Toxins Among Us

The pollutants and forever chemicals that harm our health and our environment

We have filled our world with chemicals that don’t go away, and often, neither do their effects. Some are natural. Most are not. Many are toxic. A few are immortal. This article is about those chemicals, where they come from, the damage they cause, and what we can do about them.

Let’s get something straight: “chemical” doesn’t mean “bad.” Water is a chemical. So is oxygen. So is table salt. Everything is made of chemicals. What matters is the type, the dose, and the context.

Now for some terms.

A toxin is any substance, natural or human-made, that harms living organisms.

A pollutant is something introduced into the environment that causes damage or disruption.

Not all pollutants are toxins. Heat, noise, and light can all be pollutants.

But the worst offenders are long-lived, human-made toxins that don’t break down. These are the so-called forever chemicals. Once we release them, they don’t go away. They settle into ecosystems and into fat tissue in our bodies, where they cause harm.

Some of these chemicals damage us at the genetic level.

Carcinogens promote uncontrolled cell growth (cancer) by damaging DNA or interfering with how cells regulate themselves.

Mutagens trigger mutations, some of which may lead to cancer. Many carcinogens are mutagens, but not all.

Teratogens harm developing embryos. They may not cause cancer, but they can cause birth defects.

Endocrine disruptors throw hormones out of balance. They can impair development, fertility, and metabolism, and increase cancer risk—even at low doses.

We didn’t always know the risks of these compounds. But by the 1960s, the warning signs were already flashing. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring revealed the widespread use of toxins in our environment. Her book told the story of DDT and its chemical cousins, how they linger in the soil, climb the food chain, and poison more than their intended targets. Birds laid eggs that cracked under their own weight. Insects vanished. People got sick. Carson accused chemical companies of pushing dangerous compounds without sufficient testing, and governments of looking the other way. She was right.

The backlash was swift, and so was the impact. Her book helped spark the modern environmental movement, led to the U.S. ban on DDT, and influenced the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Her key insight still holds: the things we spray on fields today pollute ecosystems for decades.

It's not just pesticides we need to worry about. Particulate matter, the fine dust and soot that float through our air, can enter our lungs and cause health problems. Particles smaller than 2.5 microns are called PM2.5, and are particularly dangerous because they're small enough to get through the alveoli in our lungs and enter our bloodstreams. From there, it can create plaque-like buildups that can lead to stroke, heart disease, cancer, and COPD. Most of it comes from cars and trucks (especially diesels), fires, industry, wood stoves, and burning any fossil fuels.

Dioxins are the toxic leftovers of burning waste, fossil fuels, and forests. These compounds accumulate in body fat and resist decay. Once they enter the food chain, they climb it. Dioxins are carcinogenic, disrupt hormones, and suppress the immune system. PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are no better. Banned in the 1970s, they still show up in fish and dairy. They persist in the environment for many decades, where they damage ecosystems and our bodies.

The same goes for BPA, the plastic additive found in water bottles, food can liners, and receipts. Heat it, and it leaches into your food. BPA messes with hormones and has been linked to obesity, heart disease, and reproductive issues. Its close cousins, phthalates, soften plastics and sneak into makeup, lotions, vinyl flooring, and your bloodstream. Europe banned them in cosmetics. The U.S. hasn’t.

PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl substances, are used in nonstick pans, food wrappers, and waterproof gear. They are widely used in fire-fighting foams. PFAS affect thyroid hormones, fertility, and immune function. Their nickname, “forever chemicals,” isn’t hyperbole.

Biomonitoring shows that nearly all Americans have PFAS in their blood. A major epidemiological study around DuPont’s West Virginia plant found residents had an average serum PFOA concentration of ~83 ng/mL, compared to ~4 ng/mL in unsystematically exposed populations. General U.S. levels for PFOS and PFOA are in the low single-digit ng/mL (ppb), but some heavily exposed individuals reached levels in the tens to hundreds of ng/mL or higher.

I took these photos last week in California. The hillsides are littered with the stains of red foams dropped from airplanes to fight wildfires. PFAS in these foams continue to pollute the soil and waterways for years.

In your home, you'll find VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in paint, building materials, cleaning products, air fresheners, and furniture. They off-gas into your air, causing headaches, dizziness, and long-term organ damage. You may also be living with heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium. These hide in cookware, cosmetics, carpets, paints, and plumbing. They damage the brain, kidneys, and heart. Even small doses can harm children permanently.

