Intrepid filmmaker Barri Cohen launches an investigation into the effects…
Homo Toxicus
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
A global experiment is in progress, and we are the guinea pigs.
Tons of chemicals are released into the environment everyday. The average citizen is not only unaware of this daily exposure, but of the long-term effects these toxic substances can have on living organisms. The majority of the 100,000 industrial compounds developed since World War II that are now in daily use around the world have never been tested for the type of consistent, low-level exposure we experience in our day-to-day lives.
These compounds find their way into the body in a variety of ways: in the food we eat and the air we breathe, through contact with the skin, and in many cases passed from mother to infant in the womb. Up to 247 toxic substances have been found in newborns alone. Today we are handing down a toxic load to our children along with our genetic legacy.
Carried out with intelligence and humor, Homo Toxicus explores the myriad links between these toxic substances and increasing health problems such as cancer, allergies, hyperactivity, and infertility. Interviews with industry scientists and independent researchers shed light on inconsistent standards used for evaluation and regulation of chemical agents. The findings are disturbing and strongly challenge us to re-evaluate the laws and procedures currently in place to safeguard our health against man-made chemicals and potential environmental pollutants.
'Here is your chance to meet with some highly respected scientists whose research has led to an entirely new way to look at the safety of chemicals. They tell you a great deal about endocrine disruption, the phenomenon of chemical exposure through the mother to the embryo and the damage it causes in the womb. I am certain, that before the film ends many viewers will already be thinking about their personal habits and the society we live in--and what must change if humans are to continue to survive on Earth.' Dr. Theodora Colborn, Professor Emeritus, Department of Zoology, University of Florida, President, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, co-Author, Our Stolen Future
'This is a very compelling, up-to-date survey of the current environmental issues people in North America and Europe are concerned about. It includes comments and explanations by an outstanding group of scientists from three countries and viewers will find it very illuminating. The audiences that will benefit from the timely information in this film include students, scientists, and educated and engaged citizens, especially in Canada and the U.S., but in all 'over-developed countries.'' Richard Clapp, Professor, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health
'Homo Toxicus sheds light on the intrinsically personal dimension of environmental problems. When we pollute nature, we end up polluted ourselves.' David Suzuki, geneticist, author, host of CBC's The Nature of Things
'The film, Homo Toxicus, examines the potential health impacts from widespread exposures to emerging environmental chemicals...For too long, we have erred on the side of protecting industry rather than public health.' Dr. Bruce Lanphear, Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University
'[Homo Toxicus] takes an 'everyman's' viewpoint and includes a variety of statistics and research findings...Recommended for academic libraries with collections in public health, environmental health and environmental studies in general.' Lori Widzinski, Health Sciences Library, University at Buffalo, Educational Media reviews Online
'This film presents a convincing, entertaining and well-organized discussion of the role of chemical pollutants in our changing patterns of health and disease, and should help raise awareness of this critical issue. The interviews are engaging and informative, and animations help illustrate key concepts. In addition, a 52-minute version makes it ideal for a classroom setting...Students may react strongly to this film, at once energized and concerned.' Kathryn Hicks, University of Memphis, Anthropology Review Database
'What would you do if you knew how many toxins were in your body?...Filmmaker Carole Poliquin learns that her blood contains 110 toxins. So she sets out to visit communities exposed to pollution...and realizes she is one of the lucky ones.' Yes! Magazine
'Important...for Canadians concerned about public health and the environment. Note that these are border towns, and chemicals show no respect for international boundaries.' Library Journal
Citation
Main credits
Poliquin, Carole (film director)
Poliquin, Carole (film producer)
Poliquin, Carole (screenwriter)
Isitan, Isaac (film producer)
Isitan, Isaac (director of photography)
Burroughs, Julie (narrator)
Other credits
Director of photography, Tolga Kutluay, Isaac Isitan; editor, Fernando Lopez-Escriva; original music, Antoine Bustros.
Distributor subjects
Agriculture; Air Pollution; Anthropology; Biology; Business Practices; Canadian Studies; Cancer; Chemistry; Environment; Environmental Ethics; Environmental Justice; Genetics; Geography; Health; Humanities; Law; Life Science; Pesticides; Pollution; Reproductive Rights; Science, Technology, Society; Sociology; Toxic ChemicalsKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:08.500
Female narrator:
One day, our ancestor,
00:00:08.533 --> 00:00:11.033
Homo erectus, discovered fire.
00:00:11.067 --> 00:00:12.900
- Huh?
00:00:12.933 --> 00:00:16.300
Well, what do you know, fire.
00:00:16.333 --> 00:00:17.833
Hm.
00:00:17.867 --> 00:00:21.367
Narrator: Ingeniously,
he used it for light...
00:00:21.400 --> 00:00:23.133
- Ah.
