We are guilty of many errors and faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children and neglecting the foundation of life. Many of the things we need can wait, the child cannot. Right now is the time, his bones are being formed, his blood is being made and his senses are being developed. To him we cannot answer"tomorrow", his name is "today". Gabriela Mistral,1945 Nobel Prize Winner. In part one we recognized that as much as we have advanced in life as humans, we may have contributed to potentially non reversible effects and damage to our selves as well as generations that have yet to follow. Here are some distressing factual numbers & statements (acquired from the chemical legacy by Catherine N. Dorey): The USA continues to have one of the highest infant mortality rates & the highest rates of preterm & low birth-weight babies in the industrialized world(Altshuler et al., 2003a), in addition to that the risks of developing the disorders which result in infant death are increased by exposure to chemicals. All around the world and mainly in the United States incidence of asthma, allergies and autoimmune diseases are increasing, simply stop and think of how many people including yourself that you know of who suffer some type of allergy in addition to that and While there is no doubt that genetic factors/predisposition are important elements for the development of immune disease, environmental factors play an important role in their development as well. Studies show that certain chemicals cause changes in the immune system which affects the bodys ability to fight infections and cancer, to inducing allergy and autoimmune diseases. Currently, cancer is the third most common cause of death among children between 1 -19 years (Anderson, 2001). It has been estimated that 1 in 3 people will develop cancer during their lifetime and almost all of us know someone or of someone whose life has been affected by cancer. There is also a growing epidemic of developmental, learning & behavioral disabilities in children (Shettler et al.,2000) as the number of children being treated for attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) has increased dramatically in the last ten years (Houlihan et al., 2003; Shettler et al.,2000). Also, the reported incidence of autism is increasing (Houlihan et al., 2003) and though the causes remain unknown, chemical exposures are considered to be a potential contributor (Wood ward, 2001). Other problems include reproductive disorders, particularly in the male,continue to be on the rise as things like low sperm counts,testicular dysfunction & testicular cancer have all been linked to chemical exposure. There have been hundreds upon hundreds of researches, articles, papers and news flashes urging people to understand why they or a loved one suffers from the above problems including many that I have not mentioned. People seem to almost have a flat affect or are indifferent about such things. So I exposed my self or a loved one to some chemicals. There is not much I could do about it really?! it continues to baffle me the reaction or lack there of I get whenever I explain to people what it is they are truly buying & bringing into their homes from the grocery store. I guess one can only wonder of the reasons behind theses attitudes people seem to aquire when it comes to such issues could it be as simple as brand loyalty? or is it the fear and uncertainty of change.
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