explain “Minimata Disease”, why is it not a true “disease”, and the coal-to table-pathway of exposure.
(2) Explore the concept of “Toxic Trespass”, and it’s relationship to public health by reading/watching this interview with researcher Dr. Sandra Steingraber: https://truthout.org/video/sandra-steingrabers-war-on-toxic-trespassers/ Share two ideas that stood out to you.
(3) Give an example of a chemical exposure where timing of the exposure determines the type of health impact. Use a peer-reviewed source as supporting evidence and include the citation.
Toxic exposure is not new. “The dose makes the poison,” is perhaps the most famous quote in the history of toxicology. It was coined by the Swiss physician, and natural philosopher, Theophrastus Bombast of Hohenheim, called Paracelsus (1493/94–1541). Its meaning is clear – the amount determines whether something is harmful or hurtful – and I’m sure you can think of ample examples. This is the philosophy that the US regulatory system is based upon, the impact of exposure on a 150 pound white male.
However, this statement is actually incomplete. As newer research shows, some substances have zero safe exposure levels like lead or any known carcinogen (asbestos). And, the duration of exposure is also significant with an acute exposure creating impacts that are often different from a chronic exposure so that the same amount (dose) has variable impact. We also know that there are crucial periods of human development where exposures can have a more profound impact like the increased addictiveness of alcohol to a teenager. So, we could say the dose and the timing make the poison.
The amount of toxic exposure is new. There are over 80,000 chemicals in common use today, meaning they are found in all kids of products, our air, water, soil, and food. When human tissue is analyzed researchers find hundreds of chemicals present in our bodies. These chemicals are usually assessed for their acute impacts but not chronic impacts, they are not examined in combination with one another, and the impacts on developing embryos and fetuses are unexamined. What impact is this having on our population? Is it contributing to falling IQ rates, increase autism and immune system malfunction? These are questions that many scientists are trying to answer.