Environmental Stress
Chemicals: Daily, we are exposed to thousands of chemicals in our air, water, food, furniture, clothing, personal care products and much more.
An estimated 140,000 commercially produced chemicals are in our environment, and probably another 500,000 are made inadvertently. These chemicals weren’t in the environment 200 years ago. These chemicals’ relatively new introduction to our world means we don’t know the full extent of the problem in our bodies. There is also often a long lag before a disease becomes clinically apparent or diagnosed.

Mould & Mycotoxins: we often seal our homes to conserve energy but poor ventilation can lead to mould, while water damage is also a major trgger.
Moulds have the potential to cause health problems. Moulds produce allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions), irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances (mycotoxins). Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. The impact on our health can be profound and devastating.
Electromagnetic Radiation. So again, the assumption is that it has all been tested and is safe, but it has not been, and we are not sure it is. In fact, in 2011 the WHO classsified WiFi radiation as a Class 2B Carcinogen – possibly causing cancer. You may not have read much about this in the mainstream media that’s business model is built on WiFi radiation.

“While environmental stress may seem beyond our control, being informed and aware can make a big difference. In fact, by making informed decisions you can reduce your toxic load by 80-90%….that is very empowering and significant.” Dr Ron Ehrlich
10 Toxic Truths about Environmental Stress
Source: Prof Marc Cohen School of Health Sciences, RMIT, Melbourne
- Everything is connected, and everyone is affected. Whether we like it or not, whether we believe in it or not, we’re all connected and so we are all affected by toxins in the environment..
- We don’t know the full extent. As observed above…an estimated 140,000 commercially produced chemicals in our environment, and probably another 500,000 produced inadvertently. Humans have never been exposed to these chemicals, let alone the combinations with which we encounter them. This means we don’t know the full extent of the problem. There is also often a long lag time before a disease becomes clinically apparent or diagnosed.
- Very small doses can cause very large effects. In 2014, the World Health Organisation released a document on endocrine-disrupting chemicals….. ‘We previously thought it was the dose that made the poison and, below a certain dose, everything was okay. And if you had a small amount of the toxin, it didn’t really matter. Now, we’re realising that very, very small amounts can affect our endocrine system, which matters because it’s the endocrine system that [by producing hormones] controls the regulation of our organs and their growth and development. Another document released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised that these chemicals are in our water, our soil, and our air. They’re in consumer goods, furniture, personal care products, our food, and they have a huge effect on chronic diseases, diabetes, depression, neurological problems, human reproduction and fertility, and childhood development.’
- Chemical cocktails are synergistic. Studies into chemical exposure usually test the impact of one chemical in isolation. We are seldom exposed to one chemical at a time. So, how can we know the effects of multiple exposures? Exposure to chemical mixtures is more harmful than exposure to individual chemicals. How toxic is mercury? What if we combine it with lead? If a small dose makes a difference and these chemicals are combined, that becomes a bigger problem. For example, if we give mercury a toxic value of 1 and we give lead a toxic value of 1, adding both together doesn’t necessarily make 2. The toxicity of two or more chemicals could equal 10 or 100; the combined effect could be exponential
- Timing is important. It’s not just the dose or mixture of toxic chemicals, but the timing of the exposure. This was seen in the 1970s when pregnant women were prescribed thalidomide for morning sickness. The timing of the chemical exposure meant thousands of children were born without limb buds.
- Foetuses, children, and the young are at greatest risk. Children have much higher chemical exposure than adults because they literally live closer to the ground, where many toxins are located. They have much more hand-to-mouth behaviour and eat, drink, and breathe more per kilogram than adults. Children also have a faster metabolism, so they extract more toxins when exposed to them. While they have a higher exposure, they have less ability to process the toxins, because of immature detoxification and immune systems. And because they are exposed so early in life, they also have a longer period to develop latent diseases — it can often take 20–30 years to develop a disease, and it will be much more obvious in a child than in an older adult. Recent data suggests organophosphate pesticides, commonly used as water-soluble pesticides, and phthalates found in plastics and personal-care products can have cumulative, synergistic, and adverse health effects, and again children are most vulnerable.
