Exposure to toxins which are foreign substances and their contaminants which are harmful to humans commonly enter the environment, especially in the food that we consume regularly. This may be a major contributor to the development of chronic diseases, for example, the rice we consume may be at risk of arsenic contamination if they are cultivated in land by which water sources are highly contaminated. And if you consume rice from that area regularly, it may be harmful to your health, especially in young children who are more susceptible to toxic substances.
Because there are various types of toxic substances contaminating the environment and foods, when monitoring common toxic substances that have negative impacts on human health, we must refer to the information from the United States’s organization named Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), which publishes the Priority List of Hazardous Substances according to the probability and frequency of being exposed in areas surveyed across the United States, along with the risk level of causing toxicity or harmful health effects. The ATSDR surveys and updates their reports regularly. However, there is no such report in Thailand yet.
Exposure to toxins which are foreign substances and their contaminants which are harmful to humans commonly enter the environment, especially in the food that we consume regularly. This may be a major contributor to the development of chronic diseases, for example, the rice we consume may be at risk of arsenic contamination if they are cultivated in land by which water sources are highly contaminated. And if you consume rice from that area regularly, it may be harmful to your health, especially in young children who are more susceptible to toxic substances.
Because there are various types of toxic substances contaminating the environment and foods, when monitoring common toxic substances that have negative impacts on human health, we must refer to the information from the United States’s organization named Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), which publishes the Priority List of Hazardous Substances according to the probability and frequency of being exposed in areas surveyed across the United States, along with the risk level of causing toxicity or harmful health effects. The ATSDR surveys and updates their reports regularly. However, there is no such report in Thailand yet.
The recent report in 2017 stated that heavy metal toxicity such as arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium are always ranked in the TOP 10 over the past decades. In particular, arsenic is ranked No.1 in all seasonal reports. The rest are toxic substances in the groups of POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAH) and pesticides such as Organochlorine or Organophosphates which may remain in the environment for a long time, despite these toxic substances already being banned in many places. Lastly is benzene which is often found in petroleum-derived materials, plastic fiber and in some beverages.
For arsenic, which has always been ranked as the No.1 toxic substance, is found contaminated in natural water sources, making water-intensive crops such as rice have a high contamination risk. Considering that rice is the staple food for Asian people, ones who always consume rice from certain areas continually will be affected by cumulative exposure which leads to different health effects, especially in patients who have chronic fatigue syndrome and are found to have high levels of oxidative damage markers. Medical investigation found that certain patients had consumed rice from the same contaminated farms regularly because they believed that the rice was properly packaged and were safe products.
Lead is another toxic substance that is commonly found in Thailand, and it has negative effect on the growth and development of young children. Nowadays, the acceptable blood lead level in Thailand has been reduced to 10 mg/dl, although the blood lead level in the USA is referenced at only 5 mg/dl. In fact, many research studies show that even a blood lead level of only 2-3 mg/dl can affect a child’s cognitive and nervous systems. There are debates that the safe blood lead level in children should be eliminated altogether. Although Thailand has been using unleaded gasoline for decades, we can further prevent lead exposure in children by monitoring their health behavior such as reducing their mouthing behaviors (Oral sensory seeking), especially children who often play on the ground or get their hands dirty with various objects such as dirt, scrap materials, paint color, toys, and colorful tablewares.
Mercury and cadmium are other toxic substances that are commonly found. We can avoid exposure by controlling the environment, limiting or alternating the consumption of fish or protein from water sources that might be contaminated with mercury, and refrain from eating the same food every day. Moreover, there are arguments about the risk of chronic exposure to mercury from silver filling material, also know as dental amalgam, as well as the risk of exposure to cadmium in children whose parents smoke, which can affect their developing brains.
The compounds of POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAH) which can be found in food treated by heat, especially in charred or burned parts of food which can increase cancer risk. The only preventive health practices are only to understand the matter and change cooking and eating habits by trying to avoid these kinds of foods or lessen the impact by eating them together with colorful vegetables that contain antioxidants to mitigate the effects of exposure.
Another common harmful toxic substance is pesticide, which its residue can remain in the environment for over hundreds of years. It can also contaminate the foods, and we can reduce the risk of exposure by the way we eat, purchase or cook, as well as avoiding eating the same foods repeatedly.
In summary, no matter how much we try, human beings cannot live without being exposed to any kind of substance, whether from nature, food, or the environment. Exposure-reducing behaviors, management process, and elimination process as mentioned before and in the previous article is an important strategy to keep us healthy and unharmed by these toxins, as well as slowing down the risk of developing chronic diseases in the future.
Compiled by: Winna Rakkarn
Photo credit: Unsplash
