Environmental Health From a Historical Perspective Paper

Environmental Health from a Historical Perspective Paper
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Environmental Health from a Historical Perspective Paper
Key Issues Discussed
Silent Spring is an article that was published by Rachel Carson in 1962 and it analyzed the dangers of releasing untested chemicals such as DDT into the ecosystem. In her testimony during the congressional hearing against DDT, she said that human beings should be free from intrusion of poisonous products (silentspring.org, 2002). Carson died in 1964 as a result of breast cancer and she was instrumental in launching different environmental movements that aim at transforming cancer policy by showing the relationship between health and exposure to harmful chemicals.
Studies have revealed that there is a close association between exposure to chemicals and the risk of cancer. This particularly applies among individuals exposed environmental disaster like atomic bombs as well as high exposures that produce powerful effects leading to development of health complications (Yomralioglu, Colak & Aydinoglu, 2009). Numerous studies have been conducted by Cape Study researchers, including tracking the spray of pesticides in golf course and the gardening habit of women. Researchers composed information relating to historical land use as well as the location of homes to determine exposure to compounds that cause breast cancer.
The use of pesticides and compounds that contain estrogen mimics increase the risks of breast cancer since they tend to affect exercise habits, personal health, and usage of these household products. Environmental pollutants and the use of products that contain estrogen mimics increase the risks of breast cancer. Over 80 chemicals were tested to determine the chemicals that are present in the air as well as exposure to indoor dust in homes (silentspring.org, 2002). Skin care products that are used by women contained endocrine disruptors and various controversial compounds which weakly mimic estrogen hormones. These compounds also block the functions of natural hormones and the natural endocrine system, a factor that increases the risks of cancer.
For instance, antibacterial hexachlorophene was increasingly used in deodorants products while ammoniated mercury was an ingredient that was actively used in skin bleaching creams. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also released a report showing that detectable amounts of pesticides, plastics, and heavy metals were present in the urine and blood of most people in the U.S. Studies indicate that nonoxynol-9 has been an active ingredient that has increasingly been used in vaginal spermicides (silentspring.org, 2002). The breakdown of this product revealed that it contained estrogen-like effects on breast cancer cells that are cultured in laboratory experiments.
Contributions of this Publication
This publication has made immense contribution to the current knowledge and understanding of the relationship between the environment and health. Using data from completed interviews, Institute researchers were able to link the personal details of women to the environmental data collected through geographic information system (GIS). GIS is a computer mapping database...