Toxins — How They Affect You and What to Do About Them
By Stan M. Gardner, M.D., CNS

As Moroni was describing the days when the Book of Mormon should come forth, he said, in Mormon 8:31, “Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth.” I don’t know if he saw the toxic environment, in addition to the spiritual decline taking place, but there is no doubt that we live in a world full of toxic substances. It is my observation that these substances are having a profound negative effect upon our physical, mental, and spiritual health.

This topic is so voluminous that I have chosen to address it in a series. The first of the series will focus on toxic chemicals, their harmful effects. Secondly, I’ll address what things we should avoid and treatment options. Later I will address toxic metals like lead, cadmium and mercury. For the time being, I’m going to stick with toxic chemicals. I’m going to steer clear of toxic microbial effects on our bodies, energy field disturbances, and mental and emotional toxicity (baggage!) that cause illness. If you want to have me address something specific in future articles, feel free to write me, care of Meridian Magazine, or you can visit my blog site, www.drstangardner.com and leave a question there.

Only a chemist is going to recognize all of the chemicals I’m going to mention below, but all of you will have heard of some of them. It is important to recognize the different names and the effects caused by the different chemicals. For example, when I was growing up I heard about DDT, and recently about Agent Orange, but I never understood what they did and how real their effects are. Hopefully this article will create awareness of the true impact that these substances may have on our lives. The chemicals described are in use today or have been in use for many years. Their effects linger on. The effects are cumulative or exponential, and awareness and avoidance at any point in our lives can help minimize the negative effects of the substances we cannot avoid.

I don’t want to take a “doom and gloom” to the topic of toxins, but I want us to be aware of toxins so that our awareness of them and their potential damage can help us to avoid exposure with its subsequent harmful effects on our bodies.

Chemical Exposures

There are many harmful substances that have chlorine in them. It is important to differentiate between chloride, which is an electrolyte in our body and is part of salt (sodium chloride), and chlorine, which is extremely harmful to our bodies. We commonly know chlorine because of its disinfectant and bleaching capabilities. It does this because it has the ability to oxidize, which in the body changes to an oxidized or free radical state. As we know, free radicals are highly damaging to the body and are at the core of the aging process. Degenerative diseases and inflammation can also be attributed to free radicals’ damage.

For those of you who don’t like to read lists, we are now going to go through 13 different, commonly used chemicals that have chlorine in them, which are harmful to humans. So you can skip ahead if you wish.

Chlordane — an insecticide and termiticide
Tetrachloroethylene
Trichloroethane, which is an inhalation anesthetic
Trichloroethylene, which is another inhalation anesthetic
Trichloromethane, commonly known as chloroform
Carbon tetrachloride
Organochlorine compounds (OCC), which include the DDT compounds
Hexachlorobenzine, a fungicide
Perchloroethylene, used in dry cleaning
Hexachlorocyclohexane, found in Lindane and Kwell shampoo
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
Chlorophenoxy Acid (2,4,-D), an herbicide which when used in combination with 2,4,5-T (a dioxin) is Agent Orange
Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)

Fluorine is used in Teflon pans. It heats to 721 degrees Fahrenheit in five minutes on the high setting. When the Teflon pan reaches 464 degrees Fahrenheit, ultrafine particulate matter is released that is toxic to the lungs. At 680 degrees Fahrenheit, the tetrafluoroethylene compound is released, which is presently categorized as a “reasonably anticipated” carcinogen. At that same temperature, hexafluoropropene is released, which is an irritant to eyes, nose and throat. 680 degrees is also the magic temperature for the release of monofluoroacidic acid, which becomes fluoroacetate, a rodenticide. If your pet bird is kept in the kitchen in close proximity to use of Teflon pans, it will die. This kind of reminds me of the canary that used to accompany the miners down into the mines. When the air became dangerous, the canary stopped singing.

Polycyclic, aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) include over 100 different chemicals from incomplete burning of oil, gas (exhaust), coal, garbage, tobacco, charbroiled meat, creosote, roofing tar, crude oil, coal tar, and emissions from volcanoes.

Organophosphate pesticides include some well-known and some lesser known products. The list includes: disulfoton, phorate, dimethoate, cioderin, dichlorvose, dioxythione, ruelene, supona, carbophenothion, TEPP, EPN, HETP, parathion, malathione, ronnell, coumaphos, diazinon, trichlorfon, paraoxon, potasan, dimefox, mipafox, schrodan, sevin, chlorpyrifos, and dimeton.

Benzopyrines are the byproducts of fat dripping on hot coals (like on the outdoor grill). They have been proven to be carcinogens.

Heterocyclic amines are formed from grilling or broiling meat at high temperatures. This is the burned or blackened part of the meat. Interestingly, if fruit is placed on the meat or grill, it suppresses the carcinogenic reaction.

