As we have seen with our own eyes, chemistry is both an angel and a devil. It is called an angel because more than 300 kinds of food additives allowed to be used in Europe are all chemical substances. Chemicals are also the basic ingredients of our food, such as fats, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals. It is called the devil because chemicals containing pollutants will stagnate in the body and endanger health.
It is called an angel because it lets us eat oranges in August and grapes in April. If there were no chemicals, it would be impossible to feed people all over the world and ensure a harvest. In addition, if there is no chemical fertilizer, animal health products, additives and new packaging materials and technologies, how can these foods be delivered to everyone in time? It is called the devil because it contains substances that we can't taste, but are harmful to health. Some substances will pollute the environment after being absorbed by the soil.
Call it the devil, because people can't forget the 2005 Tokyo subway gas case. Means death. And we also call them angels, because what is life? Life is chemistry. Our universe consists of 100 chemical elements. Water, methane and carbon dioxide are all made up of chemical elements. It is because of these elements that there is life on the earth. This is exactly what alien life explorers are looking for in aliens.
Our own body is also a chemical factory: taste, smell, digestion, breathing and even love are all chemical processes.
According to EU statistics, more than 200,000 kinds of legal chemicals accompany us every day, and sometimes dangerous substances are found in some of the most commonly used chemicals. For example, the broken energy-saving light bulb will release toxic mercury, which will cause migraine, dizziness and eczema.
Good chemicals and bad chemicals.
How to analyze and identify angels and demons? How to evaluate the good chemicals and bad chemicals in our home?
Greenpeace pointed out that 1 g dust under the sofa contains 1 mg of five dangerous chemicals. Epidemiologist Manolis Dan Coe Venus said: "We are often worried about large-scale environmental disasters, but we are not worried about the activities in our daily lives and the chemicals in the products we use." For example, almost every citizen in any big city in China can fill a cup with toxic substances in fruits and vegetables he eats every day. Some highly toxic and carcinogenic pesticides were used in the breeding process. Farmers seem to be taking advantage of the slack of the authorities to achieve high yield and impeccable fruit sales. However, China said that in 2008, 96.75% of vegetables were tested for safety.
In distant Brussels, before Dutch scientists decided to study the chemical residues of eight kinds of fruits bought in the supermarket of the European Parliament headquarters, members of the European Parliament were equally "plausible". Results Among 8 species, the researchers found 28 kinds of pesticide residues, including 10 carcinogens, 3 kinds of neurotoxins and 8 kinds of "endocrine disruptors".
The authorities noticed this problem, and a few weeks later, the European Parliament voted to pass a new law, which made the regulations on the approval, sale and use of pesticides stricter.
Does this mean that eating fruit is a risky behavior? The European Food Safety Agency pointed out that eating some fruits and vegetables every day is far more harmful to health than the risk of ingesting chemical residues in fruits and vegetables.
A few years ago, WWF Spain inspected several EU ministers and found that they had an average of 35 toxic substances and 52 other components in their bodies. The specific chemical composition is not static, but changes according to occupation, residence, eating habits and exposure to chemicals.
"Polychemical sensitivity syndrome"
Philip Landrigan of Mount Sinai Medical Center in the United States made a more pessimistic analysis. His research object is nine volunteers who do not belong to any high-risk group. Results 167 toxic substances were found around it, of which 76 were carcinogenic, 94 were harmful to nervous system and brain, and 79 were likely to cause birth defects and autism. Maria Joseluis Lopez Ramirez Espinosa, a researcher at the University of Granada, Spain, said: "More research on toxic substances is needed to assess the safety of chemicals around us. We have learned about the toxicity of the most common additives, pesticides and veterinary drugs and the standards that are harmless to the human body.
She said that the problems mainly come from the packaging process, accidental pollution, reactions between different substances, manufacturing and heating processes. In these cases, it is difficult to determine the potential danger. The World Health Organization has collected enough data on people and animals, and concluded that exposure to certain substances will affect the endocrine system, which may have a negative impact on endocrine function and nerve development.
At the same time, in recent years, the detection and analysis of chemical substances and related legal norms have been greatly improved.
Dan Coe Venus said: "When exposed to a small amount of substances, the human body can withstand certain physical and biochemical changes, repair damaged cells and tissues, and remove harmful substances." In fact, our DNA is recombined millions of times every day. However, some chemical components are genotoxic and deadly carcinogenic, and sometimes even irreversible, even if the amount is negligible. These irreparable damages may lead to cancer or gene mutation.
The overuse of chemicals gave birth to a new disease that is difficult to diagnose and treat, namely "multiple chemosensitivity syndrome". It is characterized by headache, inflammation of the mouth and eyes and general fatigue. Any daily necessities may cause diseases, such as bleach, perfume, cosmetics, paint, etc. The World Health Organization has not regarded multiple chemosensitivity syndrome as a disease, but many countries have begun to pay attention to it. Barcelona Clinical Hospital treats about 60 such cases every year. The research team led by Santiago Nog, an expert in the hospital, pointed out that perfume, spices, detergents and cigarette smoke are the main pathogens. When the contact with related chemicals is stopped, the symptoms will be alleviated. Although there is no clear victim data, it should be between 1%- 10%, and the proportion will be higher in closed laboratories and other places. The incidence of female is high. We also know that young people with high blood lead levels are at greater risk of depression, anxiety and panic disorder.
Pablo Martinez-Lach, a neuroscientist, pointed out that it is difficult to distinguish environmental factors from other factors in the diagnosis of nervous system diseases. He said: "This requires very detailed research, just like studying the relationship between pesticide use and Parkinson's disease." In 2006, scientists found that the use of pesticides in agriculture was directly related to the risk of Parkinson's disease in men, but not in women. Perhaps it is because pesticides play a role in other high-risk pathogenic factors in male genetic composition. On the contrary, estrogen only acts as a protective barrier.