WE ARE ALL BEARING THE HUGE COST OF DISEASE CAUSED BY CHEMICALS THAT DISRUPT HORMONES

The European Union is poised to pass sweeping regulations to restrict pesticides and other chemicals that disrupt hormones in order to protect the public health. To help in this assessment, the European Union requested a study to evaluate the economic cost of exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals. With the support of the Endocrine Society, scientists across the globe collaborated in this evaluation. Researchers concluded that these chemicals do indeed interfere with our hormonal balance, and the result is costly. Most expensive is the cost of neurodevelopmental problems from exposure to these chemicals. This was estimated to be $228 billion a year. Obesity and diabetes are also high ticket items at over $27 billion a year. These costs are calculated for the European Union, but would be expected to be similarly staggering in the United States.
The financial cost of these problems is borne by all of us, through higher health care costs, special education, and taxes. The personal cost can’t even be calculated.
While regulations are being contemplated, it is easy for us not to use these chemicals in our yards and gardens. This will go a long way to protecting our drinking water from these chemicals that we know are harmful. It will also save us money, both in terms of health costs, and in our yards.

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