I am on a lot of health-oriented mailing lists. This morning I opened an email to find an article that was in The Atlantic a few months ago called Living Sick and Dying Young in Rich America.

Now nothing was said about toxics in this article. The point there was that people are getting sicker at younger ages now, and this is becoming the norm. Our life expectancy is getting shorter.

I for one will suggest that these statistics are due to toxic chemicals in consumer products. Have I done a study? No. But there are many studies that show chemicals found in consumer products are toxic, and I know from simple observation that people get healthier when they switch products to those that don’t contain these chemicals. It’s something anyone can demonstrate for themselves.

In early 2010, the organization Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families released a report called The Health Case for Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act. Based on more than 1200 studies, the report shows just how toxic chemicals are contributing to many widespread health problems. According to this study, 133 million people in the U.S.—almost half of all Americans—are now living with chronic diseases and conditions related to toxic chemical exposures, which now account for 70% of deaths and 75% of U.S. health care costs.

We all have the choice to reduce toxic exposures in our own lives, but what really needs to happen is to eliminate toxic chemicals broadly, to restore health to the populace of our nation.

To be sick from toxic chemical exposure is so unnecessary.

Source: The Atlantic: Living Sick and Dying Young in Rich America