Toxicity and its effect on health is quickly becoming a growing concern for both patients and practitioners. As more and more chemicals and toxins are used in products that increase the "convenience factor" of our busy lives, there have been staggering increases worldwide in certain diseases and chronic illnesses.
This presentation will cover:
- Toxic burden
- Toxic effect on health
- Symptoms of underlying toxicity
- How we are exposed to toxins
This presentation is on environmental toxins and health by Dr. Walter J Crinnion, Environmental Health Specialist.
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Learn more about how to assess toxic burdens at the Metametrix.com website:
Also see: Environmental Medicine, Part 1: The Human Burden of Environmental Toxins and Their Common Health Affects on PubMed. (This link will take you off this site)
Walter J. Crinnion, ND
Walter J. Crinnion, ND, received his Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from the University of San Francisco in 1975. He received his degree in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University, where he was a member of the first graduating class, and Dr. Crinnion is now considered one of the leading experts on environmental medicine and toxicology. After graduating, Dr. Crinnion spent 20 years practicing in Seattle, helping treat patients with chronic conditions through diet and nutrition. Dr. Crinnion discovered that most of the chronic health complaints he treated were rooted in toxicity, and began to expand his practice to include environmental medicine. After 20 years of practice, Dr. Crinnion felt led to teach other practitioners about toxicity and health. Today, he is the Chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona.
Environmental Toxicity and the Effect on Health - Presentation Transcript
Environmental Toxicity and the Effect on Health - Walter J. Crinnion, ND
- Outline
- What is our current toxic burden?
- How does it affect our health?
- What do the patients and their doctors need to help with this huge problem?
- Metametrix is the “go-to lab” for environmental medical testing
- What is Our Current Toxic Burden? Are you toxic?
- Better Living Through Chemistry
- There are over 80,000 chemicals registered for use by the US EPA.
- Over 3,800 of those are “high-use” chemicals.
- Less than half of high-use chemicals have been assessed for toxic effect on humans.
- Less than 9% have been assessed for toxic effects on children.
- Environmental Working Group (EWG)Neonatal Toxicity Study
- Toxins in the Cord Blood of US Newborns
- EWG Adult Burden Study
- 9 persons
- Including several international environmental activists
- 210 different chemicals
- Average of 91 chemical toxins per person
- www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden1/
- Bill Moyers’s Burden
- Phthalates (plasticizers)in Urine(289 persons from CDC NHANES)
- Two phthalates in all urine samples tested
- Two more were found in over 75% of the samples as well
- Xenobiotics in Meconium(in utero exposures)
- Nicotine - Lowest but still detectable even in non-smokers
- Two metabolites of organophosphate pesticides (DEP and DETP) were found in 19/20 and 20/20 samples
- Mercury - In 6.4% of the maternal blood and 46.1% of the meconium
- US Children’s Urine Studies
- 1,4-dichlorobenzene in 96% of Arkansas children
- Chlorpyrifos in the urine of 93%, carbaryl in 45%, malathion in 33% in Minnesota
- OP metabolites DMTP and DETP were found in 70-75%, at least one was present in 99% of samples in Seattle preschoolers
- Only one child whose parents fed them organic food was clear of pesticides in the urine
- The Weight…What we are all carrying
- OCDD 9. Ethylphenol
- HpCDD 10. DDE/T
- HxCDD 11. PCBs
- PeCDD 12. Phthalates
- Styrene 13. Chlordanes
- Dichlorbenzene 14. OP pesticides
- Xylene 15. Pb, Hg, Cd, As, etc.
- Parabens 16. PAHs
- The Question About Human Toxic Burden
- NOT — IF you are toxic
- BUT — IF toxins are a causative factor in your health care problem(s),
- and — IF toxins are an obstacle to cure
- Why We Are Exposed
- Part of mom’s toxic burden passed to us
- New compounds added to body daily through our nasty habits:
- Eating, Drinking, Breathing
- Biggest Sources:
- Indoor air in our homes and workplaces
- Food
- Why They Build Up
- Our bodies are designed to hold on to fat
- Needed for healthy bodies
- Historically hard to come by
- Fats cannot leave by urination or defecation
- Reabsorption of fats — recycling
- These fat-resorption mechanisms cannot differentiate between good fats (EFA, fat-soluble vitamins) and DDT!!!
- Worse with Weight Loss
- Weight loss increases circulating levels of persistent fat-stored pollutants
- Same increase seen after bariatric surgery (increases of 24-52%)
- ChevrierJ, et al. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000;24:1272-8
- Hue O, et al. Obes Surg 2006;16:1145-54
- Imbeault P, et al. Int J Obes 2001;25:1585-91
- Charlier C, et al. In J Obes2002;26:1465-8
- Do These Toxins Cause Health Problems?
- In Total, the Nine EWG Subjects Carried:
- 76 chemicals linked to cancer in humans or animals (average of 53)
- 94 chemicals that are toxic to the brain and nervous system (average of 62)
- 86 chemicals that interfere with the hormone system (average of 58)
- 79 chemicals associated with birth defects or abnormal development (average of 55)
- 77 chemicals toxic to the reproductive system (average of 55)
- 77 chemicals toxic to the immune system (average of 53)
- What are The Main Targets?
