New Paradigm: The Dose Is Not All that Makes the Poison
A
common argument against concerns about chemical exposures is that the presence
of minute amounts of chemicals in our bodies is not necessarily harmful.
However, a number of peer-reviewed studies in scientific journals have found
that common chemicals impact health at lower levels than previously believed.7 For
example, lead, a known neurotoxin, damages babies’ brains at very low levels—levels
much lower than previously considered safe.
One critical finding is that the timing of exposure can be as important as the amount of the exposure. For example, animal tests show that a single dose of certain pesticides on a critical day of development can cause permanent hyperactivity and changes in brain chemistry.8 Scientific studies report that many chemicals mimic natural hormones that act in the body at extremely low levels to regulate development, reproduction, immune function, and many other biological systems.