00:00:25.533 --> 00:00:26.967
Narrator:
For heat...
00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:28.733
- Ah!
00:00:30.400 --> 00:00:32.333
Narrator:
And for barbecued chicken.
00:00:32.367 --> 00:00:33.400
- Yum.
00:00:34.667 --> 00:00:37.667
Narrator:
The news spread quickly.
00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:42.100
Soon we were baking clay,
smelting ore.
00:00:42.133 --> 00:00:45.533
Humankind had fearlessly
embarked on the road
00:00:45.567 --> 00:00:47.500
to progress.
00:00:52.067 --> 00:00:54.767
Today,
thanks to human ingenuity,
00:00:54.800 --> 00:00:59.067
over 100,000 new chemicals,
synthesized in laboratories,
00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:01.267
fashion the world we live in.
00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:07.733
We\'ve introduced these amazing
molecules into our environment
00:01:07.767 --> 00:01:09.933
without really
considering whether nature
00:01:09.967 --> 00:01:12.000
would be able to recognize them
00:01:12.033 --> 00:01:13.700
and break them down.
00:01:16.100 --> 00:01:18.733
In our shortsighted rush to progress,
00:01:18.767 --> 00:01:21.500
we never imagined
that some of these molecules
00:01:21.533 --> 00:01:25.400
would one day work their way
into living organisms.
00:01:28.500 --> 00:01:31.333
- [speaking French]
00:01:31.367 --> 00:01:35.567
male translator: These test tubes
contain umbilical cord blood.
00:01:35.600 --> 00:01:38.633
We\'ve analyzed thousands
of them and found pollutants
00:01:38.667 --> 00:01:42.267
such as heavy metals,
organochlorine pesticides,
00:01:42.300 --> 00:01:44.533
PCBs and...
00:01:44.567 --> 00:01:48.767
That means that the mother
was exposed to these pollutants
00:01:48.800 --> 00:01:51.000
and transmitted them
through her bloodstream
00:01:51.033 --> 00:01:53.133
to her unborn child.
00:01:56.033 --> 00:01:58.633
Narrator:
Progress is merciless.
00:01:58.667 --> 00:02:01.233
After Homo erectus
and Homo sapiens,
00:02:01.267 --> 00:02:04.933
we now have Homo toxicus.
00:02:30.933 --> 00:02:31.933
Beep!
00:02:34.433 --> 00:02:37.233
As a representative
of this new species,
00:02:37.267 --> 00:02:39.733
I decided to sacrifice
a few drops of my blood
00:02:39.767 --> 00:02:41.133
for science.
00:02:41.167 --> 00:02:43.100
I\'m no hypochondriac,
00:02:43.133 --> 00:02:45.367
but there has yet to be
an exhaustive study
00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:49.000
on chemical contamination
of the Canadian population.
00:02:53.433 --> 00:02:56.800
Are these substances,
most of which have never been tested,
00:02:56.833 --> 00:02:59.400
harmful to our health?
00:02:59.433 --> 00:03:00.500
- [speaking French]
00:03:00.533 --> 00:03:03.200
male translator: During the 20th century,
industrialized nations
00:03:03.233 --> 00:03:05.667
underwent an
epidemiological transition,
00:03:05.700 --> 00:03:08.167
meaning that mortality
from infectious diseases
00:03:08.200 --> 00:03:09.333
greatly diminished,
00:03:09.367 --> 00:03:12.733
as mortality
from chronic diseases rose.
00:03:12.767 --> 00:03:14.933
Chronic diseases
affect an enormous percentage
00:03:14.967 --> 00:03:17.333
of the population
but over the long term.
00:03:17.367 --> 00:03:20.833
Examples are cardiovascular disease,
respiratory disease,
00:03:20.867 --> 00:03:22.967
and even cancer.
00:03:23.933 --> 00:03:25.967
- [speaking French]
00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:28.867
male translator: With the illnesses
that I see more and more often,
00:03:28.900 --> 00:03:34.200
such as allergies, asthma,
neurological problems, cancer,
00:03:34.233 --> 00:03:38.500
the environment
certainly plays a role.
00:03:38.633 --> 00:03:41.867
The problem is that, often,
our diagnostic system
00:03:41.900 --> 00:03:45.733
isn\'t capable of finding
which environmental factor
00:03:45.767 --> 00:03:47.933
caused the problem
00:03:47.967 --> 00:03:51.800
or which combination
of environmental factors
00:03:51.833 --> 00:03:55.800
predisposed the patient
to develop the disease.
00:03:55.833 --> 00:03:58.833
So the environment
is almost never mentioned
00:03:58.867 --> 00:04:01.333
in my diagnoses.
00:04:03.300 --> 00:04:05.233
Narrator:
I\'m lucky to live in a pleasant city
00:04:05.267 --> 00:04:08.733
not yet touched
by major air pollution.
