"Pre-polluted babies" may be the next horrid term to find its way into the medical lexicon. An panel of experts has pointed to the dangers of the environment and its link to cancer. The report noted the increased incidence of cancer among children:
"... Children are particularly vulnerable because of their smaller bodies and fast physical development, the panel found. The report noted rising rates of cancer in children, and it referred to recent studies that have found industrial chemicals in umbilical-cord blood, which supplies nutrients to developing fetuses. "To a disturbing extent, babies are born 'pre-polluted,'" the panel wrote."
The timing of the report is percipient. Oil is spilling into the Gulf of Mexico and the possibility of an ecological disaster looms. Infant and children's pharmaceutical products are recalled because of bacterial contamination and metal particles. The North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources is issuing warnings about air quality and warnings about working outdoors. Those are just a few examples from today's headlines.
It just doesn't seem like babies even have a fair chance at health. And that is a horrific legacy to pass along to future generations.
Catherine Forsythe
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Erica K
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Comments
A friend of mine lost her grandson to cancer. He was only 4 years old and fought valiantly.
I had a young Boxer, a rescue who was 2 when he was diagnosed with mast cell cancer (skin cancers). What I learned during his rounds of chemo was this, the younger the animal, the stronger the cancer cells. We can't keep overpopulating and polluting our environment and expect that it will not affect us.