Pre-Mature

This was very frightening. Goose pimples and hair standing up on the back of the neck frightening. If you have any idea what phtalates and bisphenol A are, then you will no doubt already be aware of the disquieting effects of these substances.

Just picture this scene: a young girl, only six years old who is starting her puberty; her breasts are starting to swell and she is developing pilosity in all the places which in a young child should be pristine and baby-smooth. Her schoolmates have begun to notice. She has no idea what is happening to her and her parents are at their wits' end. Tests and examinations by specialists follow and reveal that her body prematurely initiated the changes usually associated with puberty (at the usual age of puberty) and if this is not halted by a series of regular injections for a number of years, may cause her to stop growing altogether. Further investigations reveal that various substances present in plastics and, through migration, in cosmetics, food and drink may be responsible for this disruption of the endocrinian system. Far from being a rare phenomenon it is becoming more and more common. It affects girls - sometimes as young as 4 years - more than boys, although they are also concerned. The consequences of premature puberty in girls and infertility in boys can hardly be exaggerated. Experiments carried out in a closed lake on a species of small fish (unfortunately I cannot remember the name) particularly sensitive to this class of chemical showed that within 3 years no fish were left because they were unable to reproduce.

We have all heard stories about the harmful effects of chemicals, but this report on Envoyé Spécial (an investigative programme on France 2 Television shown on TV5 last Friday) was truly horrific. There was the added and significant fact that the little girl and her parents lived near vineyards. Now you may or may not know that French vineyards are among the most avid users of chemicals of all sorts - sprayed on vines to control fungal, insect and other pests - in potentially dangerous cocktails with unknown effects. There have been many instances over the years of vineyard workers dying young of mysterious illnesses, often associated with the use or misuse of these chemicals over the years. Not much publicity is ever given to these deaths and few are keen to investigate, such is the power and influence of the proponents of 'conventional' or 'traditional' agriculture and viticulture. When I lived in Kent, surrounded by wheat and salad growers I often noticed the whiff of chemicals in the air when various sprays were applied in the fields. I now feel rather safer here in the great metropolis, although there is much to worried about here as well (perhaps for another time). What other hitherto unknown effects are stalking us as a consequence of the use of these substances ?

All of the above lead me to favour, even more than I already do, growing my own food as much as possible, seeking out wines made using organic or biodynamic practices, although not yet throwing out all plastic food containers (as one mother in the France 2 report did). Even if you care little for the environment, our fellow creatures of the Earth, Gaia or any other tree-hugging you should take heed of this and try to change what you eat and do, for your own sake, and for the sake of your children.