Island News & Views
World Food Traditions · 9th July 2008
Ray Grigg
A society must have confidence in itself if its people are to live optimistically in the present and plan wisely for the future. Lately, it seems, we have been losing confidence because of events that are undermining our trust in our ability to behave intelligently and responsibly.
While the big problems are important, sometimes the cumulative effect of the little ones are more erosive. Consider a small item that appeared in The Vancouver Sun (June 13/08) under the heading, "Toxins found in shower curtains". Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a common plastic used to make this bathroom item, apparently off gases over 100 volatile organic compounds for 28 days or more after the new curtain is installed.
Well, we have known for a long time that these compounds are toxic, that they can cause nausea, headaches and respiratory irritation, and that they are linked to liver, kidney, neurological and genetic damage. Indeed, Canada has even recommended that phthalates, one of these family of gases known to be toxic to children, be banned in products specifically for them. But the ban has yet to be implemented.
The recent revelation about PVC shower curtains comes shortly after we learned that bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen mimicking chemical implicated in early onset puberty, breast cancer and other hormonal disruptions in both females and males, has been leaching from commonly sold polycarbonate water bottles and infant milk bottles. Well, we knew BPA was a hormone disruptor because it was originally used as an artificial estrogen. So, what is the stuff doing in the bottles from which we drink?
The next disquieting revelation is that most cans, those ubiquitous metal containers that hold everything from tomato paste to apple juice, are also lined with BPA – and it is leaching into the can's contents. Health Canada assures us that "this is not a problem for most Canadians" (Globe & Mail, May 29/08). Well, for which Canadians is it a problem? And what kind of a problem is it? And why should anyone, regardless of age or eating preferences, be subjected to any risk, particularly one that could be eliminated by using a safe lining material which would increase the cost of a can by 2 cents?
Environmentalists and climatologists talk about "tipping points" in ecological and weather systems, those unpredictable instances when change crosses an undetermined threshold and things suddenly start going radically awry. We also have psychological "tipping points". At some unexpected level of affront, our tolerance is exceeded, our perception suddenly changes, and instead of seeing ingenuity, convenience and security, we see massive stupidity, ineptitude, incompetence, denial and greed that places people at unnecessarily risk for little or no justifiable reason.
Shower curtains, polycarbonate bottles and cans are not the entirety of civilization. And, to be fair, many things are going right in a world we have made almost magical with our effort and inventiveness. But these three items are symbols for a plethora of things that seem to be going wrong these days. Off-gassing is now recognized as a problem in carpets, furniture, new cars and a multitude of products that inhabit our ordinary lives. BPA is just one of thousands of chemical miracles that are revealing their devilish side. In addition to the air we breathe, we must now be careful of the food we eat because of residual pesticides, and of fish we consume because they could be laced with mercury.
The erosion of our confidence creates uncertainty and apprehension, followed by frustration, cynicism and anger.
But this malaise is easily alleviated. All we need is the feeling that corrective measures are being taken by leaders who are moving us toward solutions. If products are dangerous, then get them out of the marketplace. Surely we can live without polyvinyl chloride shower curtains, polycarbonate drinking bottles and BPA-lined cans. But governments are inclined to dither and stumble into the future, failing to act until risks become crises of almost insurmountable complexity. The Precautionary Principle should be the cornerstone of every party's political platform.
And then we have the big problems. If the oil crisis has been developing for decades, where are the regulations that should have been directing manufacturers and builders toward greater efficiencies for vehicles and buildings? If garbage dumps have been filling up and exuding methane gas since we have been generating waste, where are the conversion processes that should have been turning all our discarded material into reusable products? If we have been overfishing the seas for half a century, where are the controls on industrial harvesting that should have been preventing this ecological travesty?
Svente Arrhenius, a Swedish scientist, predicted in 1896 that our carbon dioxide emissions would cause global warming. Perhaps we can be forgiven for overlooking such an early warning. But 20 critical years have passed since James Hansen, an American climatologist from the Goddard Space Institute, provided nearly conclusive evidence that we were heating the planet with our greenhouse gases. Despite his pleas for reduction, our emissions have been increasing, not decreasing.
