Our nation faces persistent health risks from a deluge of industrial chemicals from modern farming practices; food manufacturing and packaging systems; pharmaceutical drugs; nutritional supplements; and personal care and home cleaning products. The ubiquitous presence of chemicals today is evidenced by studies detecting many foreign chemicals in the umbilical cords of pregnant women.
As noted in earlier blog posts, the US faces a chronic disease epidemic from obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cancers, in particular. Research shows these conditions are associated with chronic bodily inflammation as the immune system responds to what it detects as modern “invaders” to be defused – similar to how it reacts to invading bacteria, viruses, and other hostile microbes. Modern provoking factors of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, the leading killer of Americans, includes metabolically stressed fat cells (from overeating) and irritated blood vessel linings from the effects of smoking, high blood sugar and insulin levels, high blood pressure, stress hormones, sleep apnea, and drug and alcohol abuse. But are modern industrial chemicals now found in many products we use daily also contributing to this phenomenon of chronic inflammation?
The widespread use of chemicals by the farming and food manufacturing industries in the United States to improve efficiency, speed to market, and profits has grown sharply in recent decades. This post explores the presence of added chemicals in our daily lives and the potential impact that exposure to them can have on our human biology. Public awareness of this national health issue is low. Doctors can begin to raise awareness among their patients about everyday consumer products and help to create demand for better options.
The clash of modern industrial chemicals with our evolved human biology
Humans have evolved through several distinct phases of civilization. It began with the original hunter-gatherer-and-scavenger way of life 200,000 years ago and then transitioned to the farming way of life about 10,000 years ago, which included cultivating plants and domesticating animals. During this period, food was obtained directly from the land with little processing or use of chemicals to modify, preserve, or create derived products from food. About 200 years ago began the Industrial Revolution, followed 100 years ago by the start of factory food production to feed the masses. Post-WWII corporate farming and food manufacturing was fueled by new technologies and the rise of marketing, entertainment, and media industries. In the shift to mass food production and competitive product marketing, industrial chemicals became useful to many industries in order to improve yield, flavor, shelf life, and visual appeal. Although these chemicals are biologically unfamiliar to our bodies and were not found in our evolutionary past, they are now entrenched in our business practices and our preferences, yet they remain largely unseen and unknown by the average consumer.
What are the main sources of chemicals entering our bodies today?
Chemicals in farming. With the arrival of pesticides in the mid-20th Century, traditional US farm practices (rotating crops, planting cover crops, providing habitat for pest predators, maintaining biological diversity on the farm, selecting crops suited for particular growing conditions and regions, scouting for pests, and labor-intensive weeding) fell out of favor and were replaced by spraying chemicals on the soil and crops to achieve the same results. Consumer Reports estimates that US farmers spray 700 million pounds of 500 different pesticides annually on food crops to repel, kill, or control insects (insecticides) or plants (herbicides) that are considered pests. For example, organophosphates such as glyphosate and chlorpyrifos are sprayed on crops to kill weeds and insects. Recent plant breeding, such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), has allowed commercial crops to tolerate high pesticide levels. Chemicals enter local soil, rivers, and aquafers (250 million tons annually) as runoff, are directly found on crops, and can affect farm workers.
These modern crop practices have consequences. For example, a recent meta-analysis showed male fertility has dropped 50% over the past 40 years and is tied to the glyphosate’s ability to dysregulate human sex hormones. Cancer rates have also been shown to increase with organophosphates. Other chemicals commonly used in US farming include antibiotics for animal growth, feed efficiency, and to treat diseases (e.g. bacitracin, methylene disalicylate). Today, 40 million lbs. of antibiotics are produced in the US compared to half a million lbs. in 1954, 70% of which is used in farming versus 30% in humans. Beef, dairy, and fish farming add more chemicals in the form of synthetic hormones (e.g., trenbolone acetate, zeranol, BGH) to increase animal growth rates and lower animal feed costs.
Chemicals in manufactured food. Manufactured foods today are frequently adjusted or modified with added chemicals to achieve lower costs or create novel products, including highly processed foods and drinks as well as fast foods. There are now about 10,000 chemicals used in food manufacturing, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. Examples of these are:
- Bleaching and deodorizing agent. Benzoyl peroxide, potassium bromate, chlorine dioxide, and chlorine gas are used in breads and cheeses. Azodicarbonamide, a chemical primarily used in foamed plastics like yoga mats and sneaker soles, is used to make frozen dinners, pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods.
