Did you know that exposure to environmental toxins can happen at home, in the workplace and outside? This presentation focuses on lessening and managing exposure to pollution, including by-products of plastics, heavy metals such as mercury and lead, pesticides, bacteria, viruses, and molds, and other respirables such as tobacco smoke. Learn tips to improve air quality in your home year round so that you can protect your health and the health of your loved ones.

1. Environmental Toxins
Practical Solutions for Health
Presented by:
Michelle Bender, MD
May 12, 2016

2. Objectives
• Learn about the effects of toxic exposures and why
preventing them is important, especially for children
• Sun safety
• Food safety
• Infectious disease prevention
• Heavy metal safety
• Pollution safety
• Plastics safety

3. Importance of reducing toxic exposures
• Reduce symptoms/improve quality of life
– Asthma and allergies
– Cognitive problems
– Depression/anxiety
– Fatigue
– Headaches
– Memory problems
– Chronic pain

4. Kids are more vulnerable
• Age and developmental factors affect susceptibility
• Rapid brain and organ growth make fetuses and young children
vulnerable
• Infants and children tend to spend more time on the floor and have
more mouthing behaviors, which can increase risk of exposure
• Children’s immune system and metabolic capability are different from
adults. Children have higher metabolic rate compared to their weight
than adults.
• Infants and children have lower weight and relatively higher body
surface area, making them more susceptible to lower dosage of toxin
exposure

5. Long Term Risks of Chronic Exposure
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Cognitive impairment
• Autoimmune diseases (arthritis, thyroid, lupus)
• Cancer
• Allergic diseases/asthma/eczema
• Infertility
• Parkinsonism
• Alzheimer disease

6. How are we exposed to toxins?
• Breathing
• Skin
• Ingestion (eating and drinking)
• In utero through the placenta
• Chronic stress

7. What factors influence resiliency?
• Genetics
• Epigenetics
• Environment-external and internal
• All influence an individual’s biochemical body function to assist
elimination of toxins/resistance to their affects
• Body functions such as digestion, liver enzymes, kidney function,
respiratory system function, and immune function interact to eliminate
toxins
• Accumulated stressors may make it more difficult to fight a small insult
(last drop in the bucket causes overflow)

8. Sun Safety
• Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US, 5 million people are
treated each year, 63,000 melanomas and 9000 deaths
• Many are preventable
• Use of protective clothing is as or more important than sunblock,
including hat, sunglasses, UV clothing
• Apply sunblock SPF 30-50, REAPPLY FREQUENTLY! Takes 15
minutes to kick in so apply well before outdoor activity
• Use physical blockers like Titanium and Zinc Oxide
• Many say they are waterproof, but they are not
• Sprays seem convenient but are difficult to get even layer and have fumes
• Avoid mid-day if possible as UV is strongest
• Enrightmelanomafoundation.org

9. Food Safety
• Food is our fuel and source of vitamins and minerals that
are cofactors in metabolism and detoxification
• Creates the environment that our genes express themselves
• Organic and GMO free whenever possible
• Avoid processed foods
• Meat, poultry, milk products and eggs try for free range,
grass fed, organic whenever possible
• Environmental Working Group- dirty dozen and clean 15

10. Why organic and non-GMO?
• GMO crops are grown to be “roundup ready”-higher pestiside level and
soil depleted of nutrients
• Roundup (Glyphasate) has been linked to chronic illness, including
neurologic damage, endocrine disorders, and infertility
• Spraying of crops spreads chemicals and contaminates water supply,
cross contamination to other crops may occur
• Livestock and poultry fed GMO corn are less healthy and require more
antibiotics, increasing risk of contamination and antibiotic resistance

11. Most common GMO crops
• Alfalfa
• Canola
• Corn
• Cotton (cotton seed oil)
• Papaya (Hawaiian)
• Soy
• Sugar beets
• Zucchini and Yellow squash

12. What else can we avoid in our food?
• Sugar and artificial sweeteners increase insulin, increase
belly fat, remove signals of satiety, often found with
genetically modified crops, trans fats, other preservatives,
unhealthy bacteria and yeast feed on it and over grow
• Artificial favors and colors-have been linked to allergies,
hyperactivity, and cancer in animals
• Preservatives such as benzoates, sorbates, and sulfites are
used to keep foods fresh, but are linked to allergies,
headache and neurological symptoms, and cancer

13. Food preparation safety tips
• Soak produce in a large bowl with water and distilled
vinegar, then scrub with a brush for 60 seconds to remove
pesticides and bacteria
• Rinse chicken, meat and fish before cooking, make sure to
heat all the way through. Organic meat and chicken are
less likely to be contaminated with bacteria
• Buy only fish and seafood that are wild or farmed in open
water, as farmed fish may have hormones, antibiotics,
pesticides and PCBs
• Do not heat food in plastic containers, as plastic becomes
volatile when heated

14. What are PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyls
• An industrial coolant used around the world prior to 1970's,
found in people, animals, fish and soil and stored in fat
• Affects mitochondrial function, immune function, and brain
function
• Concentrated in milk, therefore particularly dangerous for
pregnant and lactating women
• Concentrated in large fish and farmed fish, which are also
at risk for high mercury levels

