A TOXIC story that will break your heart!
This is a true and alarming story. I will not give you the name of the person (for their privacy) or tell you where this took place but it is true. I received an email today from a new friend and business partner who lost her dog. Her dogs mean the world to her, they are her children, her everything. She feeds her dog homemade organic dog food, does not vaccinate them and she uses holistic veterinary care. Her dog was found to have a tumor on his spinal cord and there was nothing they could do for him. He was in perfect health other than this but he was suffering. The veterinarian said that the only thing this could have been from is the environment. With her permission I am telling you this story because we all need to be made more aware and realize that bad things happen and not just on a movie screen.
Where they live their water is polluted with higher than normal levels of Chromium 6. Understand that Chromium 6 is a natural element and is naturally found in food, soil and in the air. It's present in many forms and you cannot taste it or see it but it is not bad or dangerous in all forms or levels. According to a government website, "the metal chromium, which is the chromium (0) form, is used for making steel. Chromium (VI) and chromium (III) are used for chrome plating, dyes and pigments, leather tanning, and wood preserving." Too much of this natural element is considered dangerous and even regulated by the EPA. Their water was at a high level but they did not know it for the first year they lived there.
It has been linked to an increased rate of cancer in animals and humans. A recent study released in May of 2007 said there was strong evidence that Chromium 6 in drinking water increased cancer in the lab animals and tumors were found where they are not normally found. Its impact on children is not known and the link to birth defects is undetermined but in my very unprofessional and unscientific opinion I can guess there is a direct link (again, I'm no expert). There are many ill side effects associated with high levels of chromium 6 when consumed in high levels. This town now has a breast cancer center being built. Is there a direct correlation? I guess you can connect the dots yourself and decide. There are kids on her street having seizures with no known causes. A neighbors dog died of lung cancer and dogs don't get lung cancer!
The point of this story is that toxins do impact our lives and we have to be our own advocates. We have to investigate where we live and what we use in our homes and put on our bodies and in our bodies. The government might go so far to make regulations and guidelines and do inspections on factories but that's it. Reminds me of the Erin Brockovich story where Chromium 6 was found in the drinking water.
I hope to post more on this story in the future but in the meantime, begin asking questions and thinking about what you use in your home. Are you polluting your own home and causing health issues? To find our about alternatives and what you might be using in your home that could be toxic vist greenmom.info. , have your water tested and be your own advocate!
Where they live their water is polluted with higher than normal levels of Chromium 6. Understand that Chromium 6 is a natural element and is naturally found in food, soil and in the air. It's present in many forms and you cannot taste it or see it but it is not bad or dangerous in all forms or levels. According to a government website, "the metal chromium, which is the chromium (0) form, is used for making steel. Chromium (VI) and chromium (III) are used for chrome plating, dyes and pigments, leather tanning, and wood preserving." Too much of this natural element is considered dangerous and even regulated by the EPA. Their water was at a high level but they did not know it for the first year they lived there.
It has been linked to an increased rate of cancer in animals and humans. A recent study released in May of 2007 said there was strong evidence that Chromium 6 in drinking water increased cancer in the lab animals and tumors were found where they are not normally found. Its impact on children is not known and the link to birth defects is undetermined but in my very unprofessional and unscientific opinion I can guess there is a direct link (again, I'm no expert). There are many ill side effects associated with high levels of chromium 6 when consumed in high levels. This town now has a breast cancer center being built. Is there a direct correlation? I guess you can connect the dots yourself and decide. There are kids on her street having seizures with no known causes. A neighbors dog died of lung cancer and dogs don't get lung cancer!
The point of this story is that toxins do impact our lives and we have to be our own advocates. We have to investigate where we live and what we use in our homes and put on our bodies and in our bodies. The government might go so far to make regulations and guidelines and do inspections on factories but that's it. Reminds me of the Erin Brockovich story where Chromium 6 was found in the drinking water.
I hope to post more on this story in the future but in the meantime, begin asking questions and thinking about what you use in your home. Are you polluting your own home and causing health issues? To find our about alternatives and what you might be using in your home that could be toxic vist greenmom.info. , have your water tested and be your own advocate!
Labels: cancer, chromium 6, toxic pollution
posted by Green & Clean Mom at
11:08 AM
6 Comments:
How scary and sad. I am sorry for your friend's loss.
Thanks for the link. I am going to go check it out.
Very, very sad story and sad commentary on our times.
We are capable of so much more, for our companion animals and ourselves.
This is a very sad story. And I think it's important for people to be aware of the levels of all kinds of things in their drinking water. However, I think it's a big stretch to say the water gave the dog the tumor. Dogs get cancer usually because of all of the inbreeding. Also, if there is true concern that cancer and other health issues are on the rise in this area, you can request that your public health department do a cluster study to see if it's scientifically possible that it's being caused by something in the water.
I have to disagree with you about it being a big stretch. I think that's exactly what they want us to think.
This is really sad, but not surprising. Unfortunately this type of environmental pollution has been happening for hundreds of years. Every time we get one substance out of the living environment, manufactures come up with a new one that isn't proved harmful for many years. Often the substance isn't harmful in small amounts, but they add up slowly and start to effect people over time.
I live near the Colorado River, but won't go swimming in it (and I have made sure my drinking water doesn't come from it.) For years now there has been a debate about levels of Chromium 6 and other pollutants being near or in the water. From Utah to California there are dangers. http://www.wwn-online.com/articles/51073/
It is often reported that the volume of water in the river dilutes the pollutants to the point that they are no longer harmful, but as more and more leak in, the levels will eventually become unsafe if people are not vigilant about it.
This is not the only danger to the drinking water. Human waste, pharmaceuticals and jet fuel has been dumped into the lake over the years. Here is an article on the effects the chemical are having on the fish in the river: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2001-08-09/news/trouble-in-the-sac/
The industrial and residential waste from Las Vegas and it's surrouning suburbs all flow into Lake Mead. The this lake is also the drinking water for all of these areas. The water that is released down the river provides drinking water for Phoenix and southern California. With the drought there is less and less water added by rains and snow melts up river each year, but the growth of the southwest has increase the use of water from the river. The balance of healthy water, will not last and it has been predicted that reservoir of lake mead will be dry in less then 20 years.
I'm sure I went beyond a comment, but people need to realize what is happening and stop trusting companies and government to look out for their long term best interest. Often people are first looking at their piggy banks, then the effect it has on others.
Lisa, thanks for your heartfelt comment. I could not agree with you more about all of the dangers. People want to believe it isn't happening but that's just to make themselves feel better. I wouldn't think the government would let toxins be sprayed all over a kitchen counter and sold at a store but they do!
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