Friday, August 19, 2011

POISONING OUR CHILDREN


WSJ: Japan Says Children Exposed to Radiation August 19 2011 p. A9

"Nearly half of the children surveyed in three towns near the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant received low-grade internal exposure to radiation during the early days of the accident there..."

Majia here: The article calculates the dose out to microsieverts an hour but recall my previous post where Japanese authorities averaged the radiation dose out 50 years in order to get the microsievert per hour exposure calculation.

Here is the link for that Japan Times article where the averaging over 50 years occurred http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110813x2.html

So, the WSJ article's lack of details on actual exposures, particularly internal exposures, is suspect. Recall also my previous post of a link to a NHK article detailing children's internal exposure levels of the their thyroids up to 35 millisieverts Here is a more reliable source for evaluation of the health effects of Fukushima radiation
MEDICINE AND GLOBAL SURVIVAL: THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR DISASTER
http://www.ippnw.org/pdf/2011-mgs-fukushima.pdf

Here is a good summary article

ARTICLE 2

WSJ: Attention Disorder on the Rise August 19 2011 p. A5

"The number of children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder rose more than 30% over the past decade with much of the likely increase due to more awareness and diagnosis, according to a new government report"

Majia here: BALONEY THAT THE INCREASE IS SIMPLY A RESULT OF MORE DIAGNOSES

Study after study is finding that pesticides and herbicides are poisoning our children. See this recent study on this subject.

Chemicals used to fight pests may affect human development

http://asunews.asu.edu/20110804_pesticide_research

August 04, 2011

[EXCERPTED] An arsenal of chemicals are used to effectively battle noxious pests. The costs to human health from pesticide exposure, however, have not received adequate scientific attention.

Rolf Halden, a researcher at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, joined forces with with key collaborators from other major research institutions, to study two particularly pervasive pesticides, examining their levels in utero and the effects of these chemicals on newborns.

The group’s research – the first of its kind to examine the health implications of two leading pesticides during fetal development – recently appeared in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Due to the widespread use of pesticides, humans are exposed to an assortment of these chemicals throughout their lives. Chlordane and permethrin, two common chemicals, are the focus of Halden’s multi-institutional team involving Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins University, the National Cancer Institute and Emory University.

Chlordane, having been identified as a likely human carcinogen, was banned from use in 1988. It remains a human health issue long after its discontinued use, however, as it is known to persist in the environment along with other such organohalide chemicals, Halden stresses:

 “Chlordane is just one of many mass produced organohalides that are detectable in the U.S. environment, where they cause ecological and human health concerns, due to their inherent persistence, toxicity and strong tendency to bioaccumulate in living organisms, including humans.”

Permethrin, known as a pyrethroid insecticide, doesn’t share chlordane’s long-term persistence in the environment, but is nevertheless of serious health concern. It is one of the most broadly used pesticides today—applied for commercial and residential insect control, for food and feed crops, on clothing and as part of mosquito abatement programs.

The health effects from environmental contaminants like chlordane and permethrin are a matter of growing concern, particularly during sensitive stages of fetal development. Halden notes that the human immune system is vulnerable to changes caused by such chemicals. White blood cells including lymphocytes (T and B cells), natural killer (NK) cells and monocytes, which can mature into macrophages and migrate to other tissues, are all part of the complex fabric of immunity.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT THE LINK ABOVE


No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.