Arsenic seeps into our water supplies from groundwater contaminated by industrial waste and pesticides. Radioactive waste comes from nuclear power plants, medical treatments, industrial processes, and military activities. This waste is made of unstable atoms that release ionizing radiation, which can damage cells and DNA. Some radioactive materials remain hazardous for tens of thousands of years. Both can quietly wreck our DNA. PBDEs, used as flame retardants in furniture and electronics, build up in your body and have been linked to developmental delays and cancer.

Each of these compounds carries risk. Taken together, they form a toxic web that surrounds us and is hard to escape.

So why do we keep using them?

Because they serve an economic purpose. They kill pests, preserve products, resist fire, and make things cheaper. The short-term benefit is clear. The long-term cost is initially invisible and difficult to trace. Corporations pocket the profits. Society, the environment, and your kids pay the price later.

Systemic pesticides are a good example. In plants, they’re absorbed into roots or leaves and spread through the entire organism. When a bug eats the plant, it dies. But the plant is now toxic. So is its pollen and its nectar. These chemicals can show up in soil, water, and anything that feeds from them.

I know a farmer who grows nut trees. He has Parkinson’s disease. When I asked how he controls pests, he said he uses a Bayer systemic pesticide called "Admire." Its active ingredient is imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide now linked to neurodegenerative disorders in scientific literature. For over 30 years, this farmer has been getting his drinking water from a well located in his orchard irrigated with water containing imidacloprid.

This farmer seemed to have gained value from buying Bayer's pesticide. But was it worth it? In the end, it seems the only beneficiary is Bayer.

Water flows underground as a slow-moving river. Pollution of groundwater anywhere is pollution of water everywhere.

In animals, systemic pesticides work the same way. Apply them to the skin or feed them in a pill, and they spread through the bloodstream. Parasites that bite the host get a dose of poison. Convenient, but with side effects.

I recently took this photo in California, where some residents dump their trash on National Forest land.

Much of the environmental toxins we face today are not deliberate pollution. However, sometimes industrial companies are sickeningly evil.

In Toms River, New Jersey, decades of industrial pollution led to one of the most notorious environmental health crises in the United States. Starting in the 1950s, a dye and chemical plant, first operated by Ciba-Geigy and later by BASF, dumped toxic waste into the ground, the air, and the nearby Toms River. Barrels of waste were buried onsite, wastewater was discharged into unlined pits, and miles of underground pipes carried toxins into the ocean.

In the 1970s, Union Carbide also dumped industrial waste into a landfill that leaked into the town’s aquifer—the same aquifer that supplied drinking water to residents. The area became known for a startling cluster of childhood cancers, particularly leukemia and brain tumors. Eventually, public outcry led to investigations by the EPA and state officials.

Although it took years to confirm a link between the pollution and health impacts, the contamination eventually prompted multiple Superfund cleanups, lawsuits, and a major settlement with the chemical companies. The case shows the dangers of unchecked industrial waste, the failures of regulatory oversight, and the prolonged effects of chemical pollution. Toms River became a cautionary tale, where the cost of economic gain was measured in lives. Dan Fagin's excellent book, Toms River, explains the situation in great detail (but don't read it if you don't want to get pissed off.)

Unfortunately, Toms River is not the only case of toxins being blatantly dumped into the environment. One of the earliest was Love Canal, New York, where between 1942 and 1953, Hooker Chemical buried around 21,000 tons of toxic waste in an abandoned canal. In the 1970s, families living above the site began suffering from cancers, miscarriages, and birth defects. The crisis led to a federal emergency declaration in 1978 and helped launch the Superfund program.

In Times Beach, Missouri, during the early 1970s, dioxin-contaminated oil was sprayed on roads to control dust. By 1983, the contamination was so severe that the federal government evacuated and permanently closed the town. Nearly the entire population was relocated.

Another infamous case occurred in Hinkley, California, where from the 1950s through the 1980s, Pacific Gas & Electric dumped hexavalent chromium into unlined ponds. This toxic chemical leaked into the groundwater, causing cancers and other illnesses. The case gained national attention in the 1990s and became the basis for the 2000 film Erin Brockovich.

In Anniston, Alabama, Monsanto released polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the soil and waterways from 1935 until 1971. The contamination persisted for decades, leading to elevated cancer rates and other serious health problems.

In Parkersburg, West Virginia, DuPont discharged the PFAS compound C8 into the Ohio River and local environment from the 1950s to the early 2000s. This "forever chemical" was linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and birth defects, and spurred major legal action and public scrutiny.

These cases all tell the same story: toxic chemicals dumped for decades, public health ignored until the damage became undeniable.

And lest you think that these are problems of the 20th century, consider that staggering amounts of toxic pollution continue today. One of the most persistent examples is the global release of PFAS. These substances, used in everything from firefighting foam to nonstick cookware, are still produced and discharged worldwide, despite their links to cancer, hormone disruption, and immune dysfunction. Contamination is widespread in places like Michigan, North Carolina’s Cape Fear River, and parts of Europe and Asia.

Mining operations in South America, Africa, and Asia continue to release large amounts of arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and cyanide into rivers and groundwater. In towns like La Oroya, Peru, or areas near illegal gold mines in Indonesia, toxic waste from mining poisons the land and the people. It poisons the groundwater, which is used to irrigate crops. When we eat that food, the toxins get into our bodies.

In the United States, the oil and gas industry generates billions of gallons of wastewater laced with chemicals from fracking. Fracking fluids contain toxic chemicals like acrylamide (a neurotoxin and probable carcinogen), glutaraldehyde (harms lungs and immune system), and nonylphenol ethoxylates (endocrine disruptors). These and others can contaminate groundwater through leaks in well casings, spills at the surface, or migration through the fractured rock layers that fracking is designed to create. Once underground, they may enter aquifers, posing long-term risks to drinking water and our health, even from trace exposure over time. Polluted water can even ignite at the tap.

Industrial agriculture remains one of the largest sources of toxic runoff. Nitrates, phosphates, pesticides, and herbicides wash into rivers and lakes, fueling algae blooms and creating oxygen-depleted “dead zones” like the one in the Gulf of Mexico. Nitrate contamination in rural drinking water is a growing concern.

A notice put out on social media where my sister lives. Drinking water in mid-America is poisoned with nitrates.

Pesticides applied to crops.

Plastic pollution continues to deliver toxic additives and microplastics into oceans, air, and food. UV from the sun breaks down plastic waste into tiny microplastics. They don't disappear, they just get smaller. These plastics not only disrupt marine ecosystems but carry chemical pollutants up the food chain—right back to us.

Scientists have now detected microplastics and nanoplastics in nearly every human tissue, including blood, lungs, liver, kidneys, brain, placenta, testicles, and more. A 2025 study from the University of New Mexico found that plastic concentrations in human brains are 50% higher than eight years ago. An investigation of 52 autopsy samples revealed a spoonful’s worth of nanoplastics in the prefrontal cortex of our brains.

Microplastics are virtually impossible to remove from the environment.

A few weeks ago, I was looking for a coffee shop in Port Angeles, Washington. After walking to 4 with closed doors and lights off during regular hours, we caught a cafe owner who was just closing up his shop. He explained that all the local businesses had to close because a 10,000 gallon tanker truck full of gasoline and diesel had crashed off a bridge and dumped its fuel into Indian Creek, a tributary of the Elwha River, where residents get their drinking water.

Ocean liners, including cruise and container ships, generate sewage, gray water, solid waste, oily bilge water, and hazardous materials. While some waste is treated onboard, much is still legally dumped at sea, especially beyond 3 to 12 nautical miles from shore. Untreated sewage and gray water are often released into the open ocean, though special areas like the Baltic Sea have stricter rules. Solid waste may be incinerated onboard or offloaded at port, but illegal dumping still happens. Oily bilge water is supposed to be filtered and discharged at port, yet some ships bypass systems and dump it directly into the ocean.

Residents and factories in Indonesia dump trash into the river.

There are highly populated countries with inadequate waste disposal mechanisms and environmental pollution controls. In some places, it's standard practice for households and factories to dump trash and industrial effluents containing toxic compounds into rivers.

Residents dump trash into the river in Bangladesh.

Many toxins bioaccumulate. They build up in an organism’s body faster than the organism can eliminate them. Worse, they biomagnify.  They grow more concentrated at each step in the food chain. A plankton cell takes in a little. A small fish eats hundreds of those plankton. A big fish eats many small fish. A bird eats the big fish. The toxin concentration rises through each animal.

Common bioaccumulative toxins include mercury, PCBs, dioxins, DDT, lead, and PFAS. These substances are resistant to breakdown and can cause serious health problems such as reproductive harm, neurological damage, and cancer.

For example, grebes (a freshwater bird) in Clear Lake in California were found to have alarmingly high levels of the pesticide DDD—up to 1600 parts per million. This raised the question: how did the chemical reach such dangerous concentrations? The grebes fed on fish, and those fish had, in turn, eaten smaller organisms that had already absorbed the chemical. The process began with plankton, which had about 5 parts per million of DDD. Small fish that fed on plankton had concentrations between 40 and 300 parts per million. Larger predatory fish stored even more. One brown bullhead had an astonishing 2500 parts per million. In each step up the food chain, the chemical became more concentrated, from plankton to herbivorous fish to carnivorous fish to fish-eating birds.

What made this even more disturbing was that, soon after the last application of DDD, no trace of it could be found in the water. Yet the poison hadn’t disappeared; it had been absorbed into the living organisms of the lake. Nearly two years later, plankton still carried traces of the pesticide. Although many generations of plankton had come and gone, the chemical persisted, passing from one generation to the next. Fish, birds, and frogs continued to show contamination long after the spraying had stopped.

Some of the contaminated fish had been born months after the last application, showing that the poison was still active in the ecosystem. California Gulls were found to carry over 2000 parts per million of DDD. The grebes, still heavily contaminated, had suffered a dramatic population collapse from over a thousand nesting pairs before spraying began, to just 30 pairs by 1960.

Your body has a body burden, which is a measure of how much of these chemicals you carry. The biological half-life of a chemical tells us how long it sticks around. Some, like water-soluble pesticides, flush out quickly. Others, like organochlorines, nest in fat and stay for years.

Sometimes, one chemical can exacerbate the harmful effects of another. This is called potentiation. Chemical A might be harmless alone. Chemical B might be mildly toxic. But together, they hit harder than expected. The combination multiplies the damage.

So, how do you protect yourself from this bombardment of toxins?

Start by reducing exposure. Filter your air with a HEPA purifier. Avoid burning anything. All sources of combustion add particulate matter and VOCs to the air, including wood stoves, gas stoves, and any type of furnace or boiler that burns oil, natural gas, or propane.

Drink clean water. Use filters that remove lead, PFAS, and arsenic, especially if you're on a well. Test it regularly. Eat lower on the food chain (more plants, less meat). Choose organic produce when possible. Avoid large predatory fish. Wash fruits and vegetables well.

Avoid plastics labeled #3, #6, or #7. Use glass, stainless steel, or silicone to store and heat food. Use reusable glass or stainless steel water bottles. Not only are they safer, but they reduce the amount of plastic water bottles produced that can eventually end up as pollution themselves. Skip scented products, air fresheners, and aerosol sprays. Air fresheners don't freshen the air; they pollute it. Choose personal care items with simple, transparent ingredients.

Support your body’s natural detox systems. Eat fiber. Drink water. Move your body. Sweat more.

These choices won’t solve the problem, but they help reduce your personal risk and your family's risk. Many of the toxic compounds we use in our daily lives are not necessary. There are safer alternatives out there if we would care enough to look.

My hope is that humanity will one day have he discipline to put aside the short-term benefits of using toxic compounds in favor of the long-term health of our environment and ourselves.

Nature has the ability to repair itself to some extent. We need to give it the space to do so.

Our health and our children's health depend upon it.

Don't you think that’s a good place to start?

What kinds of ancestors shall we be?

Highly recommended video by Veritasium:

How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet

Resources:

Carson, R. L. (1962). Silent Spring. Houghton Mifflin.

Fagin, D. (2013). Toms River: A story of science and salvation. Bantam Books.

Business Insider. (2025, January 12). A spoonful of microplastics was found in the human brain for the first time in a shocking new study. https://www.businessinsider.com/microplastics-human-brains-high-levels-2025-1

Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Our current understanding of the human health and environmental risks of PFAS. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfas

Harvard Medical School. (2024). Microplastics, everywhere. Harvard Medicine Magazine. https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/microplastics-everywhere

National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2022). Toxicological profile for perfluoroalkyls. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK584705/

People. (2024, April 9). 70,000 pieces of plastic are in your lungs and you're breathing in more every day. https://people.com/70-000-pieces-plastic-inside-homes-cars-penetrate-lungs-11782801

People. (2024, June 18). Microplastics found in every human testicle examined in new study: ‘Absolutely stunning’. https://people.com/microplastics-in-every-human-testicle-infertility-8651215

University of New Mexico Health Sciences. (2025, January 10). Researchers find microplastics in human brain tissue for first time. https://hscnews.unm.edu/news/hsc-newsroom-post-microplastics-human-brains

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, March 12). PFAS. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFAS

Muller, D. (2025, May). How one company secretly poisoned the planet [YouTube video]. In YouTube. Veritasium.

Wikipedia contributors. (2023, October 29). Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorooctanesulfonic_acid