- These compounds clearly affect:
- Immune system
- Allergies/Asthma
- Chronic infections
- Autoimmunity
- Nervous system
- Endocrine/hormonal system
- Generational
- How They Cause Damage
- Mitochondrial toxicity
- Reduce function of mitochondria
- Reduced function of cell/organs that contain mitochondria
- Oxidative damage
- Neurotoxicity
- Solvents diminish neural functioning
- Pesticides are neurotoxins by design
- Associated Adverse Outcomes
- Cancer incidences are increasing
- “Boomers” have higher rates of cancer than any previous generation
- Childhood brain cancers are rising
- Asthma rates are rising worldwide
- Autism and ADD/ADHD rates are increasing
- Chemical Sensitivity
- Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome
- Gulf War Syndrome
- Presenting As:
- Fatigue
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Fibromyalgia
- Cognitive difficulties
- Brain Fog
- Mood disorders
- Tremors
- Chronic neurological illnesses
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Chemical sensitivities
- Autoimmune conditions
- Chronic bacterial, fungal, and viral infections
- Certain cancers
- Infertility
- Hormonal imbalances
- Etc.
- Why Some People Retain More Toxins Than Others
- Genetic differences in phase one and phase two enzymes (polymorphism)
- Nutrient deficiencies (Mg,Se,B6)
- High sugar, low protein diet
- Stress, emotional stuffing, trauma
- Heavy metal presence (esp. Hg)
- Increased exposure
- The Dirty Dozen - EWG’s 12 most contaminated fruits/vegetables
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Apples
- Pears
- Bell Peppers, Grapes (imported)
- Celery
- Spinach
- Nectarines
- Lettuce
- Strawberries
- Potatoes
www.ewg.org
- EWG’s 12 Least Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables
- Onion
- Sweet peas
- Avocado
- Kiwi fruit
- Sweet corn
- Bananas
- Pineapple
- Cabbage
- Mango
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Papaya
- A serving of farmed salmon has up to 40 times more PCB's than other foods.
- Source: EWG analysis of data from Axys (2003), Easton et al. (2002), EPA (2000a and 2000b), Fiedler et al. (2000), Jacobs et al. (2002), NMFS (2002), NAS (2003), Schecter et al. (2001), and USDA (2002).
- The EPA Recommends:
- No more than ONE* meal of farmed salmon per MONTH!
- (This is based on CANCER risk, not neurobehavioral, endocrine, or immune effects)
- ½ meal per month if the Salmon is from Scotland or the Faroe Islands
- Butter – The Global PCB Marker
- Highest PCB levels in butter from Europe and North America. [i]
- Lowest levels were in Australia and New Zealand
- Levels of p,p-DDT, p,p-DDE and HCH were highest in butter from areas where those compounds are in regular use (DDT = India and south/central America; HCH = India, China, Spain).
- [i]Kalantzi OI, Environ Sci Technol 2001;35(6):1013-1018.
- EPA List of Mercury in Fish - www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Efrf/sea-mehg.html
- Most Toxic
- Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico) 1.45 ppm
- Shark 0.988
- Swordfish 0.976
- King Mackerel 0.730
- Tuna (bigeye) 0.639
- Orange Roughy 0.554
- Marlin 0.485
- Grouper 0.465
- Mackerel Spanish 0.454
- Tuna (fresh/frozen) 0.414
- Chilean Bass 0.386
- Bluefish 0.337
- Lobster 0.310
- Croaker, white (Pacific) 0.287
- Scorpion fish 0.286
- Weakfish (Sea trout) 0.256
- Halibut 0.252
- Sablefish 0.222
- Bass (saltwater, black) 0.219
- Snapper 0.189
- Least Toxic
- Clam ND
- Ocean Perch ND
- Salmon (canned) ND
- Shrimp ND
- Whiting ND
- Tilapia 0.010
- Oyster 0.013
- Salmon (fresh/frozen) 0.014
- Hake 0.014
- Sardine 0.016
- Haddock 0.031
- Crawfish 0.033
- Pollock 0.041
- Anchovies 0.043
- Herring 0.044
- Flounder/Sole 0.045
- Mullet 0.046
- Catfish 0.049
- Scallop 0.050
- Atlantic Mackerel 0.050
- What Do Patients and Clinicians Need?
- A Current Dilemma(another inconvenient truth)
- Natural medicine is built upon finding the nutrient, supplement, or protocol the patient is deficient in which will bring a return to health
- All patients are toxic and will NOT get better until the obstacle to cure is identified and removed
- What Patients Face
- Chronic health problems that current allopathic, naturopathic, and alternative methods are not working for
- Realization that this world is toxic
- Fear that their problems are caused by a toxic buildup and that no one can help
- What Clinicians Face
- Chronically ill patients in whom their sure-fire therapies are not working
- An influx of illnesses caused by toxicity (ie. Chemical sensitivity and chronic neurologic problems)that they cannot treat
- A knowledge (great or small) that toxins may be the culprit, but not sure how to proceed to confirm the diagnosis
- For more information on toxicity testing contact Metametrix at 800.221.4640 or visit www.metametrix.com/toxicity