00:04:08.767 --> 00:04:11.367
And I have no memories
of pollution in Turkey either,
00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:14.100
where I lived during the 1970s.
00:04:14.133 --> 00:04:17.933
But at that time, the country
wasn\'t yet very industrialized.
00:04:19.167 --> 00:04:21.300
The Bolge region, where I grew up,
00:04:21.333 --> 00:04:25.300
was rural, even bucolic.
00:04:25.333 --> 00:04:28.233
In any case, it\'s certainly
not where the word \"pollution\"
00:04:28.267 --> 00:04:30.400
was first coined.
00:04:30.433 --> 00:04:31.700
Unless I\'m mistaken,
00:04:31.733 --> 00:04:35.533
my toxic report
shouldn\'t be too catastrophic.
00:04:35.567 --> 00:04:36.700
- [speaking French]
00:04:36.733 --> 00:04:38.633
male translator: If we start
with heavy metals,
00:04:38.667 --> 00:04:43.633
we\'ve detected about
20 heavy metals in your blood.
00:04:43.667 --> 00:04:47.867
The levels are generally
within normal range.
00:04:47.900 --> 00:04:51.967
The only element
that\'s a little over is mercury.
00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:56.567
Nothing to worry about
according to the standards.
00:04:56.600 --> 00:05:00.267
For PCBs, your total
is just slightly above the norm.
00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:02.967
Pyrethrinoids, at 2,
is higher than most people.
00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:04.667
Here we see
your level of phthalates -
00:05:04.700 --> 00:05:07.600
a high concentration
of this pesticide.
00:05:07.633 --> 00:05:10.667
With this level of PBDEs,
we can\'t say.
00:05:10.700 --> 00:05:12.833
We have no evidence that
they don\'t have any effects,
00:05:12.867 --> 00:05:15.733
yet we certainly don\'t have
any evidence that they do.
00:05:17.667 --> 00:05:19.400
Narrator:
Lead, manganese, tin,
00:05:19.433 --> 00:05:21.633
brominated flame retardants,
beryllium,
00:05:21.667 --> 00:05:25.700
cadmium, arsenic,
non-stick perfluorocarbons, aldrin,
00:05:25.733 --> 00:05:29.033
chlordane, mirex,
hexachlorobenzene, phthalates,
00:05:29.067 --> 00:05:31.167
dioxins, and even DDT,
00:05:31.200 --> 00:05:34.900
a pesticide that\'s been banned
for more than 30 years.
00:05:34.933 --> 00:05:36.333
For over an hour,
00:05:36.367 --> 00:05:39.567
Dr. Weber listed
and explained the 110 contaminants
00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:41.200
found in my blood.
00:05:42.667 --> 00:05:46.033
- We\'re exposed to all kinds
of environmental pollutants,
00:05:46.067 --> 00:05:49.600
and the body has gotten used
to defending itself against them.
00:05:49.633 --> 00:05:51.567
So we can be exposed
to small amounts
00:05:51.600 --> 00:05:53.800
without being affected.
00:05:53.833 --> 00:05:55.867
The basic principle of toxicology
00:05:55.900 --> 00:05:59.000
is that it\'s the dose
that makes the poison.
00:05:59.033 --> 00:06:01.300
Narrator:
So I\'m exposed, but I shouldn\'t worry?
00:06:01.333 --> 00:06:02.633
- Exactly.
00:06:02.667 --> 00:06:04.733
[laughing]
00:06:04.767 --> 00:06:06.200
narrator:
It\'s reassuring to know
00:06:06.233 --> 00:06:09.000
that I have normal levels
of toxic substances
00:06:09.033 --> 00:06:12.267
in my bloodstream.
00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:13.433
But I mustn\'t complain.
00:06:13.467 --> 00:06:15.900
At a time of such prosperity,
00:06:15.933 --> 00:06:18.167
I\'m not going
to grumble over a few micrograms
00:06:18.200 --> 00:06:20.033
of phthalates.
00:06:20.067 --> 00:06:23.833
- So I\'m also giving them
to him through my milk?
00:06:27.433 --> 00:06:28.600
Narrator:
In North America,
00:06:28.867 --> 00:06:31.167
4 million tons
of chemical substances
00:06:31.200 --> 00:06:34.567
are emitted
into the environment each year.
00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:37.567
That\'s the price we pay
to produce and destroy
00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:39.800
everything we consume.
00:06:39.833 --> 00:06:44.167
And that\'s not factoring in
transport or pesticides.
00:06:44.200 --> 00:06:47.400
Obeying the immutable laws of gravity,
00:06:47.433 --> 00:06:51.200
these particles fall back to Earth
and into the water,
00:06:51.233 --> 00:06:54.733
where they disperse
and are absorbed by fish.
