Conservation And Human Safety

Recent findings show some chemicals used for human safety are causing serious injury to the environment. Are they really good for us then?

What do coral reefs and killer whales have in common? Not just the ocean these days. Chemicals we humans have been unintentionally adding to their environment in an effort to keep ourselves safe are causing health problems for these two ocean dwellers.

Killer whales in the Pacific Northwest are full of PBDEs that have ended up in the ocean, carried on the wind, literally. PBDEs are endocrine disrupters. Human health problems caused by PBDE-based flame retardant are becoming an issue and some countries are looking to ban them. The European Union has already banned two forms.

It would seem logical to get rid of them. But what will replace PBDEs as a flame retardant? And what is the greater danger? Items that burn more readily or items that release toxic chemicals even when they aren’t burning?

Then there are sunscreens. Again, it seems logical to try to protect ourselves against sun exposure which is known to increase the risk of skin cancer. But in the process are we exposing coral reefs to damage? And if the sunscreens cause damage to coral, are they really safe for us?

The short answer for most common drugstore sunscreens is no. The very chemicals which damage coral-parabens, cinnamates, benzophenones and camphor- are known estrogenic endocrine disrupters. And, in this case there are safer products available.

It is long past time to take a long look at what we are doing in the name of safety.