Kids in the Coalmine: Endocrine Disruption and Our Future

Old fashioned poison detector.

In coal mining, a bird, a canary, was once used to signal to the miners that poisonous gases were being released, and the bird’s death signaled to them it was time to get out.  There is a saying that bad omens are just “the canary in the coal mine” for this or that outcome.  Since the dawn of the industrial revolution, humanity has been issuing into its environment unnatural chemicals.  With the advent of the more modern era, not only do we face pollution, but we also must contend with more insidious influences: endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).  EDCs usually mimic or interact with estrogen or androgen receptors in our bodies, including in our brains.  They are found in everything from cosmetics, to shampoos, baby bottles, and home insect sprays.  Some, like BPAs, can affect male fertility in the unborn and adults, alike.  Others, like some pesticides, only really strongly influence unborn babies. A link has been found between ADHD and EDC exposure in the womb.  Gene studies may refute the latter, however there may be epigenetic and carcinogenic influences that alter the way our DNA is expressed, and its very structure as well – see the previous blog entry for evidence in the psychological domain.  Additionally, phthalates have been shown to reduce sexually differentiated play in young boys after exposure in the womb.

When people are being affected biologically, and also psychologically, how can our species be maintained?    Often it has been considered that weapons of mass destruction would end our civilization in one fell swoop.  Instead, it may be a slower process where we poison our young with chemicals we use in everyday life.  Today’s children may be the canaries in the coalmine, the most heart breaking indicator of a possibly bleak future to come.