Beijing's Pollution Problem Is Now A New York, Paris, Toronto and London ProblemToxic Chemicals Being Emitted Overseas Are Finding Their Way Into North American And European Streams and Lakes

Recently, the Chinese government has issued two high level pollution warnings to residents of Beijing. During that period, businesses, schools, and government offices were closed. One of the world’s largest cities in the world  was literally shut down with no traffic flow.

North Americans and Europeans may think that they are immune from these pollutants because of distance and geography. Not true! They may also think that these pollutants do not get into their food chain and affect the food that they eat – especially food that has been cultivated domestically. Again, not true. 

Through a process called bioaccumulation, these pollutants and other dangerous toxins, including Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP’s) are able to freely travel the world and deposit themselves into the soil, lakes and rivers of North American and European cities and towns. These toxins enter the ecosystem and eventually build up to dangerous toxic levels. 

What was once a Beijing problem is now a New York, Los Angeles, London, Toronto, and Paris problem.

To understand how this process works it is important that we understand a few meanings and concepts. 

Bioaccumulation Defined

Bioaccumulation of a pesticide through an ecological food chain by transfer of residues from the diet into body tissues. The tissue concentration increases at each trophic level in the food web when there is efficient uptake and slow elimination (Source: USGS, Environmental Health Toxic Substances),  

The buildup of toxins in the food chain is an example of biomagnification

The toxins that become magnified are those that do not readily break down and are usually retained in fatty tissue. 

Example

An example of such a toxin is DDT. If we think of insects that have been poisoned by DDT and die, and the bodies end up in, for example, a lake, several things will happen. The insects sink to the bottom of the lake, where the DDT is picked up by organisms at the the bottom of the food chain. These might be algae, which will only pick up a minute quantity of DDT, say 1 nanogram. Next, plankton may eat a thousand of these algae, which means it now has accumulated 1 microgram of DDT. A small fish could now eat a thousand of the plankton, which means it has now accumulated 1 milligram. Larger fish will eat a number of smaller fish and in turn will increase the amount of DDT in their bodies. Eventually, a bird, such as an osprey, which is higher up in the food chain, will eat a number of fish and increase the amount of toxin up to a considerable number of grams. The effects can now be quite devastating, with the possibility of the toxin weakening eggshells which can result in chicks being crushed in the nest, and of course, eventually no more ospreys.

So, the concentration at the end of the food chain can be millions what it was initially in the environment. What started off as relatively unharmful can become a killer due to the cumulative effect of the toxin. (Source: Zephyrus Education “Toxins In The Food Chain”)

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP’s) Defined

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment around the world. Because they can be transported by wind and water, most POPs generated in one country can and do affect people and wildlife far from where they are used and released. They persist for long periods of time in the environment and can accumulate and pass from one species to the next through the food chain. 

Pesticides, which included DDT and 11 other chemicals have been given the unceremonious title of the The DirtyDozen. These are chemicals that the international community has deemed the most villianeous when it comes to POP’s. They include: aldrin and diedrin, chlordane, DDT, Endrin, Mirex, Heptachlor, Hexachlorobenzene, PCB’s, Toxaphene, Dioxins and Furans.

POPs work their way through the food chain by accumulating in the body fat of living organisms and becoming more concentrated as they move from one creature to another. When contaminants found in small amounts at the bottom of the food chain biomagnify, they can pose a significant hazard to predators that feed at the top of the food chain. This means that even small releases of POPs can have significant impacts. (Source EPA, Persistent Organic Pollutants, A Global Issue, A Global Response)

Human Health Affected

In a recent article in Preventdisease.com Eldon Dahl, the founder and CEO of Life Choice talked about the dangers of pesticides and POP’s when he stated “Pesticides are responsible for a number of diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, asthma, birth defects, body burden, cancer, diabetes, endocrine disruption, learning/developmental disorders, Parkinson's disease, and sexual/reproductive dysfunction. (Source: Preventdisease.com “Chemicals In The Food Chain Causing Multiple Diseases - Parkinson's Disease From Milk Consumption And Nothing Is Being Done To Stop It”)

At Life Choice We Understand 

The best way to limit these risks of toxins and POP’s is to eat organic, non GMO food. 

Immune-boosting products are also important. To maintain a healthy immune function, starting in the gut by establishing friendly bacteria with Laktokhan probiotic. Use Thymus gland for T-cell production, and Colloidal Silver (non-nanoparticles) as an added immune booster. For more information on our Immunity products, click here

About

Life Choice is a leader in the manufacturing and supply of top quality nutraceuticals. The company only manufacturers and supplies the highest quality natural products to markets in Canada, the United States and the European Union. 

All Life Choice nutraceutcials are clinically tested, government approved and licensed. Every product in the Life Choice family is formulated under the direct supervision of Eldon Dahl, the company's CEO and founder who possesses a doctorate in natural medicine. 

All of the company's products are professionally formulated to have therapeutic and medicinal value. 

Ask your medical practitioner, naturopath physician, or health food store manger for products carrying the Life Choice label. Or better yet, please visit our website and check out our products.
 

Sources


USGS, Environmental Health Toxic Substances)

Zephyrus Education “Toxins In The Food Chain”)

EPA, Persistent Organic Pollutants, A Global Issue, A Global Response)

Preventdisease.com “Chemicals In The Food Chain Causing Multiple Diseases - Parkinson's Disease From Milk Consumption And Nothing Is Being Done To Stop It”

 

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