- Emulsifiers and texturing agents. These improve the stability and thickness of processed foods and include polysorbate 80, monosodium phosphate, deoxycholic acid, carrageenan, and propylene glycol. They are added to baking products, salad dressings, ice creams, and soft drinks.
- Extraction of plant oils. Hexane is a solvent made from crude petroleum that is used to extract vegetable oil from plant seeds such as canola, soybeans, sunflowers, and corn.
- Anti-caking agents. These include phosphate, carbonate, silicate, and aluminum. They absorb moisture in foods and are added to powdered or dehydrated packaged food products.
- Food preservatives. These include sodium nitrate and nitrite, sodium benzoate, and potassium nitrate, which are used to preserve and color meat products, such as hot dogs, and are used as a flavoring and preservative for sodas. Other preservatives are used to reduce product spoilage and increase shelf life, such as BHT; BHA; sodium benzoate; sulphates; polysorbates 60, 65, and 80; and TBHQ, which is a form of butane, i.e. lighter fluid.
- Artificial colorings. These are used to change the appearance of foods to make them more visually attractive (e.g., yogurt, soda, breakfast cereal, processed meat, and baking products) and are synthesized from coal tar or petroleum products. Their use in food production has increased 500 percent in the past 50 years and includes the common color ingredients of Blue 1 and 2, Green 3, Red 3, and Yellow 6.
- Artificial and “natural” flavorings. This broad category contains up to 100 synthetic chemicals, including solvents, preservatives, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and paraben benzophenone (similar to formaldehyde). They are added to baked goods, desserts, beverages, frozen dairy products, candy, and pharmaceutical drugs. Today, the specific chemicals used in flavorings do not have to be listed on the packaging.
- Enriched and fortified synthetic vitamins and minerals. These are added to highly processed foods containing white flour in order to replace the nutrients lost during modern farming and manufacturing techniques. They also increase the flour’s shelf life and reduce spoilage.
- Artificial sweeteners designed to replace calories from refined sugars. Artificial sweeteners are 200 to 20,000 times sweeter than table sugar and include acesulfame potassium, aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin.
Chemicals in personal care products. The average woman uses 12 personal care products and the average man 6 products. These products include toothpaste, deodorant, hair products, make-up, perfume, sunscreen, soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Many contain long lists of chemicals that are potentially absorbed into the bloodstream via the skin, hair follicles, eyes, mouth, and lungs. Concerning chemicals include methylparaben, sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan, phthalates, oxybenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, formaldehyde, toluene, camphor, dibutyl phthalate, and aluminum.
Chemicals in pharmaceuticals. Clinicians prescribe around 1.2 billion drugs annually that contain active ingredients to treat medical conditions and to manage drug side effects and interactions. These drugs may also contain a combination of the nearly 1,000 inactive ingredients that commonly make up 75% of the average pill or capsule volume. They serve as binding materials, dyes, drug transport agents, preservatives, and flavorings such as benzoic acid, ethyl maltol, Red 40, polyethylene glycol, acesulfame potassium, butyl paraben, and paraffin.
Chemicals in dietary supplements. Supplements are sold as pills, capsules, powders, gel tabs, extracts, and liquids. They include vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, enzymes, binders, colors, filler flavors, and sweeteners and they often contain chemicals and fillers similar to those added to foods and pharmaceutical drugs.
Modern industrial chemicals and their impact on human biology
Humans have complex, interacting biological systems and metabolic pathways through which modern industrial chemicals can have impact. These are the nervous, cardiovascular, circulatory, digestive, endocrine, immune, integumentary (skin), lymphatic, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory, and urinary systems. Clinical research involving industrial chemicals and human health has focused mostly on endocrine and immune system disruption and cancers or threats to infants and children, such as neurodevelopmental or behavioral problems, birth defects, asthma, and cancers due to pesticides. However, cardiovascular disease is the main cause of sickness and mortality among adults and the role of chemicals on its development has not been well studied. A recent review of the current scientific knowledge of the mechanisms behind atherosclerosis in cardiovascular disease has highlighted that chronic bodily inflammation is a major underlying cause and is likely influenced by irritative stimuli from poor diet, an imbalance of healthy and unhealthy gut bacteria (dysbiosis), air pollution, and emotional stress that can lead to damaging plaque buildup in blood vessels, most importantly in the coronary arteries. In addition, the emerging field of epigenetics, based on animal models, clinical, and epidemiologic studies, is providing new insights into the subtle and fundamental ways that many different environmental factors, including exposure to modern chemicals, can modify basic human gene expression – turning genes “on” or “off” – and impact our complex human biological systems.