Harmful Effects of Toxins

Let’s first discuss the well-documented immune system disturbances that are related to toxins. [i] The following toxins are known to induce cancers:

Breast cancer has been shown to be specifically associated with DDT, DDE (a breakdown product of DDT), PCBs, and hexachlorohexane (Lindane). [ii]
Childhood brain cancers are caused by diazinon and herbicides, [iii] while herbicides also cause: soft tissue sarcome, lung and stomach cancers, leukemia and lymphoma, both Hodgkins and non-Hodgkins. [iv]
Pesticides are associated with leukemia.
The anesthetic trichloroethylene causes multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and cervical cancer. [v] In addition, ten years of occupational exposure increase the likelihood of pancreatic cancer and 20 years of occupational exposure increase the likelihood of stomach, liver and prostate cancers, as well as blood cancers. [vi]
The painting occupation is associated with a slightly increased risk of multiple myeloma, bladder tumors, and kidney tumors.
The farming occupation, with exposure to 2, 4-D and DDT, increases the risk of multiple myeloma.
Tetrafloroethylene (from Teflon pans) dioxins and PAH have also been associated with cancers.

There are three things that have been shown to effect a reduction in white cell function and number. This includes the subcategory of complement and natural killer cells, all part of the white cells. These are organochlorine compounds (OCCs) — especially DDT-, PAH, and the organophosphate pesticides.

There are many neurologic reactions to pesticides and other toxins. Of course, this makes sense, because pesticides are designed to destroy the neurologic systems of pests. This material comes from the Textbook of Natural Medicine by Pizzorno, Jr., and Murray, pages 291-3. Carbamates and organophosphates inhibit acetylcholinesterase, which causes the nerves to be overstimulated. Methyl mercury causes necrosis (breakdown) of axons (the conducting parts of the nerve). Methyl mercury also destroys the myelin sheath, which is the fat surrounding the nerve axon that makes the axons more efficient. The myelin is destroyed in the areas of the visual cortex, cerebellum, and sensory neurons. [vii] Adriamycin affects the dorsal root ganglia, which conduct sensory input to the brain. Cisplatin, another chemotherapeutic agent for cancer, also directly affects the sensory neurons.

This lasts forever, doesn’t it? But once we get past this stuff, it will be easier to understand how toxins affect us. If this bores you too much, just skim over this material and glean only those things that make sense or appeal to you.

Halomethane, methylenechlorine, carbon tetrachloride, and butane diminish the ionic flux of nerve cells. This ionic flux is critical for the transmission of nerve impulses from nerve to nerve. Acrylamide affects sensory fibers. Carbon disulfide affects both sensory and motor axons, decreases norepinephrine levels (which are necessary for nerve transmission), and myelin damage to the optic nerve (affecting vision). Hexacarbon solvents also disrupt the axons and myelin sheath.

There are quite a number of toxins that interfere with optic nerve myelin, causing blurred vision. These include hexachlorophene (HCP), which is an antimicrobial put in some soaps, methanol, ethanol, inhaled trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene. Trichloroethylene also affects the trigeminal nerve, which goes to the face. Trichloroethylene and toluene, styrene and xylene cause hearing loss. Carbon monoxide and cuprisone affect the maintenance of myelin. Lead causes nerve degeneration and affects the myelin sheath.

There are multiple endocrine disturbances related to toxic effects. It might be of help to you to read up on the issue in the Textbook of Natural Medicine, pages 293-294.

OCCs and carbamates cause thyroid dysfunction. OCCs also have an estrogenic effect and cause adrenal necrosis (breakdown). [viii] Cadmium and carbon tetrachloride inhibit steroidogenesis, or the production of natural steroids. Lead interferes with the hypothalamic-pituitary regulation of corticosteroids in the body. Thiocyanates, perchlorates, and pertechnatates are competitive inhibitors of iodine transport in the thyroid gland. Thiourea, thiouracil, PTU, carbimazole, anilin derivatives, PABA, resorcinol, and phloroglucinol inhibit thyroid pyroxidase, an enzyme necessary for thyroid hormone production. Iodine and lithium block thyroid hormone release.

Quite a number of other toxins interfere with thyroid function. These include lead, carbon disulfide, PBB, organophospates, fungicides, food coloring, PCBs, mercury, phenobarbitol, benzodiazopines, calcium channel blockers, steroids, retinoids, chlorinated hydrocarbons, polyhalogenated biphenyls. [ix]

There are also documented reproductive disturbances. I have already mentioned OCCs’ estrogenic effects. [x] OCCs are also associated with infertility and stillbirths/miscarriages. [xi] Dibromochloropropane (DBCP) reduces or eliminates sperm count. [xii] Some of the elements in air pollution decrease male fertility.

If this topic is of interest to you, familiarize yourself with some of the basic chemicals. The next article will deal with the specific items that can be avoided and specific treatments that reduce and eliminate the harmful effects to our bodies. In my next article I will address how to take a proactive approach to toxins so we can minimize their detrimental effects.