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Harmful toxins adversely affect our health and are found in everyday consumer products as well as in the air, water and food. Chemicals from industrial processes or products cycle through the natural world, and when we drink, eat and breathe contaminated water, food and air, those nasty chemicals end up in our bodies and can cause serious health problems. Just ask Erin Brockovich.

Chemicals cycle through the ecosystem
Many toxic substances can build up in the ecosystem and ultimately accumulate in our food sources. For example, mercury is released into the air by coal-fired power plants and other industrial processes. Mercury accumulates in the food chain, meaning large fish contain more and more mercury with every contaminated food they eat. When we eat those big fish, we absorb and store the mercury in our bodies. Also, when common but hazardous materials like electronics and batteries end up in landfills or are incinerated, they can release harmful substances back into the natural world.

Home sweet home
Indoor air can actually be more polluted than outdoor air — about 3 -10 times more polluted — because of low ventilation in homes and the off-gassing of VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) from common synthetic materials like paint and carpet. Outdoors, herbicides and pesticides used for major agriculture or in lawns and gardens accumulate in soil and water and can have neurologically damaging effects if introduced into our bodies. Pesticides and herbicides sprayed on crops end up in our mouths. Harmful chemicals can be found in everyday detergents, cleaning products and building materials like paints, carpets and adhesives — even cosmetics.

We're making progress
The following two examples — DDT and CFCs — show that we've been making progress on reducing the use of harmful substances, but there's much more that can be done.

DDT was the grandfather of all pesticides, lauded for its bug-killing prowess — but it was found to be highly toxic to birds, fish and amphibians, and as its effects magnified up the food chain, its adverse effects on human health were recognized as well. Public outcry resulted in its subsequent ban in the U.S.

Another environmental success story is the repair of the hole in the ozone layer through an international ban on CFCs. Sparing you the chemical details, CFCs were found to be responsible for the hole in the ozone that leads to increase in skin cancer (they also contribute to global warming). Found commonly in refrigerators, air conditioners and aerosols, CFCs were banned on a global scale when an international treaty phasing out CFCs was enacted. Today, the ozone layer has already shown signs of recovery. Hooray!