PCBs, Cancer and Schools

Back in early February, I blogged about being interviewed for an article on the PCB connection and cancer. Schools and other buildings built before 1979 often used PCBs in sealants and all sorts of other parts of the finishes.

Now the article is out and my part is not included which is no big deal. But the article provides a lot of good information on the problem with PCBs and the resulting health issues.

PCBs are a real problem in homes, schools, commercial and industrial buildings nationally. Many cancers are attributed to environmental factors and it would not surprise me if PCBs are one of them.

I went to one of the best school systems in the country but my elementary school was full of PCBs. Other than giving me a good education, did it give me bad health? That question cannot be answered and I cannot waste time on worrying about the causes and blame. I need to move forward but I hope the EPA and other entities take notice and work to remove them and other toxins from our lives.

Getting rid of toxins

This has been a newer fad or rage or whatever you want to call it - getting rid of toxins in our lives and living happier and healthier. We now know to skip the aerosol containers, teflon isn't good for us, and nuclear waste is dangerous for a long time. There are the people who do a 'cleanse' where they eat healthy and drink weird things to purge their digestive system of toxins. (I'm not a fan of that one.)

The latest media hype is the toxic relationship - get rid of the people or relationships which are unhealthy for you. I can understand this. Do you have a 'user'/toxic friend? You know what I mean - the one who takes and never gives? Or the one who always talks about themselves and never wants to hear what is going on in your life? Or the one who constantly makes everyone wait on them? Or the one who never can get together - they say they want to get together and constantly cancel? Or the one who criticizes you and your choices continuously? Or the ones that are deceitful or untruthful? Some times it is the boss who motivates their employees through public humiliation. Or the co-workers who throw you 'under the bus' constantly or present your ideas as theirs? I can go on and on. These relationships can also occur between siblings, family members and spouses as well as friends and colleagues.

Toxic relationships are ones which hinder your happiness and cause stress and other problems. It is not a good relationship if they never do their share to help support it. A relationship is a two way street and both sides need to contribute. A relationship doesn't require daily contact to be a good one but it requires a level and quality of communication with which both sides are comfortable. Sometimes we need to take a step back and regroup and focus on getting rid of toxins in our lives. This may include cleaning out your kitchen cabinets or refrigerator, quitting a job, and ending other relationships.

I may have changed in the past few years and my feelings on this may have changed as a result. Through cancer treatment and then ensuing periods of recovery from gall bladder surgery and restrictions in my life due to my back issues, I no longer feel it is important or required that I waste time on toxic relationships or situations. I require a certain level of quality in the things I do in the more limited time that I have. I weigh opportunities to socialize and interact based on the physical and emotional effort required to participate. I can't just run off for a day of shopping with a friend as that would result in a few days of pain after to recover. If I go to a party, I can't stand around for hours chatting, I will need to sit down. But if I am sitting in the living room in the only chairs and all the action is in the kitchen (why do parties always end up in the kitchen), why did I waste my energy on a situation which causes physical pain? So correspondingly, why do I want to spend time with someone who causes emotional stress?

Sometimes relationships end because our circumstances change. Maybe we move far away. Maybe we change jobs. I have friends who I used to see regularly on hiking, snowshoeing, or skiing trips. Now because of my back I don't participate in those activities so we have grown apart. If I see those friends, I am happy to spend time with them but since our activities don't intersect anymore, we get together much less frequently.

Life goes on and we change and need to accept that. We re-prioritize the important things in our lives. We do not mean to offend or hurt others but sometimes we need to move on. A social 'detox' is sometimes what is needed to regain or retain a feeling of happiness in our lives. Just was we clean out the toxic chemicals in our cabinets, we clean out the toxins in our address books.

Toxins

Toxins are everywhere. We need to stop breathing, eating, drinking, sleeping indoors, sleeping outdoors, exercising, sitting, standing, or walking to protect ourselves. They are evil. They will kill off the human race.

Therefore I am glad to see that the NIH is going to ban a bunch of toxins. Actually they want to be able to ban up to ten toxins each year. But which ones?? They don't tell us which ones they want to ban. They want to ban some. How specific.

Now PCBs have already been banned because they are carcinogens. But the elementary school I attended for six years has been found to contain high levels of PCBs and will be rebuilt. Is there a correlation between going to school in a building with PCBs and getting cancer twice? I have no idea. But my point is (and I always need a point) is that just because something is banned doesn't mean it still won't be found and have to be dealt with (in some VERY expensive way).

DDT was banned and now we have Bald Eagles again so there is a track record of success.

But going back to the NIH, we need a little detail here. They want the arbitrary ability to be able to ban up to ten substances a year. While I am all for banning bad things, I think they need to have to reach a level of credibility to be able to ban them. They can't just say 'we think it might be bad' they need to be able to say 'we know it is bad and this is why'. Otherwise, it might just be a little too much power and we'll all end up living in caves again.

A dictionary for all

We use toiletries and cosmetics to enhance our natural loveliness. But there are bad things in them. Have you ever wasted time at the cosmetic counter trying to figure out what is in the items you want to buy? I mean its sort of like buying food - you (should) want to know what's going into and on your body. Like chemicals related to carcinogens found in cosmetics.

But there is no FDA providing a dictionary. Every try reading the label on your hand lotion? Impossible. But Martha Stewart, the felon and home decorating maven, has come up with a simple list. (As you can tell, I am not a Martha Stewart fan, even before the big arrest. She was a bit too smug for my taste and I don't really need help in folding dinner napkins into turkeys - mine are folded into rectangles.)

My point, and I do need one or my blog post is a waste, is that cosmetics and toiletries, which go on your body are worthy of the same consideration as what goes in your body. Think natural. There have been many dangerous heavy metals used to make the colors in the cosmetics.

My solution for the cosmetics is to buy natural ones. Bert's Bees is one of my favorite brands of skin stuff. Otherwise, check the dictionary Martha provided if you use the other kinds. Or be really lazy and forget to put on make up as you run out the door.