CHECK Berlin #4

ENVIRONMENT
#EnvironmentallyConscious
How pollution affects our health
ENGLISH
Summer vacation 2021: 60 tons of plastic waste per day. 32 degrees Celsius water
temperature. Parasites in the intestine as a souvenir. The information fits on a postcard
and isn‘t even a bad joke: pollution and climate change are real.
The pollution of the planet also takes place
on a small scale and affects us very directly.
Everyday, we ingest innumerable amounts of
poison through food, cosmetics, and everyday
objects. What are the greatest dangers and
how can you protect yourself from it in your
day-to-day life?
HEAVY METALS
According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), 60 to 70 percent of all chronic and
acute illnesses can be traced back to heavy
metal poisoning. These include many types
of cancer, allergies, Alzheimer‘s, Parkinson‘s,
osteoporosis, as well as nerve and kidney damage.
Among the most known heavy metals
are cadmium and mercury. It is estimated that
around 2900 tons of mercury are discharged
into the atmosphere every year through the
burning of fossil materials. Despite EU-wide
guidelines, mercury enters our bodies via the
food chain. The human microbiome contains
microorganisms (bacteria and yeasts) that
have the ability to convert mercury into the
significantly more toxic methylmercury. Whether
and how much of it ultimately ends up in
our bodies can hardly be controlled. Cadmium,
on the other hand, finds its way into the soil
and groundwater through fertilizers and, once
again, into our food. Cadmium is also released
when smoking and brought into the body via
the respiratory tract. There it mainly accumulates
in the liver and kidneys.
FRAGRANCES
Smells good, but makes you sick. Lysmeral,
for example, is an aromatic aldehyde that
smells like lily of the valley. It can be found
under the name butylphenyl methylpropional
and is in perfumes, fabric softeners, fragrances
and aromas, room sprays and personal
care products. Lysmeral is one of the so-called
contact allergens. On contact, these trigger
allergic reactions such as redness, itching,
oozing or blistering. In particular, detergents
and cleaning agents get into wastewater and,
from there, into the rivers and seas. It ultimately
enters the atmosphere through evaporation
into the rain.
PLASTIC PACKAGING
In 2019, the PlastX research group examined
products such as yoghurt cups, drink and
shampoo bottles made of eight different types
of plastic. The study found that three out of
four products contain harmful substances.
More than 80 percent of these substances
could not even be identified. It is clear, however,
that some of the chemicals found have a
toxic effect on cells or cause endocrine, i.e.
hormone-like effects. However, the researchers
confirmed that not all products contain
these toxic substances. But the problem
is that consumers cannot tell whether the
plastic cup with vanilla pudding is possibly
endangering their health.
BIO-PLASTIC IS ALSO HARMFUL
Another study by the researchers in
September 2020 confirmed that bio-based
and biodegradable materials are no safer
than conventional ones. Out of 43 products
examined, three-quarters contained harmful
chemicals. In some cases, up to 20,000
chemical substances were found. Cellulosic
and starch-based products contained most of
the chemicals.
CHECK | AUSGABE 4
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