Take Charge of Your Health – Know Your Environment

Our health is a combination of many factors – from our own genetic make-up through our diet (not just our eating habits, but what is in the food we eat), environmental factors and stressors (not just obvious noise and exhaust, but also invisible pollutant loading), and the medication we take (too many prescription medications have as yet unknown side effects).

Here, I just want to focus on environmental factors, and how you can be more aware of them and minimize their impact on you. I will not give you the answers, but the tools you can use to understand what might be in the air, water, and soils of the area you live in.

Awareness allows you to formulate the right questions, which you should ask your local leaders, to understand what they are doing to protect you and those who live around you, who may not know the right questions to ask.

Do not let this information paralyze you, it is only intended to help you make informed decisions. Lots of information is available online – here is a starting place for your own research. https://www.mapmyenvironment.com

Water – it was not publicized, but a study I was in established in that, in the 1990s, 27 states (today it is all 50) had contaminated groundwater tables. Many rivers had contamination in underlying sediments. Communities generally receive their water through a treatment plant. Some communities re-use water that has been through wastewater treatment plants, creating a cocktail of X parts new water and Y parts re-used water. For years, the mantra was: dilution is the solution to pollution. However, with more people and more animals on the same amount of land, dilution may or may not be enough anymore. The question is: Does your community/municipality treat water for the actual contaminants that may be in it  (pharmaceuticals,       drugs, additives, solvents, plastics, heavy metals, naturally occurring high loads of organics), or just for the traditional culprits? It is always worth double checking - it is your health after all. This AI search will help you get started.

Here are some other resources:

Mytapwater.org (US drinking water quality by zip code) https://www.ewg.org/tapwater.

It has been a life changer – the truism is that NYC water is some of the best in the world, as it is a one- way non-reuse water system. This is so, for two-thirds of Manhattan. I live outside that zone, and noticed that water from my tap, if left out, became nasty. I also was having skin and tummy issues.

Now I double filter what I drink (through a Brita filter, then an Aquasana filter) and have been much healthier. Easy fix, and the water tastes so much better without the chlorine and fluoride.

You can find research on the water filter appropriate to your area in several places: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/water-filter-guide.php (they recommend the same systems for all areas, so I am concerned they get a kickback from those companies – oh suspicious me)

https://waterfilterguru.com/best-water-filters https://www.thespruceeats.com/best- countertopwater-filters-4178851.

Soils: It is a good idea to understand your soils, especially if you grow food, or if you have kids playing outdoors. If you suspect contaminants, dig down six inches, place a plastic barrier on top of the uncovered soil, and fill over it with new soil or create designated soil or sand boxes with a barrier to the native soil.

Research starting points: https://www.mapmyenvironment.com, https://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app

Air: While there is less you can do about air, it is worth being aware:

https://www.airnow.gov/aqi/aqi-basics https://gispub.epa.gov/airnow https://echo.epa.gov/help/reports/air-pollutant- report-elp#:~:text=Frequently%20Asked%20Questions- ,General%20Overview,in%20the%20Air%20Pollutant%20Report.

I do not want to leave out Indoor Air. Here is a good resource for that research.Indoor Pollutants and Sources | US EPA

The following are links that can satisfy your interest on a number of subjects and make you more aware. I was surprised when working under the USEPA Superfund program that the greatest polluters were not the chemical industry, factories, or even the military. The greatest polluters were dry cleaners, electroplaters, paint shops, households, airports, restaurants, and other innocuous-sounding sources that are all around us.

These are some tip-of-the-iceberg research links: USEPA Envirofacts asbestos low-level radioactive radonsolvent fumes PFA safe swimming water bioaccumulation in fat plastics in the brain Is this overwhelming? It was my life for 20 years. Eventually, I realized that I could not avoid everything, but I could make choices that limited exposure and helped me be healthier, and I determined that knowing what to ask, when to ask, whom to ask, and how to ask them, made this a better world for me, and for my community. Know to ask. Be in Charge. Thank you!

My email is always open mailto:secretary@nfbpwc.org

Nermin K. Ahmad
NFBPWC Secretary
2024-2026