Quite simply, “there is no separation between environmental issues and human health.”
Back in the 60’s we used to say: when you throw something away…there is NO away. Another lesson we never learned. At only increasing rates, we
continue to dump billions of tons of toxic wastes into our lakes and waterways,
our soil, air, and food supply. And, either stupidly or naively, we believe it
doesn’t harm the planet, or our health or the health of our children.
“One of the most alarming disasters facing us today is the invasion of man made chemicals into
every corner of the world, including our own bodies.”
Our planet and our bodies are under siege of a toxic load
they can no longer bear. The evidence abounds before our eyes, yet we fail to
see it, let alone act to change anything. Increased incidence of extreme weather is devastating the
planet and becoming the norm, just like the rapidly rising incidences and
pandemics of cancers-obesity-diabetes-and heart disease are ravaging the human
population.
“A child born today faces high odds of developing at least
one of the following ailments: ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, diabetes,
obesity, cancers, abnormal genitalia development, infertility, Parkinson’s, and
Alzheimer’s diseases. All have been linked with prenatal exposures to toxic
chemicals.”
Our delusional
response is to increase medical testing and screening for earlier detection and
treatment. This after-the-fact disease-care model conveniently generates
massive profits for the health care industry (companies which, all too often,
are either the same companies, or have strong ties to the companies, that are
generating the toxic wastes creating disease) but does nothing to find
solutions that stem the rising tide of disease.
Better to declare a war on cancer, and create another
multi-billion dollar industry, than force industries to spend billions to stop
polluting and clean up their toxic dumps. Corporations and their political minions will do nothing to adversely
affect the bottom line or the economy. It
is tough to realize that human life, and life on the planet, really don’t
matter.
Our best corporate-sponsored
scientists scratch their heads and write scientific papers authoritatively
broadcast by the media as fact; linking
these diseases to the sun, animal fats, red meat, our genes, etc…all things
natural; and never to corporate byproducts of toxic wastes, chemically raised
foods and artificial food concoctions,
and toxic home and personal hygiene products.
While they struggle
for explanations and answers, this third-grader’s science experiment lays it
out for all to see with a simple elegance, that most often, characterizes the
truth.
We would do well to heed the words of his 1970 State of the
Union Address:
“The great question is, shall we surrender to our
surroundings, or shall we make our peace with nature and begin to make reparations,
for we still think of air as free. But clean air is not free, and neither is
clean water. The price tag on pollution control is high. Through our years of past carelessness we incurred a debt to nature,
and that debt is being called.”
*Here is an interesting link to “to obtain your community
report on land contamination.”