Evidence is building about the effects of our toxic environment on our long-term health and toxins' role in chronic diseases. Although scientists have known for quite some time that pollution and pesticides can adversely affect human health, mounting evidence reveals far more deadly connections between toxic exposure and a variety of diseases. The most disturbing discovery is that chronic exposure to even low levels of common toxins can have negative health effects as the toxins accumulate over time, damaging the neurological, immune, and endocrine systems.
To complicate matters, many governments and health organizations do not seem to be addressing this serious problem. Without accountability and clean-up programs, the toxic exposure overload continues to spiral out of control.
The following are frequently asked questions about toxins.
1. What are toxins?
Toxins are generally defined as anything in our environment with the potential to negatively affect the health and function of the body. These dangerous foreign substances can be consumed through polluted food or water, breathed in through the air, or absorbed through the skin. They may be organic biotoxins or inorganic toxins such as poisonous chemicals and other toxic man-made substances. Ultimately, all toxins take a serious toll on our health and can even cause cancer. The damage can result quickly from exposure to a large or very concentrated dangerous toxin, but more often, it, results from a gradual accumulation of smaller amounts of less-potent toxins from a variety of sources, often referred to as "chronic toxic overload."
2. What are the most common sources of toxins?
Perhaps more troubling than the sources of these toxins is the prevalence of toxins. We now come in contact with more toxins than ever before. It is estimated that we are exposed to more than 100,000 toxins in our environment, a quarter of which are known to cause cancer. In one year alone, the EPA estimated that 1.9 billion pounds of chemicals ended up in our water supplies, and 2.4 billion were released into the atmosphere. Meanwhile, the National Research Council (NRC) recently estimated that a shocking 70,000 commercially-used chemicals have not even been tested for toxic effects.
This constant bombardment puts our body in a state of chronic toxic overload, which puts us at risk for several diseases. The most common types of toxins that may affect our health include:
Dioxins: Notorious for their harmful effects on hormones and the endocrine system, these byproduct pollutants are widespread and linger for years in the environment.
Furans: The result of plastic production, these toxins are considered very toxic to the endocrine system and are believed to have cancer-causing effects.
Heavy metals: There are over twenty toxic heavy metals to which we are commonly exposed. Of greatest concern are mercury, arsenic, lead and cadmium, whose affects range from developmental abnormalities and behavioral disorders to cancer.
Mercury is found in dental amalgam, infant and adult vaccines, many types of fish, thermometers and fluorescent lights to name a few sources. Coal-fired power plants are the number one source of mercury emissions into the air world-wide.
Arsenic is a common contaminant of water, especially near mining activities, and has been for decades, to manufacture "preserved wood" building materials. Lead is common toxin released during mining and petrochemical manufacturing processes.
Cadmium exposure has increased rapidly over the past few decades, with cigarette smoke being a major source. Even low levels may contribute to kidney disease and bone disorders.
PCBs: Polychlorinated biphenyl, a class of toxic aromatic compounds. Although banned in the U.S. in 1976, these industrial chemicals can linger in the environment for decades and have been linked to cancer and disorders of the nervous system.
Pesticides: Although largely banned, pesticides such as organochlorine insecticides, DDT, and others tend to accumulate in the environment and have been linked to adverse reproductive health and cancer. Organophosphate insecticide metabolites are known to be potent nervous system poisons and are found in foods.
Phthalates: Found in several health and beauty products, as well as some children's toys, these toxins were recently banned in Europe and have been known to cause male reproductive birthdefects.
Volatile and semi-volatile organic chemicals: These industrial solvents (also found in gasoline) negatively affect the nervous system and have been linked to cancer.
3. Why are toxins a threat to my health?
The fact that toxins can be dangerous to our health has been known for quite some time, but our understanding of how exactly low-level toxic exposure threatens our health, and to what extent, is only now being discovered. Research on the detrimental health effects of toxins connects even a little exposure over time to chronic and life-threatening diseases. The danger of toxins lies in the fact that they are invisible, so are not easily avoided; likewise, their effects do not surface
immediately, so the damage done does not necessarily deter repeat exposure. But just because a toxin won't cause immediate death or severe organ shutdown doesn't mean it is less dangerous or that the body is any better equipped to deal with it. Basically, when a body's toxic load becomes greater its ability to adapt to it, its health suffers.
Recent research on the long term health effects of what have previously been deemed as “relatively harmless" toxins is more than just a little worrisome. Scientists are discovering that continued exposure to common, "non-lethal" toxins can negatively affect major body systems. In fact, Britain's Environmental Toxins Foundation recently stated that there is "mounting evidence of structural and genetic damage, potentially caused to the human morphology, through the huge influx of chemical agents found in the air, soil and water today."
Consider the following: In a recent study, more than 160 environmental toxins were discovered in the collective blood and urine of test subjects. Of these toxins, over 75 were identified as cancer causing, more than half were known to damage the brain and nervous system.
4. What is toxic overload and what are its symptoms?
The acute effects of toxic exposure can be prominent, but more often, toxic effects build slowly over time. In fact, one recent study found that subjects tested positive for more than 90 pollutants and industrial chemicals after blood and urine tests, even though none of the individuals studied worked or lived near high-risk industrial areas. In another study from the CDC, subjects tested positive for more than 116 chemicals, many of them banned at least two decades prior because of their health risks.
Because chronic toxic overload happens over time, the effects of exposure may be overlooked. In fact, many symptoms of chronic toxic overload are associated with other conditions and so are misdiagnosed. Chronic contact with toxins, even sources that aren't considered dangerous, will eventually take its toll on the body. Immuno-toxicity may surface as asthma, allergies, chronic infections, or cancer, while neuro-toxicity may appear in the form of dementia, decreased cognition, mood disorders, or memory problems. Signs of endocrine toxicity include problems with libido, reproduction, menses, metabolism, insulin resistance, or the body's inability to handle physical and emotional stress.
Symptoms vary from person to person, but in general, symptoms commonly associated with achronic toxic overload state include:
Ultimately, what researchers are discovering is that by reducing our exposure to pollutants and toxins and eliminating toxic buildup in the body, we lower our risk of developing numerous diseases, which results in more energy, improved overall health, longevity, and-a greater sense of well-being.
The research linking chronic disease to toxins continues to build, and the results of these studies are more than a little unsettling. Lead exposure alone has been linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart attacks, renal failure, osteoporosis, and macular degeneration. 
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