00:06:56.367 --> 00:06:59.800
Some of these particles,
such as mercury and PCBs,
00:06:59.833 --> 00:07:01.367
build up in their tissues
00:07:01.400 --> 00:07:04.433
and go on to contaminate
the rest of the food chain.
00:07:04.467 --> 00:07:07.267
So when a big fish
swallows a little fish,
00:07:07.300 --> 00:07:11.867
it absorbs
its stockpile of pollutants.
00:07:11.900 --> 00:07:14.033
And so on,
00:07:14.067 --> 00:07:15.967
and so on,
00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:18.533
to end up on my plate.
00:07:22.467 --> 00:07:23.733
- [speaking French]
00:07:23.767 --> 00:07:26.633
female translator: We know very little
what affect all these substances
00:07:26.767 --> 00:07:30.167
can have when put together.
00:07:30.200 --> 00:07:31.600
Narrator:
Well, that\'s just it.
00:07:31.633 --> 00:07:35.067
I\'ve got phthalates,
bisphenol A, heavy metals.
00:07:35.100 --> 00:07:36.767
All that, all together,
00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:38.867
that\'s not something
I should start worrying about?
00:07:38.933 --> 00:07:40.300
- Are you ill?
00:07:40.333 --> 00:07:42.533
Narrator: No, I\'m well;
00:07:42.567 --> 00:07:45.167
I don\'t have
any health problems.
00:07:45.200 --> 00:07:46.533
- Well, precisely.
00:07:46.567 --> 00:07:50.433
Therein lies the problem.
00:07:50.467 --> 00:07:53.600
What happens with these substances
is that we can only
00:07:53.633 --> 00:07:57.600
see their effects
on large populations.
00:07:57.633 --> 00:08:01.733
Their levels aren\'t high enough
to make people sick.
00:08:01.767 --> 00:08:03.367
There are studies
that show that,
00:08:03.400 --> 00:08:05.500
for example,
there\'s a connection
00:08:05.533 --> 00:08:08.967
between PCB concentrations
in the blood
00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:12.167
and thyroid hormone secretions.
00:08:19.500 --> 00:08:21.467
And that\'s
important information,
00:08:21.500 --> 00:08:23.733
because we know
that the number of people
00:08:23.767 --> 00:08:27.067
with thyroid problems is increasing.
00:08:29.200 --> 00:08:31.067
Narrator:
I said I wasn\'t ill,
00:08:31.100 --> 00:08:34.400
but I have had thyroid problems
that have come and gone.
00:08:34.433 --> 00:08:37.800
Could there be a connection?
00:08:37.833 --> 00:08:40.900
- We\'ll never know.
00:08:40.933 --> 00:08:44.467
With individuals,
it\'s very difficult to make a connection
00:08:44.500 --> 00:08:48.967
because individual illnesses
do not have a single cause.
00:09:00.633 --> 00:09:03.233
Narrator:
Like researchers who study populations
00:09:03.267 --> 00:09:06.100
with the most exposure to pollution,
00:09:06.133 --> 00:09:10.867
I land in Kangiqsualujjuaq,
a tiny village in Nunavik.
00:09:12.733 --> 00:09:14.767
Here,
as in the rest of the world,
00:09:14.800 --> 00:09:16.633
the young play ball.
00:09:19.633 --> 00:09:22.767
They enjoy
a little friendly competition.
00:09:26.367 --> 00:09:28.800
They pick up groceries
to help their parents.
00:09:33.800 --> 00:09:36.633
At school, the youngest learn
to read and write,
00:09:36.667 --> 00:09:38.967
just like
everywhere else the world.
00:09:40.767 --> 00:09:43.400
But one thing
differentiates them.
00:09:43.433 --> 00:09:46.767
Unhappily, the Inuit
have concentrations of mercury
00:09:46.800 --> 00:09:48.933
and PCBs in their bloodstreams
00:09:48.967 --> 00:09:51.667
that are among the highest
in the world.
00:09:56.767 --> 00:10:00.533
- Why are you teaching
with this microphone?
00:10:00.567 --> 00:10:03.100
- Because some students
can\'t hear well.
00:10:03.133 --> 00:10:04.833
They have hearing problems.
00:10:04.867 --> 00:10:06.333
- Many of them?
00:10:06.367 --> 00:10:08.333
- Yeah, quite a few.
00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:11.867
- I find that it\'s increasing.
00:10:11.900 --> 00:10:13.800
- You are worrying about that?
00:10:13.833 --> 00:10:15.667
- Yeah, kind of.
00:10:17.167 --> 00:10:21.967
It\'s kind of hard to speak
with the children like that,
00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:25.667
\'cause sometimes,
they don\'t understand
00:10:25.700 --> 00:10:28.033
what we\'re really trying to say.
