Blog #6

Environmental Health News

The article on the Deepwater Horizon spill site was released 09/08/19, reporting how the oil-soaked site 40 miles off the Louisiana coast caused by an oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig during a drilling operation has caused an endocrine disruption in the deep sea crabs and shrimp.  The title of the article attracted me to read it entirely.  The summarize, the article reports that chemicals released from old degraded oil has caused an abnormal functioning of the sex hormones in deep sea crabs and shrimp, causing them to migrate in droves to mate.  These crustaceans are contaminated and are sick so there is no commercial harvesting of them for human consumption, but other marine life higher up in  the food chain eat them, and in turn, human consumption of fish can pass on the toxins.

This was an interesting article to read on how the food chain hierarchy can eventually affect human life.  This oil spill happened in 2010, and to this day, the environmental impact is as immense as it was nine years ago.

Body Burdens:

The video by Ken Cook about 10 Americans who were tested for chemicals in their blood, from pesticides and industrial chemicals that these 10 American workers were exposed doing farm work, spraying pesticides on the crops.  However, the chemicals found in the 10 Americans were banned over 30 years ago.  Ken Cook reports in his video that the chemicals most like was transmitted during inutero.  The body burden of chemical exposure in the air, water, food, cosmetics and occupation are main components of chemical exposure. His testimony is supported by an article I read on 'Modern Environmental Health Hazards: A Public Health Issue of Increasing Significance inAfrica'.  This article by Onyemaechi & Sanders, 2009, state that increasing urbanization and industrialization, the modern environmental health hazards (MEHH) can supersede the traditional health hazards are critical contributors to environmental disease burden.  Examples of MEHH pollutants: mercury, this element causes neurological deficits; it can be ingested, inhaled or transferred through the placenta and the blood brain barrier in a pregnant woman.  Lead is another naturally occurring heavy metal, it is also a neurotoxin and a cardiovascular threat.  This metal can be found in water, dust, soil, ceramics, pencils, crayons pipes and paint.  With pesticides, the breakdown products are DDT and DDE, these are neurotoxic and an endocrine disruptor, causing infertility.  Air toxins from urbanization and industries that emit automobile emissions.  There is also indoor air pollution from domestic fuel used in  homes with wood and coal, cigarette smoking.  Water contamination is another source of pollution to the body from chemicals dumped into ground and surface waters.  Lastly, industrial and domestic wastes that can pollute the land and the surrounding environments.  

Now that I know the sources and modes of transmission, I can educate my population of patients, who are in occupations that might expose them to MEHHs, and pregnant women who work in industries that have high chemical exposure that not only affect their health but also the health of their baby.