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Today's Sunday Oregonian had an interesting story entitled "Toxic Surprise: What We Have Inside Us" http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119467774111330.xml&coll=7 Actual cogent rational thoughts in the story from an unethical entity that is locally know as "The Big O" or "Zero" for short. This progressive(?) fishwrap is certain to embrace anything smacking of envirojive, sustainablefantasy or any plausable "green" faux-science alchemy that the correct types come up with. The Zero has, to it's credit, made heroic strides in providing actual writing jobs to wombats while a different once-a-week newspaper hereabouts wins the odd Pulitzer. The thrust of the article it may be argued is that yes, we're bound to pick up certain levels of weird things in our bodies from our exposure to the items that make our standard of living these days what it is. No need to jump off the deep end of worry but it doesn't hurt to pay attention to these things. It even addresses lead in the story.
The marquee historical example: lead, the "safe" level of which steadily dropped as researchers learned more about its low-level effects on children."Better safe than sorry," Hackenmiller-Paradis said. "If something is causing cancer in rats or making mice infertile, it's probably not good for my unborn child or my 7-year-old daughter."
With genetics advancing, science is likely to single out more of modern life's chemicals as contributing to disease. On the other hand, a new American Institute for Cancer Research study pins cancer on other things: cigarettes, lack of exercise and diets high in red meat, salt and alcohol, to name a few.
So...cancer comes from other things! The diet aspect of cancer risk to me was pretty alarming I'll admit but I am confident that the doses of sugar and grease that I've included in my day to day food intake will offset much of the harm from my Whopper and a beer therapy.
Something that the article leaves as a take-away thought.
Rumore, the recent graduate, is taking small steps to avoid chemicals, including not microwaving plastic containers. "I know that I'm being exposed, and I know it's part of everyday life," she said. "You can spend your whole life freaking out, or just try to be more aware and make changes."
Of course here are two things to consider that veer in a direction to more thoughtful contemplation of risk from lead exposure as a result of handling hats and canes. How else to explain the results of the last Club election? Seems we may have at least two dozen case studies of well, something, in our hobby. And Another Thing! Remember the the story of the boy who cried wolf? Don't forget. The wolf did come in the end.
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