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Dupont at Sunset by Alarobric, on Flickr

I did a bit of research after being angered by The Body Toxic by Nena Baker.

I live less than 10 miles from a DuPont plant. That plant is said to manufacture “Jacquard weave synthetic fabrics, Dobby weave synthetic fabrics, Knit synthetic fabrics, Synthetic velvet fabrics, Plain weave synthetic fabrics, Conveyor belting, Conveyor pulleys, Conveyor idlers, Conveyor belt lacing or fasteners, Conveyor belt brushes, Trolley lid, Chain conveyors, Motorized rollers or drums, Conveyor frames.” In 2007, that plant had atmospheric releases of the following, according to the EPA:

• ACETALDEHYDE
• SULFURIC ACID
• AMMONIA
• 1,4-DIOXANE
• COBALT COMPOUNDS
• SODIUM NITRITE
• NITRATE COMPOUNDS
• DIOXIN AND DIOXIN-LIKE COMPOUNDS
• METHANOL
• POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC COMPOUNDS
• MANGANESE COMPOUNDS
• ETHYLENE GLYCOL
• BIPHENYL
• HYDROCHLORIC ACID (1995 AND AFTER “ACID AEROSOLS” ONLY)
• MERCURY COMPOUNDS
• ANTIMONY
• HYDROGEN FLUORIDE
• LEAD COMPOUNDS

Yikes. I’d probably say something like “time to move!” if I thought any other community was better. My own tiny community, if it could be somehow detached from the rest of the world, would be relatively clean. It’s a bedroom community with very few manufacturers. Still, within two miles of my house we’ve had environmental releases of xylene, n-hexane and toluene, and I am downstream from some very big players.

Hazardous chemicals are everywhere, even in breastmilk. Our youngest, most susceptible citizens are being exposed to deadly chemicals in their best food. There’s no better alternative. And it is taken as fact that every woman of childbearing age in every country of the world has these chemicals in their bloodstream, fat and organs.

Now is not the time to sit and stew in fear. There are things you can do to reduce your exposure. Baker offers both a list of what she does and what she recommends at the end of The Body Toxic. If you believe that there is a chance for change offered by the current administration, now would be a great time to write and call your elected representatives to get years of head-turning, innocent-whistling denial repealed and replaced with meaningful regulation as the European Union has done with their REACH regulations.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop because Polycyclic Aromatic Compound Breastmilk is not real food for infants.