According to new research, it appears that decades of widespread chemical production and use in everyday life is not only polluting our environment, it’s building up in our bodies and causing damage to major heart vessels.
Swedish researchers measured levels of persistent organic environmental toxins in the blood of about 1,000 Swedes and used ultrasound to assess atherosclerosis in the participants' neck arteries. They found a clear connection between increasing levels of organic environmental toxins and atherosclerosis, even after taking into account other risk factors.
Atherosclerosis is the major underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases, which are the most common cause of death in industrialized countries.
"In Sweden, and in many countries in the world, many of these substances are forbidden today, but since they are so long-lived they're still out there in our environment. We ingest these environmental toxicants with the food we eat, and since they are stored in our bodies, the levels grow higher the older we get," said Monica Lind, an associate professor in environmental medicine at Uppsala University in Sweden.
Environmental pollutants such as dioxins and PCBs have already been linked to numerous adverse health effects including: cancer, respiratory problems, infertility, kidney disease, liver failure and neurological damage.
Top Ten Toxic U.S. Cities
Among America’s 40 largest metropolitan areas, the ten most toxic cities based on air quality, lack of clean water and a high rate of environmental hazards are:
| 1. |
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Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA Metro Area |
| 2. |
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Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI Metro Area |
| 3. |
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Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI Metro Area (tied for 3rd) |
| 3. |
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Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metro Area (tied for 3rd) |
| 4. |
|
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area |
| 5. |
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Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH Metro Area |
| 6. |
|
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA Metro Area |
| 7. |
|
Jacksonville, FL Metro Area |
| 8. |
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Baltimore-Towson, MD Metro Area |
| 9. |
|
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA Metro Area |
Want to know more about toxic chemical releases in your area? TOXMAP Environmental Health Maps is an interactive map that lets you visually explore data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and Superfund Program for toxic dump sites. The map also allows you to overlay demographic data such as age, race, personal income and mortality rates by cancer or other causes.
Sources:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Forbes
TOXMAP
Environmental Protection Agency
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences