Scientists have issued an urgent warning that some of the synthetic chemicals that help underpin the current food system are driving increased rates of cancer, neurodevelopmental conditions and infertility, while degrading the foundations of global agriculture. The health burden from phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides and Pfas forever chemicals amounts to up to $2.2tn a year roughly as much as the profits of the world's 100 largest publicly listed companies, according to the report published on Wednesday.
Under a decades-old testing programme, the government checks around 3,000kg of food each year for traces of chemicals, purchased from a range of sources including supermarkets. Campaign group PAN UK, a non-profit organisation based in Brighton, then analyses the annual reports. This year, it found a total of 123 different chemicals in the 17 types of fruit and vegetables tested, including 42 pesticides with links to cancer.
When my uncle was president, the fertility rate in this country was 3.5%. Today, it is 1.6%. The replacement rate, in other words the amount of fertility that you need in order to keep your population even, is 2.1%. We are below replacement right now. That is a national security threat to our country and we know why this is happening, and President Trump is addressing the root causes through his MAHA agenda of reducing endocrine disruptors, the exposure to chemicals that decrease fertility.
The surge in the use of disposable face masks during the Covid pandemic has left a chemical timebomb that could harm humans, animals and the environment, research suggests. Billions of tonnes of plastic face masks created to protect people from the spread of the virus are now breaking down, releasing microplastics and chemical additives including endocrine disruptors, the research found.