15. What is BPA
Bispenol A
• Endocrine disrupters have been linked to premature sexual
development and prostate cancer
• Found in containers and plastic wraps
• Different kinds of plastics are associated with higher risk by
recycling number, found in the triangle on the label, 1-4 are
recyclable and less toxic, 5-7 are more toxic
• Use glass or stainless steel containers whenever possible

16. Lead exposure
• Lower rates of exposure since lead was removed from gasoline and paint since 1980
• Most current exposures occur from contaminated paint or paint dust, contaminated
water, living near a smelting battery factory, or melting lead for a hobby or craft
• There are still some imported products such as cosmetics, folk remedies, and glazed
dishes that may contain lead, as well as old blinds
• No level is safe-may cause neurological symptoms, long term lower IQ, and anemia
due to interference with iron metabolism
• Most exposures occur during early childhood due to mouthing behaviors and
proximity to the floor
• Local department of health may be helpful in testing water supply
• AAP recommends screening babies age 9 months and 2 years
• There is chelation treatment but the neurological damage occurs, so prevention is
key

17. Mercury exposure
• Elemental Mercury is used in thermometers, thermostat switches, sphygmomanometers,
fluorescent lightbulb and batteries.
• Organic Mercury (methyl mercury) is used as a fungicide and is an industrial waste
product.
• Environmental exposures from landfills or mining practices can cause contamination
• Mercury can be inhaled or ingested. Symptoms can be vague neurological complaints,
"mad as a hatter", and causes birth defects
• Difficult to measure and difficult to treat, so prevention is important
• Thimerosal was removed from vaccines in 1999.
• Still used in dental amalgams but new methods of preparation make exposure less
common, and currently it is not recommended to remove old fillings
• If a thermometer breaks, do not touch, use a paper to roll the beads into air tight container,
do not vacuum
• Pregnant women, nursing mothers, young children should avoid big game fish like shark,
king mackerel, swordfish and tilefish

18. Lawn and garden pesticide safety
• Herbicides: Glyphosate (Roundup), Bipridyls,
Chlorophenoxy herbicides (2,4-D and Weed-be-gone),
applied by spray on crops
• Fungicides are used on grains and produce, sometimes in
homes, usually powders or granules
• Rodenticides are mostly anticoagulant based, can be
invested by young children
• People that live in agricultural regions and work with
chemicals have higher risk of exposure

19. Safe pesticide practice at home
• Do not go on the lawn after it has been treated.
• Bring children's toys and playthings indoors during
treatment so they do not get contaminated.
• Remove shoes when entering the house.
• Store chemicals away from children, in clearly labeled
containers
• Minimize treatments by using sparingly, by using plant
varieties well suited for the climate and pruning and
watering as advised, and only treating if an unacceptable
level of damage from weeds or insects occur

20. Insect Safety
• DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) is most common and most
effective insect repellent, products 10-30 percent, use higher
concentration for prolonged outdoor activity in risky areas
• May cause skin irritation, must be reapplied every 8 hours
• Citronella not as effective
• Permethrin spray on clothing may be an alternative
(Permanone, Duranon)
• Mosquitos breed in standing water, tend to bite more at dusk
(the one that transmits Zika is an exception)
• Ticks need to be attached greater than 48 hours to transmit
Lyme, so showering and tick checks every night is key

21. Outdoor air pollution
• Increases risk of asthma and respiratory illnesses
• Ozone is formed by a chemical reaction between VOC's
(volatile organic compounds) and NO2 in the presence of heat
and sunlight, accumulates in the afternoon and evening, causes
smog
• Particulate matter can be large (dust) or small (<10microns)
Children breath through their mouth and and therefore breath in
both
• CO and NO2 from vehicle exhaust
• Toxic air pollutants from burning coal and other industries and
diesel exhaust including SO2, dioxin, solvents, and heavy metals

22. Measures to protect yourself outdoors
• Follow your community Air Quality Index (AQI). Values
range from 0-500, with higher numbers corresponding to
increased risk
• Hot summer days are more likely to have poor air quality,
and it worsens throughout the day
• If you have known respiratory issues try to plan activities
earlier in the day or indoors

23. Indoor pollutants
• Smoking leaves solvents, CO and other combustion
byproducts, heavy metals
• New carpeting, cabinets and furniture made from particle
board, and new paint off gas formaldehyde, solvents and
plastics
• Plastic items off gas platicizers (phthalates) which are
endocrine disrupters (found in food containers, water
bottles, baby toys and bottles, shower liners)
• Solvents (benzene, styrene, tetrachloroethylene) are found
in deodorants and air fresheners, dry cleaning, building
materials and insulation

24. Minimize exposure to solvents
• Remove shoes when you enter
• No smoking!
• Use and organic dry cleaner or leave dry cleaning outdoors on the porch or
in car trunk for 1 week
• Use unscented laundry detergent and NO DRYER SHEETS
• Replace air filters frequently and clean the chimney
• Use a HEPA filter in the bedrooms
• Replace carpeting with wood or tile (not pressed wood)
• Avoid air fresheners and perfumes (if you want scents use essential oils)
• Be careful of cosmetics that contain phthalates and parabans
• Get a water filter for the home-carbon for lead and chlorine, reverse osmosis
or granular carbon is more expensive and effective for smaller particles