00:10:33.633 --> 00:10:35.267
- Ear infections are a big problem
00:10:35.300 --> 00:10:37.300
here in the Great White North.
00:10:37.333 --> 00:10:39.433
There are specialized teams
that come here
00:10:39.467 --> 00:10:41.100
because there are
so many infants
00:10:41.133 --> 00:10:42.633
with recurring ear infections,
00:10:42.667 --> 00:10:44.567
whose eardrums
have deteriorated.
00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:50.367
So there are often severe
and irreversible auditory problems.
00:10:50.400 --> 00:10:52.100
That\'s why the schools
need to compensate
00:10:52.133 --> 00:10:56.300
with all that audio equipment
for these kids.
00:10:56.333 --> 00:11:00.167
There are a lot
of ear infections here, a lot, a lot.
00:11:02.933 --> 00:11:05.200
- [speaking French]
00:11:05.233 --> 00:11:07.867
male translator: What singles out
the health of Inuit infants
00:11:07.900 --> 00:11:10.767
is the very high percentage
of infections.
00:11:10.800 --> 00:11:12.967
So the question I was asking is,
00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:15.233
could the exposure
to these poisons,
00:11:15.267 --> 00:11:17.600
through breast milk
or during gestation,
00:11:17.633 --> 00:11:20.700
to PCBs, to dioxins, et cetera,
00:11:20.733 --> 00:11:24.533
be responsible at least in part
for weakening the immune system?
00:11:24.567 --> 00:11:27.100
Of course, there isn\'t
just one cause to illnesses.
00:11:27.133 --> 00:11:30.200
But could this contribute
to the plethora of infections?
00:11:32.567 --> 00:11:35.100
And indeed, in 1989,
00:11:35.133 --> 00:11:37.600
we began following
some children for one year
00:11:37.633 --> 00:11:41.000
to measuring their immune systems,
their infection rates.
00:11:41.033 --> 00:11:42.233
And we found that,
00:11:42.267 --> 00:11:44.233
if we controlled
all the other things,
00:11:44.267 --> 00:11:46.300
such as tobacco, et cetera,
00:11:46.333 --> 00:11:49.300
the facts showed that the more
the children were exposed,
00:11:49.333 --> 00:11:52.067
the more they suffered infections.
00:11:58.167 --> 00:12:00.200
- [speaking French]
00:12:00.233 --> 00:12:02.633
male translator: A lot of chemicals
of various types
00:12:02.667 --> 00:12:06.200
have an effect
on the immune system.
00:12:06.233 --> 00:12:10.133
Certain chemicals
will weaken the immune system
00:12:10.167 --> 00:12:12.767
so that the organisms
that are exposed to them
00:12:12.800 --> 00:12:15.367
will be less capable
of defending themselves
00:12:15.400 --> 00:12:19.600
against viral infections
or bacterial infections.
00:12:19.633 --> 00:12:21.233
We\'ll be more susceptible to cancers.
00:12:23.900 --> 00:12:27.033
Other chemicals will boost
the immune system.
00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:30.733
And one might think
00:12:30.767 --> 00:12:33.400
that if the immune system is stimulated,
00:12:33.433 --> 00:12:34.767
that\'s a good thing,
00:12:34.800 --> 00:12:39.700
we\'ll be better protected
from infection.
00:12:39.733 --> 00:12:41.033
But in fact,
00:12:41.067 --> 00:12:44.000
those chemicals will have
much more serious effects,
00:12:44.033 --> 00:12:47.967
like triggering autoimmunity,
triggering hypersensitivity,
00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:50.067
such as certain types
of allergies,
00:12:50.100 --> 00:12:53.500
by disturbing the immune system\'s
delicate balance.
00:12:56.767 --> 00:12:57.867
Narrator: It\'s Easter,
00:12:57.900 --> 00:12:59.467
and the whole village
has come together
00:12:59.500 --> 00:13:00.967
for a community dinner.
00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:04.533
Raw fish, beluga, and seal,
along with caribou,
00:13:04.567 --> 00:13:07.567
are staples of the Inuit diet,
00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:10.733
healthy food
that is also rich in tradition.
00:13:10.767 --> 00:13:12.900
Yet arctic marine mammals
00:13:12.933 --> 00:13:15.533
nowadays have
levels of contamination
00:13:15.567 --> 00:13:17.633
that can affect
fetal development
00:13:17.667 --> 00:13:19.867
and children\'s growth.
00:13:19.900 --> 00:13:22.333
These may only be
micrograms of toxins,
00:13:22.367 --> 00:13:24.700
but even micrograms
are too much.
00:13:24.733 --> 00:13:29.467
- [singing]
00:13:29.500 --> 00:13:31.800
- Now the turn
for the little girls is over.
