You asked
How can we stop the public from being unnecessarily afraid of chemicals?
The answer
When parents raise concerns about synthetic chemicals as contributors to disease and disability, we shouldn’t dismiss them as “chemophobia”. We need to engage in evidence-based conversations about prevention. Evidence documented by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, World Health Organization and UN Environment Programme shows low-level exposures to many synthetic chemicals have serious, negative effects. Studies in the laboratory animals have been confirmed by studies in humans that show similar effects of low-level exposure to these chemicals.
The good news is that safe and simple steps exist to limit these exposures and are supported by data from interventions, including dietary and personal care product modifications. For example, studies have shown you can reduce bisphenol A levels by as much as two-thirds by avoiding canned foods – in just a few days’ time.
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Leonardo Trasande is an expert in children’s environmental health and a professor and vice-chair for research at Department of Pediatrics at New York University. He is the author of Sicker, Fatter, Poorer