Powerlessness creates feelings of victimization. Inaction generates feelings of helplessness. We desperately need brave and visionary leaders who will guide us toward the promise of a safe and sustainable future. And, perhaps, with their wise direction, they can end the erosion of our confidence.
While the big problems are important, sometimes the cumulative effect of the little ones are more erosive. Consider a small item that appeared in The Vancouver Sun (June 13/08) under the heading, "Toxins found in shower curtains". Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a common plastic used to make this bathroom item, apparently off gases over 100 volatile organic compounds for 28 days or more after the new curtain is installed.
Well, we have known for a long time that these compounds are toxic, that they can cause nausea, headaches and respiratory irritation, and that they are linked to liver, kidney, neurological and genetic damage. Indeed, Canada has even recommended that phthalates, one of these family of gases known to be toxic to children, be banned in products specifically for them. But the ban has yet to be implemented.
The recent revelation about PVC shower curtains comes shortly after we learned that bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen mimicking chemical implicated in early onset puberty, breast cancer and other hormonal disruptions in both females and males, has been leaching from commonly sold polycarbonate water bottles and infant milk bottles. Well, we knew BPA was a hormone disruptor because it was originally used as an artificial estrogen. So, what is the stuff doing in the bottles from which we drink?
The next disquieting revelation is that most cans, those ubiquitous metal containers that hold everything from tomato paste to apple juice, are also lined with BPA – and it is leaching into the can's contents. Health Canada assures us that "this is not a problem for most Canadians" (Globe & Mail, May 29/08). Well, for which Canadians is it a problem? And what kind of a problem is it? And why should anyone, regardless of age or eating preferences, be subjected to any risk, particularly one that could be eliminated by using a safe lining material which would increase the cost of a can by 2 cents?
Environmentalists and climatologists talk about "tipping points" in ecological and weather systems, those unpredictable instances when change crosses an undetermined threshold and things suddenly start going radically awry. We also have psychological "tipping points". At some unexpected level of affront, our tolerance is exceeded, our perception suddenly changes, and instead of seeing ingenuity, convenience and security, we see massive stupidity, ineptitude, incompetence, denial and greed that places people at unnecessarily risk for little or no justifiable reason.
Shower curtains, polycarbonate bottles and cans are not the entirety of civilization. And, to be fair, many things are going right in a world we have made almost magical with our effort and inventiveness. But these three items are symbols for a plethora of things that seem to be going wrong these days. Off-gassing is now recognized as a problem in carpets, furniture, new cars and a multitude of products that inhabit our ordinary lives. BPA is just one of thousands of chemical miracles that are revealing their devilish side. In addition to the air we breathe, we must now be careful of the food we eat because of residual pesticides, and of fish we consume because they could be laced with mercury.
The erosion of our confidence creates uncertainty and apprehension, followed by frustration, cynicism and anger.
But this malaise is easily alleviated. All we need is the feeling that corrective measures are being taken by leaders who are moving us toward solutions. If products are dangerous, then get them out of the marketplace. Surely we can live without polyvinyl chloride shower curtains, polycarbonate drinking bottles and BPA-lined cans. But governments are inclined to dither and stumble into the future, failing to act until risks become crises of almost insurmountable complexity. The Precautionary Principle should be the cornerstone of every party's political platform.
And then we have the big problems. If the oil crisis has been developing for decades, where are the regulations that should have been directing manufacturers and builders toward greater efficiencies for vehicles and buildings? If garbage dumps have been filling up and exuding methane gas since we have been generating waste, where are the conversion processes that should have been turning all our discarded material into reusable products? If we have been overfishing the seas for half a century, where are the controls on industrial harvesting that should have been preventing this ecological travesty?
Svente Arrhenius, a Swedish scientist, predicted in 1896 that our carbon dioxide emissions would cause global warming. Perhaps we can be forgiven for overlooking such an early warning. But 20 critical years have passed since James Hansen, an American climatologist from the Goddard Space Institute, provided nearly conclusive evidence that we were heating the planet with our greenhouse gases. Despite his pleas for reduction, our emissions have been increasing, not decreasing.
Powerlessness creates feelings of victimization. Inaction generates feelings of helplessness. We desperately need brave and visionary leaders who will guide us toward the promise of a safe and sustainable future. And, perhaps, with their wise direction, they can end the erosion of our confidence.