00:13:31.833 --> 00:13:34.267
We\'re going to have
the taller girls.
00:13:34.300 --> 00:13:39.867
- [singing]
00:13:39.900 --> 00:13:41.200
narrator:
Inuit throat singing
00:13:41.233 --> 00:13:43.867
evokes the sounds of nature,
00:13:43.900 --> 00:13:45.767
like the sound of the wind,
00:13:45.800 --> 00:13:48.667
the same wind that,
day after day,
00:13:48.700 --> 00:13:51.633
carries our industrial
pollutants and our pesticides
00:13:51.667 --> 00:13:53.900
up to the arctic cold.
00:14:14.567 --> 00:14:18.167
- [speaking French]
00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:22.300
female translator: PCBs, or the big family
of the organochlorines
00:14:22.333 --> 00:14:24.900
and mercury will,
each in their own way,
00:14:24.933 --> 00:14:29.333
affect the speed at which
the optic nerve processes data.
00:14:29.367 --> 00:14:31.500
Children who are more exposed,
for example,
00:14:31.533 --> 00:14:34.033
will take a little more time
or a little less time
00:14:34.067 --> 00:14:36.233
before information is transmitted
00:14:36.267 --> 00:14:39.633
from visual stimulation
to the optic nerve.
00:14:43.433 --> 00:14:46.067
Mercury seems to cause the information
00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:49.833
to be transmitted more quickly
to the optic nerve,
00:14:49.867 --> 00:14:52.200
while PCBs
seem to cause the information
00:14:52.233 --> 00:14:54.833
to be transmitted more slowly.
00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:00.500
Quicker is not
necessarily better
00:15:00.533 --> 00:15:02.533
because it can mean
that the information
00:15:02.567 --> 00:15:05.800
is transmitted too fast
for the brain to have time
00:15:05.833 --> 00:15:07.967
to properly process it.
00:15:15.133 --> 00:15:17.633
- When we know the effects
that certain types of molecules
00:15:17.667 --> 00:15:20.000
can have on a child\'s
nervous system,
00:15:20.033 --> 00:15:22.700
we can extrapolate and say
that there are other molecules
00:15:22.733 --> 00:15:24.667
that we find in the South,
for example,
00:15:24.700 --> 00:15:27.100
the flame retardants, the PBDEs.
00:15:27.133 --> 00:15:28.900
The Inuit
are less exposed to them
00:15:28.933 --> 00:15:31.267
because PBDEs
are found in computers,
00:15:31.300 --> 00:15:32.933
electronics, et cetera.
00:15:32.967 --> 00:15:35.867
Therefore, our levels
are higher than theirs.
00:15:35.900 --> 00:15:38.567
But if we look
at these PBDE molecules
00:15:38.600 --> 00:15:41.867
and compare them with
the dinosaur PCB molecules,
00:15:41.900 --> 00:15:43.233
they\'re almost the same.
00:15:43.267 --> 00:15:44.667
In laboratory test tubes,
00:15:44.700 --> 00:15:47.167
they have almost
the same characteristics.
00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:50.433
Therefore, there\'s no reason for
them not to affect our children
00:15:50.467 --> 00:15:51.467
in the same way.
00:15:55.333 --> 00:15:56.867
Narrator:
Our children:
00:15:56.900 --> 00:16:01.433
here they are a few days before
classes let out for summer.
00:16:01.467 --> 00:16:04.833
Their school is in
the Rosemount area of Montreal,
00:16:04.867 --> 00:16:08.100
a nice school
in an ordinary neighborhood
00:16:08.133 --> 00:16:12.200
with kids exposed
to ordinary pollution.
00:16:12.233 --> 00:16:15.500
[bell rings]
00:16:41.633 --> 00:16:43.833
- In my class,
I have two students
00:16:43.867 --> 00:16:45.833
who, I was told
at the beginning of the year,
00:16:45.867 --> 00:16:47.800
have serious allergies.
00:16:47.833 --> 00:16:50.933
One is allergic to peanuts
and the other to fresh fruits.
00:16:50.967 --> 00:16:52.233
And I have another student
00:16:52.267 --> 00:16:55.367
who was recently diagnosed
with a peanut allergy.
00:16:55.400 --> 00:16:57.233
These children
have their EpiPens.
00:16:57.267 --> 00:16:59.400
It\'s very dangerous.
00:16:59.433 --> 00:17:01.167
There are others
with minor allergies
00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:04.733
that I don\'t have
to be as attentive to
00:17:04.767 --> 00:17:07.933
as with those
three specific children.
00:17:07.967 --> 00:17:09.733
- So that\'s three in how many?
00:17:09.767 --> 00:17:12.133
- 18, 3 out of 18 in the class.
00:17:12.167 --> 00:17:13.167
That\'s a lot.