- Biomagnification happens up the food chain. This occurs when large organisms consume smaller organisms — big fish eat little fish — magnifying the toxic chemical consumption. There could be a tiny amount of mercury in plankton, for example; but when shrimp eat plankton, it’s aggregated. Then when little fish eat shrimp, it’s aggregated again. Then bigger fish eat little fish and it is aggregated again. Then predatory fish or seabirds eat the other fish. In this way, the amount can be magnified by up to 10 million times. By the time it reaches the top of the food chain — humans — there are much higher concentrations. It’s a good reason to eat plant-based, organically grown food.
- Bioaccumulation. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs, dioxin and DDT are lipophilic; they are stored in fat cells and can be retained for years. They cross the placenta, and lactation is a significant source of exposure. They are also found in dietary items such as fish, meat and dairy products.Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are part of a large group of lab-made chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose adverse effects to human health and the environment. They are stored in fatty tissue and are ubiquitous around the world
- Effects are epigenetic and transgenerational. When a pregnant woman is exposed to a nutrient, or a thought, it affects how her genes express themselves. the same is true for environmental toxins. That gene expression, the epigenetic effect, can then be passed on to the foetus and even to genes in the following generation. You don’t start life with a clean slate, but inherit your parents’ or grandparents’ exposure. With knowledge comes power, and the science of epigenetics is empowering because it suggests that by taking a precautionary approach, you can influence the way in which genes are expressed; but it’s also frightening when you consider the number and amount of environmental toxins we’re exposed to — it’s a double-edged sword.
- Injustice and accidents happen. Catastrophic accidents expose populations to chemicals — this is something beyond their control. Examples include the 1984 Bhopal toxic gas leak in India, the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear-reactor disaster in Ukraine, and the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. There are justifiable concerns when local disasters can have global effects. In March 2011, an earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan led to the Fukushima nuclear-reactor disaster, when nuclear waste and toxins from the stricken factory flowed into the sea, and currents carried them around the north Pacific and down the American West Coast. Following the events in Japan, marine scientists from Stony Brook University and Stanford University tested 15 Pacific Bluefin tuna caught off the coast of southern California and found small amounts of radioactive elements from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in their bodies. According to the research, the migratory tuna were one to two years old, and swam in radioactive waters between Japan and California.
The Precautionary Principle Defined
The precautionary principle or approach, proposed as a new guideline in environmental decision-making, has four central components:
1. taking preventive, cautious action in the face of uncertainty;
2. shifting the burden of proof to the proponents of an activity, product or treatment;
3. exploring a wide range of alternatives to possibly harmful actions; and
4. increasing public participation in decision-making.
In other words, if something has the potential to cause harm either to the health of the public or the environment it is best avoided unless there is independent scientific consensus that the action is not harmful. The burden of proof rests with the industry, not the public.
With knowledge comes power…..
Environmental stress may seem overwhelming and, at times, depressing, but the first step in dealing with a problem is to become aware of it and know what it is. With knowledge comes the power to take control, and the precautionary principle should be our guiding light.
“By making informed choices, you can reduce your chemical load by 80-90%” – Dr Ron Ehrlich
Managing Environmental Stress
Here are some tips and goals to help manage environmental stress:
- Limit electromagnetic radiation exposure by turning off the wifi at night, making the bedroom a tech-free zone, limiting the use of ‘wireless’ items
- Assess and manage household mould and dust through ventilation, using a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner, fixing water leaks, perhaps contacting a building biologist
- Use a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter vacuum cleaners and air-purifiers in the home.
- Change bedsheets weekly, hot wash linen and hang items out in the sun to kill dust mites.
- Choose natural, low-tox personal care products (because anything which goes on to the body/skin is absorbed into the bloodstream)
- Choose natural low-tox household products (anything you wash and or clean with)