The Children

Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns
A benchmark investigation of industrial chemicals, pollutants and pesticides in umbilical cord blood
Environmental Working Group, July 14, 2005
http://www.ewg.org/reports_content/bodyburden2/pdf/bodyburden2_final.pdf

In a study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in collaboration with Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004 in U.S. hospitals. Tests revealed a total of 287 chemicals in the group. The umbilical cord blood of these 10 children, collected by Red Cross after the cord was cut, harbored pesticides, consumer product ingredients, and wastes from burning coal, gasoline, and garbage.


Three Scenarios:
1) Resistance Immunity Need: Newborns kept pristine pure will not possess the Survival factors necessary to function in a healthy manner (Everyone has to learn how to live on this world). Shielding the Newborns could provide exactly the injury which We desire to avoid.

2)Irreparable Injury: We are creating entire Generations of idiots, who will be incapable of replacing Us, bringing the downfall of Civilization as We know it.

3) The Consequences Have Already Been Endured: Now the Author knows why he always meets so many stupid people.

Facts:
1) Sound implementation of Pollution Restraints are showing signs of lower Infant Mortality than the United States, even with less prenatal care. Expectant Mothers: Nix on the Drain Cleaner, just like the Shooters.

2) There is little ability to protect the Newborns from pollutants without protecting the Mothers, impossible without scrubbing the entire society of Pollution.

3) Study Recommendation
Grant the EPA clear and unencumbered authority to demand all studies needed to make finding of safety and to enforce clear deadlines for study completion.

Remove from the market chemicals for which tests demonstrating safety are not conducted.

Eliminate confidential business protection for all health, safety, and environmental information.

The first recommendation will be costly beyond belief--a probable $30 bn per year. The second recommendation would close down American industry, as well as much of the World. The third recommendation would be very handy to implement, if given teeth against Those who would hide genuine health risk.


We are seriously at risk, but cannot actively reduce this risk without major change of lifestyle. Vested Interests would not allow such harsh revision, nor would the general Consumer. Extensive study of the risk will not make people feel better, and will not accomplish any long-run reduction of the risk, at great expense better used for design and construction of safer Products. REAL THREAT LEVEL: No higher than some dozen other threats, and thirty times more expensive to correct than the War on Terrorism. lgl