00:17:17.167 --> 00:17:22.100
Narrator: The principal shares
one of his concerns with me.
00:17:22.133 --> 00:17:24.633
- If there\'s perhaps
a more noticeable change
00:17:24.667 --> 00:17:26.233
in the students -
00:17:26.267 --> 00:17:27.800
and it\'s not just
at this school,
00:17:27.833 --> 00:17:30.400
because I talk about it a lot
with other colleagues as well -
00:17:30.433 --> 00:17:33.667
it\'s the children\'s
attention deficit.
00:17:33.700 --> 00:17:36.700
[speaking French]
00:17:42.133 --> 00:17:44.533
- We\'re not talking
about physical health.
00:17:44.567 --> 00:17:46.267
These are kids who,
for the most part,
00:17:46.300 --> 00:17:47.933
are in great physical health.
00:17:47.967 --> 00:17:50.700
They\'re smart.
They\'re capable, very lively.
00:17:50.733 --> 00:17:54.833
They participate well
when they\'re motivated.
00:17:54.867 --> 00:17:58.133
But it\'s extremely difficult
to motivate them,
00:17:58.167 --> 00:17:59.400
to stimulate them,
00:17:59.433 --> 00:18:02.833
because their attention spans
are so poor.
00:18:02.867 --> 00:18:04.633
I don\'t want to generalize,
00:18:04.667 --> 00:18:06.733
but we\'re finding
more and more kids
00:18:06.767 --> 00:18:09.100
with attention deficit disorder,
00:18:09.133 --> 00:18:11.133
at least in my school.
00:18:11.167 --> 00:18:13.200
I\'ve been here for 16 years,
00:18:13.233 --> 00:18:15.767
and I\'ve noticed that
that\'s the most common problem
00:18:15.800 --> 00:18:18.667
pointed out by teachers.
00:18:18.700 --> 00:18:22.700
[speaking French]
00:18:26.800 --> 00:18:29.100
- It\'s certain
that children\'s behavior,
00:18:29.133 --> 00:18:31.667
their capacity to learn,
their attention,
00:18:31.700 --> 00:18:34.633
all will be influenced
by many factors.
00:18:34.667 --> 00:18:38.933
It is what we call \"multifactorial.\"
00:18:38.967 --> 00:18:40.833
There are social factors.
00:18:40.867 --> 00:18:42.900
There\'s the classroom environment.
00:18:42.933 --> 00:18:45.933
All that will affect
how children will respond.
00:18:48.300 --> 00:18:50.067
But research has been showing
00:18:50.100 --> 00:18:52.833
that there are other factors too,
00:18:52.867 --> 00:18:57.067
for example,
the role of certain toxic substances.
00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:03.733
Narrator: Our children are born
in comfort and abundance.
00:19:03.767 --> 00:19:06.200
And it\'s to protect them
from the risks of fire
00:19:06.233 --> 00:19:09.033
that we force the manufacturers
to coat their sleepwear
00:19:09.067 --> 00:19:13.000
with flame retardants
such as PBDEs.
00:19:13.033 --> 00:19:16.333
This chemical is also present
in stuffed animals
00:19:16.367 --> 00:19:19.267
as well as couches
and computers.
00:19:19.300 --> 00:19:21.333
Now from regular everyday use,
00:19:21.367 --> 00:19:23.367
these molecules
leach out of the items
00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:25.200
and enter the environment.
00:19:25.233 --> 00:19:29.000
Over the last 25 years,
concentrations of PBDEs
00:19:29.033 --> 00:19:32.167
in mothers\' milk
have multiplied a hundredfold.
00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:34.467
Even though we\'re still
dealing with trace amounts,
00:19:34.500 --> 00:19:37.133
the concentrations
in breast milk are now doubling
00:19:37.167 --> 00:19:39.933
every five years.
00:19:39.967 --> 00:19:41.267
- Weight gain
00:19:41.300 --> 00:19:44.333
hyperactivity,
adrenal gland atrophy,
00:19:44.367 --> 00:19:47.167
and a decline
in thyroid hormones...
00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:50.167
Broadly speaking,
those are the findings so far.
00:19:53.633 --> 00:19:57.467
We put the young rat on a platform.
00:19:57.500 --> 00:19:58.833
And over the platform,
00:19:58.867 --> 00:20:01.900
we have a camera
that films its movements.
00:20:01.933 --> 00:20:04.633
What we found is that
the pups that are exposed
00:20:04.667 --> 00:20:09.300
are much more active
than the control group.
00:20:09.333 --> 00:20:13.000
These are the three control pups
00:20:13.033 --> 00:20:15.300
that haven\'t been exposed.
00:20:15.333 --> 00:20:18.033
But the rats
that have been exposed to PBDEs
00:20:18.067 --> 00:20:19.233
move a lot.
