Blog 6
1. I've never heard of body burden before but was pretty fascinated in watching Anderson Cooper's special on body burdens. It was also interesting to see Anderson Cooper's lab results and see that he was positive for DDT. In Module 5, there was a video that discussed that fetuses do not have a blood-brain-barrier, meaning that any chemicals that their mother has circulating in her blood are fair game for reaching a fetus' brain. When thinking of the amount of chemicals that we are exposed to, it's frightening to think of what we do not know yet in terms of how these chemicals affect our own bodies, as well as the bodies of children whose brains are developing.
2. It's not surprising that there are chemicals in the body that do not have safe levels. It's alarming to think that we do not know the effects of certain chemicals. I can imagine that if patients knew about the possibility of these tests, many people would want to get them, which at the end of the day might not do any good. If this were my patient's lab results, I'd discuss harm reduction with them regarding avoiding further exposure, however even that is difficult and beyond an individual's concern when the chemicals are so common in society. I'd talk to the patient about if they had experienced any of the effects of these chemicals, and also discuss how to monitor and get checked in the future to screen for cancer, etc.
3. I'm very much a believer in the fact that someone's zip code is deeply important. I worked in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland for a year and it was known for having high lead levels in water and the environment, which definitely affected kids' health. The exposure to these chemicals, as well the fact that in Fruitvale it could be difficult at times to find grocery stores with fresh produce, are very clearly evidence of the fact that zip code matters.
4. I've been aware that a fetus' brain is very sensitive to maternal exposure, but I never thought about that beyond the obvious fact that alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs are harmful to a fetus. I would discuss with patients the need to limit exposure to toxins while pregnant and before, and to cut back on the amount of beauty products, hair dye, processed foods, etc. in order to benefit their baby.
5. I was definitely aware of the fact that BPA is harmful before this module, but one really important aspect that this question brought up is the amount of disparities in terms of avoiding BPA. For lower income folks, or people who do not have access to alternative products, there's certainly less availability in terms of avoiding BPA in food containers or cans. Much of the education I'd provide to patients would revolve around avoiding cans and plastic containers and trying to eat as much fresh food as possible, but that's a difficult thing to tell patients who cannot afford it or do not have equal access to it. In that sense, huge policy changes need to be made to address disparities in food access, education access, etc.
Regarding environmental news, I was very impressed to see that five major French cities have banned pesticides. The article that I read stated that it is mostly symbolic, given that much of France's agriculture takes place in rural areas, where those chemicals have not been banned. Regardless, it was interesting to see that France took this step, and hopefully is a sign that pesticides will continue to be regulated (or banned) more thoroughly in the world.
2. It's not surprising that there are chemicals in the body that do not have safe levels. It's alarming to think that we do not know the effects of certain chemicals. I can imagine that if patients knew about the possibility of these tests, many people would want to get them, which at the end of the day might not do any good. If this were my patient's lab results, I'd discuss harm reduction with them regarding avoiding further exposure, however even that is difficult and beyond an individual's concern when the chemicals are so common in society. I'd talk to the patient about if they had experienced any of the effects of these chemicals, and also discuss how to monitor and get checked in the future to screen for cancer, etc.
3. I'm very much a believer in the fact that someone's zip code is deeply important. I worked in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland for a year and it was known for having high lead levels in water and the environment, which definitely affected kids' health. The exposure to these chemicals, as well the fact that in Fruitvale it could be difficult at times to find grocery stores with fresh produce, are very clearly evidence of the fact that zip code matters.
4. I've been aware that a fetus' brain is very sensitive to maternal exposure, but I never thought about that beyond the obvious fact that alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs are harmful to a fetus. I would discuss with patients the need to limit exposure to toxins while pregnant and before, and to cut back on the amount of beauty products, hair dye, processed foods, etc. in order to benefit their baby.
5. I was definitely aware of the fact that BPA is harmful before this module, but one really important aspect that this question brought up is the amount of disparities in terms of avoiding BPA. For lower income folks, or people who do not have access to alternative products, there's certainly less availability in terms of avoiding BPA in food containers or cans. Much of the education I'd provide to patients would revolve around avoiding cans and plastic containers and trying to eat as much fresh food as possible, but that's a difficult thing to tell patients who cannot afford it or do not have equal access to it. In that sense, huge policy changes need to be made to address disparities in food access, education access, etc.
Regarding environmental news, I was very impressed to see that five major French cities have banned pesticides. The article that I read stated that it is mostly symbolic, given that much of France's agriculture takes place in rural areas, where those chemicals have not been banned. Regardless, it was interesting to see that France took this step, and hopefully is a sign that pesticides will continue to be regulated (or banned) more thoroughly in the world.
French cities banning the use of pesticides is good news. I remember growing up in Kenya I never saw farmers use pesticides on their crops, I don't know about now. Similarly, to French, agriculture is practice in rural areas. In Kenya, they would use cow dung as fertilizer, and manually remove weeds from their crops. I used to take care of a patient who had Parkinson's disease. The husband was a farmer, and so were the majority of the neighbors. Other people in the area got diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The rumor was that pesticides used in the farms caused Parkinson's disease.
ReplyDeleteReading the article about BPA-free and consumers thinking that the products are automatically safe, it's really eye-opening as well as concerning that industries are already a step ahead in trying to subvert safety with alternatives that may not be as safe as the targeted substance.
ReplyDeleteAnderson Cooper's video highlighted some alarming facts that have not seeped into the public consciousness. I don't think the concept of body burden and the myriad of non-biologic toxins that we all carry in our bodies are at the forefront of public health concerns within the greater community. So news segments such as this one should be welcomed and used as a way to educate patients on the things we can do to help alleviate our own burdens.