New proposals would expose us to more environmental pollutants.
It doesn’t take much of a scientific background to know that exposure to radiation is bad. Yet a new rule coming out of the EPA at the behest of crony interests will increase the amount of radiation we are exposed to. Another rule will increase the amount of mercury we’re exposed to. To protect our health, these rules must be opposed.
The first proposal would expose Americans to more radiation because it limits the studies that the EPA can use to determine what levels of exposure are safe—not just of radiation, but other environmental toxins as well. Experts have maintained there is no harmless dose of radiation. Yet one of the proponents of this rule, Edward Calabrese, a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s School of Public Health, believes that exposure to low doses of radiation is beneficial! It is an extraordinary view that is contradicted by most experts. A leading radiation researcher, Dr. John William Gofman, provided evidence that medical radiation (CAT scans, CT scans, X-rays, etc.) is a necessary co-actor in about 75 percent of recent cases of breast cancer in the United States. (Note that MRIs—magnetic resonance imaging—are generally safer than CAT and CT scans, but can have their own dangers.) A 2007 study from Columbia University estimated that as much as 2 percent of all cancer in the US may be due to radiation from CT scans.
Who benefits from this rule? Hospitals. It is within the capacity of hospitals to use lower-dose radiation when performing CT scans. This can be done through programming computer algorithms into the software that runs the imaging equipment. Since this technology is recent, it is only compatible with newer machines, and there is little incentive for hospitals to replace CT scanners (which can cost up to $2 million) with more advanced models. In fact, the opposite is happening. Hospitals are increasingly buying lower-end CT scanners to keep costs down. And why not, when diagnostic imaging has become a $100 billion-a-year business? Better to simply change the rules so people can be exposed to more radiation than be bothered with patient safety.
Another proposal would expose Americans to more mercury, a potent neurotoxin and one of the most poisonous forms of air pollution. It would bar the EPA, when calculating the cost/benefit of a rule, from taking secondary benefits into account when conducting a cost/benefit analysis. The intent of the change is to provide legal justification to weaken mercury emissions rules. Recall that mercury in any form is toxic. Organic mercury readily crosses the blood-brain barrier and damages developing nervous tissue. Although mercury is first emitted into the air as a metal, it settles in the beds of waterways where it is converted by bacteria into methylmercury. Methylmercury accumulates in the bodies of fish and other wildlife. Pregnant women who eat contaminated fish put their fetuses at risk. Children are at the greatest risk, as exposure to methylmercury can impact cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language, motor skills, and spatial skills.
This is cronyism 101: special interests using the power of the federal government to change the rules in a way that benefits them while causing harm to everybody else. We cannot let them get away with it.
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oh thanks EPA, great job of protection!
The very institution that’s supposed to protect consumers is as corrupt as the big corporations and most – if not all – levels of government. We’re on our own ….
We have been on our own for YEARS!!! Even though I vote republican I curse the day Bush 41 took his little field trip to Monsanto and Bush 41 informed Monsanto to come over and visit with him as he was into deregulation those days!!! And even when Obama said “NO to GMO’s” while campaigning there were a LOT of GMO’s that were approved through the FDA and Dept. of Agr. during the 8-years he was in office destroying America!!! Both parties are at fault BIG TIME!!! Grrrrrrrr……..
You are correct, hospitals overuse CT scans, I was in the hospital for two weeks and had scans at least every other day. Within six months, I had a tumor on my thyroid. I had been a blue baby, and had xray when first born, but after all the scans, the tumor developed. Scans are a good diagnosis tool, but they are far from harmless.
EPA – Ending Protection of Americans
beside fish the average American consumes a lot of mercury as it a byproduct in HFCS and a recent study of 200 samples showed almost half had disturbingly high levels of mercury and that can explain why the 1000% increase in Altruism ADD since it replaced sugar as when I was a kid I did not know a single student with any issues and my graduation class was almost 3000
We should vote for Libertarians. They are the only group that wants to shut down all these criminal federal agencies.
It seems to me that Anhusa wants to give the EPA more power: not shut them down. If they are going to decrease your exposure to radiation and mercury, it will take more governmental regulation to do it; not less. I’m not saying that is bad, though. The EPA will soon be redirecting much of their attention into different, and more worthwhile pursuits, because President Trump has asked almost all the federal department heads to cut their budgets by 5% next year, and I believe it will be done. In some cases the EPA has been moving the goalposts continually, beyond all reason, in ways that are overly costly to the taxpayers. That’s us.
If these are proposed rule changes, links to the proposed rules should be given so comments can be made rather than sending a message to congressmen.
I wonder if as many people are as concerned about the amount of Radiation that is being emitted from their cell phones as what they are about what President Trump’s EPA is allowing into the environment?? Mercury and aluminum has been in our vaccines, flu shots, B-12 shots, etc., LONG before Donald Trump was elected to be President of this great country!!! The EPA under each and every Administration has allowed chemicals, poisons, radiation, mercury, lead, aluminum, just to name a few, to be in our air, our food, our medications (you know, the FDA that says what is allowed in our consumer products). It would be nice to know just how many people will give up their cell phones to help reduce the radiation with is being directly to their head/brain/ears??? It’s not just the EPA, it is the FDA, Big Pharma, Department of Agriculture, etc., etc!!
take iodine- I have and life has changed allot, along with items listed below.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=dr+bronstein%2c+iodine+you+tube&&view=detail&mid=8710AB5CAA1B3E190E928710AB5CAA1B3E190E92&&FORM=VDRVRV
don’t go thru airport radiation- get pat down or get pre check you go thru different devise
ask dentist to do exrays rarely
keep wifi away from head
use speaker phone
disconnect from computers 2 days a week and tv too! read, go outside etc.
take all electronics out of bedroom
get rid of dimmers in house
get rid of smart meter, go back to traditional meter
in a few months you will see a difference.
quit eating junk, gmo, hfcs, canola, corn and anything that eats corn, cookies, cakes, etc, fast food, soda, juices (unless you squeeze it!), dryer sheets, toxic lotions, perfumes, hair products and more…..get rid of microwave (use tea kettle and stove top)
quit drinking fluoride water.
Stay away from products that are stored in containers that contain BPA. GMO soy is horrible for you, in fact, people should be very careful when consuming soy products, especially baby formula!!! Eat Organic when ever possible, do not eat farmed raised fish, shrimp, salmon, etc. Full of bacteria, anti-antibiotics, filth, growth hormones. Do not eat chicken, beef, fish, fruits….basically anything from China – Nada!!! Stop using products that contain Carrageenan (also found in toothpaste and lots of food products) as carrageenan is a known carcinogenic yet it is still being used in our foods!! And if you think our “Government” is trying to protect us and our loved ones, I am trying to find someone that will give me an honest answer as to why there is mercury and aluminum in our flu shots, Vit. B-12 and just about any and all injection based medication, vitamins, vaccines, etc. Stop GMO’s – Stop the use of Round Up/Glyphosate!!! The Government and Big Pharma loves to keep Americans sick and dying as that just equals $$$$$$ for them!!!