DHe human beings are poisoning themselves. In everything we eat, drink, and breathe, there are now laboratory-produced substances whose diversity continues to increase. Medicines, pesticides, plastics and preservatives, plasticizers, disinfectants, detergents and flame retardants, paints and other chemicals continue to enter our environment and from there into our bodies.
In her book “Endlager Mensch”, science journalist and chemist Susanne Donner studies the substances we come into contact with every day. The content she introduced in a total of eighteen chapters should not only awaken unsuspecting people. Because many of the topics she has dealt with have not yet played a role in general cognition so far.
The authority’s tunnel vision
For example, it is often overlooked that the combination of different foreign substances may be more threatening than the individual substances themselves. What happens when a chemical substance is combined in the human body, it can be said that the author has discussed the drug as an example, and the drug has been well studied in this respect. Many other types of active ingredients are different: “Whether it is cosmetics, insecticides, varnishes or shoe polish-most goods contain very different substances. In terms of plastics: the ingredients of the cocktail are what makes it- Not only consider the expected function, but also consider the impact on people and the environment.”
The narrow vision of an authority that only checks whether individual substances are harmful does not help. For example, there is no reason to complain about foreign body mixtures on fruits and vegetables, as long as each chemical does not exceed its limit. Therefore, producers and industries have bypassed the basic concept of supervision and should not overload pesticide food.
Researchers have long warned
Sprays are well-researched, at least for individual substances. But what impact will foreign bodies enter our lungs, stomach, and skin from other industrial sectors? The author discussed this issue in detail based on the results of scientific research. It involves almost all areas of our lives where we are exposed to verifiable or suspicious harmful foreign substances.
Among other things, she is following up on evidence that parabens, a common preservative in cosmetics, promote the development of breast cancer. It also shows the complex ways mineral oil enters our food and beverages, why despite the official ban on chlorates, it can contaminate our fruits and vegetables, and why polyfluorocarbons are still used as waterproof coatings for disposable packaging, such as pizza. Boxes and popcorn boxes, although researchers have lived a long time before these warning substances.
Strange discovery
In a separate chapter, Downer deals with a phenomenon that has plagued scientists and consumer advocates for some time. Hundreds of chemicals are suspected to interfere with the hormonal balance of humans and animals—for example, to cause feminization or masculinization—and impair fertility. Hence the name “Environmental Hormone”.
Surprisingly, we know very little about the health consequences of these and most other foreign substances. The uncertainty of naming is one of the advantages of this book. In doing so, the author largely resisted the current temptation to portray potential coincidence relationships as causal relationships and falsify evidence from signs.
Downer also made some strange discoveries. She reported on a Dutch company that specializes in recovering metal-containing implants from the ashes of the dead. The family business collects thousands of tons of pacemakers, replacement joints, artificial vertebrae and other medical technology products each year to help ensure fewer implants rot underground and ensure that the metal salts released from them contaminate soil and groundwater.
Can the proliferation of foreign matter be completely stopped? Downer explained in a pragmatic way that there must be solutions and how each of us can contribute to a cleaner environment. It also outlines what measures should be taken at the political level to improve the safety of foreign substances. Therefore, it is important, among other things, to force chemical manufacturers to be more transparent. Because so far, there is hardly any reliable information about what ingredients are contained in clothing, furniture or sports equipment.
Susan Downer: “Human Knowledge Base”. How pollutants affect our health. Rowohlt Verlag, Hamburg 2021. 288 pages, Br., 12, -€.
