal level and has been for a long time.

And again I ask the question, " Why are so many posters on this board from the

upper Midwest like In, OH, IL, MI. KY ? " Was there a common exposure to

something used on corn and or soy beans or pigs or apples or something else?

Another " fuzzy " issue is the people themselves. Exposure to the same material

in the same level can make one person ill and not another. That question of

" why that happens " will not be answered in my lifetime.

Anyway, just had to comment

Best Wishes to all, Poncho - GA

[Guest guest]

Good morning all-

I've got a question about whether toxins in a person's environment

could possibly play a role in developing pancreatitis. My mother was

raised in a rural area, and her family farmed on a very small scale.

In order to have money, from a young age, my mother and siblings

picked cotton for family and neighbors. We live about a quarter mile

from one of the families my mother picked for. In fact, they're

first cousins to us. Recently, my mother's cousin told her that

she's got pancreatic problems, and has had an ERCP. The tail of her

pancreas is enlarged, but this is all we know at the moment. In

addition, my mother's sister has leisons on her pancreas, and we

went through a very difficult time waiting to see whether or not she

had cancer of the pancreas, which thank God, she doesn't. Could some

of the pesticides used in the farming have something to do with the

fact that there are three closely-related people with pancreatic

problems in our family?

Thanks-