M3.1- Biomonitoring

If I were to receive this list of chemicals found in my system, I would first be incredibly concerned about how 1) they were affecting my organ systems and 2) how I came into contact with them in the first place. I am very grateful to grow up in a time where DDT has been banned and lead based paint is only found in older homes. PH experts are just beginning to understand what low doses of harmful chemicals are doing to us. These test results would alarm me, but also cause me to ask why my local health officials aren’t doing a better job of monitoring our exposures.

The CNN special discussed chronic diseases like asthma, and how our genetic makeup is not enough to be responsible for the dramatic increase in their prevalence, especially among children. We must begin to track these diseases and go back to their root causes, especially for our vulnerable populations. I like how Anderson Cooper was able to think about the exposure to both the DDT and PCBs in his system. While DDT is banned in the United States, the pesticide they use in Africa to protect against mosquitos carrying malaria could have been responsible for the detection of that chemical in his system. He also stated he grew up in an area where PCBs were common, which could have lingered in his system until his adult life.