Warning: Common household chemical linked to cancer and heart disease, according to NEW study

by: | January 27, 2019
Warning: Common household chemical linked to cancer and heart disease, according to NEW study
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(NaturalHealth365) In a world of toxic food and household chemical ingredients, we generally consider long names bad news.  For example, have you ever read the label on a conventional household cleaner or a heavily processed food laden with additives or preservatives?

Yeah, we can’t pronounce over half the “ingredients” either – many of which have been linked with health conditions like, cancer and heart disease.

Now, startling new research suggests yet another link between a common environmental chemical and an increased risk of various health conditions. The chemical is a mouthful – dichlorophenol – and can be found in things as prevalent as chlorinated drinking water.

Yikes!  This common chemical in your home is being linked to heart disease and cancer, according to a major NEW study

After analyzing urine concentrations and self-reported illness history of 3,617 people between 2007 and 2010, researchers from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health discovered a startling correlation:

People with higher urinary levels of (i.e., greater exposure to) two variations of the chemical dichlorophenol (DCP) – 2,5-dicholorophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol – were more likely to experience “adverse health outcomes” including cancer (all types) and heart disease – the top two causes of death in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

DCPs (which are listed on the Hazardous Substance List as cited by organizations including the Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Protection, and Environmental Protection Agency) are found in a variety of common products, including industrial cleaners, disinfectants, herbicides, pesticides, deodorizers, and yes – chlorinated drinking water.

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The researchers’ findings (part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES) were published in the October 2018 volume of the peer-reviewed journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The authors definitively conclude: “In this nationally representative study, higher urinary 2,5-DCP concentrations were associated with greater prevalence of CVD and all cancers combined.”

But wait, there’s more: Other effects associated with this HIGHLY prevalent chemical

As if an increased risk for heart disease and cancer isn’t troubling enough, the researchers also discovered that people with highest concentrations of DCP in their urine were also more likely to be obese.  In addition, those at (increased) risk were also more likely to have a lower income-to-poverty ratio.  Government ‘health’ programs really ought to target (and help) those individuals that need it the most and stop allowing these toxic ingredients to enter the marketplace.

Other research also shows that repeated exposure to DCPs can damage organs, including the kidneys and liver.

The potential societal implications of these findings are significant, one that the authors concede deserve further examination. Unfortunately, exposure to DCPs appears to occur at every range of the socioecomic scale.  In fact, a full 81% of NHANES survey participants test positive for these chemicals in their urine!

Clearly, more environmental and public health research is needed to better understand how (exactly) DCPs and other carcinogenic/health-harming toxins in our environment contribute to life-threatening illnesses. In the meantime, doing what you can to reduce your family’s exposure to these harmful poisons is essential.

A few tips? Avoid contaminated water or soil (particularly if you live near industrial facilities); purchase organic produce, as much as possible; and opt for natural household cleaners or personal care products.

Sources for this article include:

MedicalXpress.com
NIH.gov
CDC.gov
NIH.gov
Census.gov
NJ.gov

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