Oversight and regulation of US industries and added chemicals
Federal agencies have oversightof the modern industrial chemicals that can be added to our foods, drinks, personal products, cleaning supplies, supplements, pharmaceuticals, etc. They are also responsible for educating the public about the safety and proper use of consumer products that contain added chemical. These agencies include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), but there are limitations on their scope, power, and authority.
Public health and consumer activism around modern chemicals and health risks
There are many non-profit and for-profit organizations in the US that work to protect the general health of all Americans and monitor the use of modern chemicals in our food and consumer products, including: American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Consumer Reports, American Academy of Pediatrics, Environmental Working Group, Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Science in the Public Interest, True Health Initiative, Food Revolution Network, Organic Farmers Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Sustainable Food Trade Association, and many others. However, in total, they represent a relatively small consortium of clinicians and consumer activists pushing for greater awareness and societal change.
The industries and companies that produce or add industrial chemicals to our foods and consumer products are also organized. Pro-industry public relations organizations are heavily funded by corporate groups and individuals with a stake in maintaining the status quo. These groups work to deflect public criticism of consumer products and protect current business practices. Some of the organizations that operate in this area include the International Life Sciences Institute, Center for Responsible Nutrition, Center for Consumer Freedom, and American Council on Science and Health. (See this piece by the Center for Food Safety for a fascinating review of the topic.) Meanwhile, trade groups and their lobbyists make significant political contributions and urge legislators to promote legislation that favors trade interests and to oppose any legislation that does not. In 2020, about $139 million dollars was spent on lobbying by the agribusiness sector.
In the US, most clinicians and clinical researchers who are part of the healthcare community do not participate in debates between public health defenders and pro-industry groups around the regulation of industrial chemicals in our daily lives. Nor do most medical societies and healthcare organizations typically participate in political activism about the potential human and economic impact of chemicals. Further, national professional treatment guidelines such as those for diabetes and heart disease do not discuss the role of chemicals.
However, front-line clinicians can do an enormous amount to educate patients and teach them how to focus on practical, healthy strategies in their daily lives to manage the influx of industrial chemicals. Clinicians can take the following steps today to participate in this work:
- Clinicians can become certified in the medical subspecialty of Lifestyle Medicine through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine or similar organizations that promote healthy lifestyle choices and creating a healthcare system that is focused on prevention and whole-person care. These organizations can help physicians or other interested clinicians create local patient education resources and programs.
- Raise awareness among patients and their families by directing them to educational websites such as the Organic Consumers Association and the Environmental Working Group.
- Teach patients the critical, modern skill of reading ingredient lists on packaged foods and drinks and labels on consumer products so they can make more informed personal choices that reduce their intake and exposure to industrial chemicals.
- Provide education for patients with chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancers that goes beyond conventional risk factors to discuss awareness of the modern chemicals that could potentially be acting as irritants and promote bodily inflammation and immune dysfunction.
- Teach patients about the value of organic foods as a replacement to processed foods containing chemicals. Studies have shown that better nutrition isn’t the reason to choose organic produce – but rather to avoid consumption of pesticides and industrial chemicals. Federal law regulates that food labeled as organic must be grown and handled without the use of synthetic chemicals, including synthetic pesticides. Teach patients that there are different labeling requirements: “100% organic” is not the same as food labeled “organic” (more than 95% organic ingredients) or “made with organic ingredients” (more than 70% organic ingredients).
- Recognize and help patients navigate the real barriers to consumption of organic foods, including higher costs compared to conventional foods and lack of availability in many neighborhoods.
- Consider signing petitions on local and nation campaigns and becoming an activist. As a healthcare professional, your voice on this issue matters!
Garry Welch, PhD is an expert in the area of behavior medicine for chronic disease care. He has extensive experience leading clinical research on behavior change strategies for people with diabetes and other chronic diseases. Dr. Welch’s 30+ years of clinical research led to co-founding Silver Fern Healthcare. He leads research and development at Silver Fern.