00:20:19.267 --> 00:20:21.200
Their movements
are rather chaotic.
00:20:21.233 --> 00:20:23.233
I would even say
they\'re hyperactive.
00:20:26.567 --> 00:20:28.600
What\'s new with our research
00:20:28.633 --> 00:20:31.033
is that we\'re exposing them
to the same doses
00:20:31.067 --> 00:20:33.000
that we\'re exposed to
00:20:33.033 --> 00:20:37.733
or doses similar to those found
in the human population.
00:20:37.767 --> 00:20:40.400
We wanted to see if the effects
found at high doses
00:20:40.433 --> 00:20:42.833
would be found
at those lower doses.
00:20:42.867 --> 00:20:44.800
And we did find a lot of effects,
00:20:44.833 --> 00:20:49.033
even some that had never
been observed before.
00:20:49.067 --> 00:20:51.833
Hyperactivity and problems
with thyroid hormone levels
00:20:51.867 --> 00:20:55.267
had previously been found
at much higher doses.
00:20:55.300 --> 00:21:00.767
But we\'ve now found them at lower,
more realistic levels.
00:21:00.800 --> 00:21:02.367
Narrator:
In our day-to-day lives,
00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:04.567
our exposure to toxic chemicals
00:21:04.600 --> 00:21:07.900
is in the billionth- or even
trillionth-of-a-gram range,
00:21:07.933 --> 00:21:11.967
the equivalent
of a few grains of sand...
00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:15.067
tossed into
an Olympic swimming pool.
00:21:15.100 --> 00:21:17.267
Yet we\'re now
beginning to understand
00:21:17.300 --> 00:21:22.967
that even these amounts
alter our biological processes.
00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:25.100
- The changes we first see
00:21:25.133 --> 00:21:28.633
are not only warnings
of forthcoming diseases,
00:21:28.667 --> 00:21:31.800
they are also indicators
of tangible effects
00:21:31.833 --> 00:21:34.133
on the population.
00:21:35.333 --> 00:21:38.600
Let\'s say we\'re all
on a normal curve.
00:21:38.633 --> 00:21:43.533
On both ends, there are those
who have no behavioral problems
00:21:43.567 --> 00:21:46.333
and there are
disorderly children.
00:21:46.367 --> 00:21:49.367
Same thing
for what we call intelligence,
00:21:49.400 --> 00:21:53.633
the kind of intelligence
that\'s measured in school.
00:21:53.667 --> 00:21:55.533
So even
the slightest displacement
00:21:55.567 --> 00:21:58.300
at this curve by five points
00:21:58.333 --> 00:22:04.000
pulls all of society toward
the lower end of the scale.
00:22:04.033 --> 00:22:06.733
And that means we have
twice as many children
00:22:06.767 --> 00:22:10.067
with learning problems,
00:22:10.100 --> 00:22:12.333
twice as many
hyperactive children,
00:22:12.367 --> 00:22:15.300
and two times fewer
gifted children.
00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:22.900
- Toxicology, for a long time,
00:22:22.933 --> 00:22:24.733
the study of toxicology
has focused on,
00:22:24.767 --> 00:22:26.000
what do high levels do?
00:22:26.033 --> 00:22:27.833
What do high exposure levels do?
00:22:27.867 --> 00:22:31.233
And just about everyone agrees
that high exposure levels
00:22:31.267 --> 00:22:34.633
cause problems
of a lot of things.
00:22:34.667 --> 00:22:37.800
But toxicologists
have been blind to the fact
00:22:37.833 --> 00:22:41.867
that some contaminants
alter gene expression
00:22:41.900 --> 00:22:43.567
at really low levels.
00:22:43.600 --> 00:22:45.900
Genes are turned on and off
throughout life.
00:22:45.933 --> 00:22:49.533
There\'s a symphony of gene -
00:22:49.567 --> 00:22:52.833
of genes turning on and off,
on and off, on and off,
00:22:52.867 --> 00:22:54.333
and part way on, part way off.
00:22:54.367 --> 00:22:57.300
And they\'re sending signals
to one another.
00:22:57.333 --> 00:23:01.200
And they are making proteins
that we need to be healthy.
00:23:01.233 --> 00:23:03.400
And what we\'ve learned,
the core, the essence
00:23:03.433 --> 00:23:07.433
of this science is that
low levels of contamination
00:23:07.467 --> 00:23:10.300
can alter the ways
that genes behave.
00:23:10.333 --> 00:23:12.967
Narrator: At the heart of a cell,
00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:16.933
in its nucleus,
the genes lie dormant.
00:23:16.967 --> 00:23:18.433
A hormone materializes,
00:23:18.467 --> 00:23:21.267
a chemical messenger
on a mission.
00:23:21.300 --> 00:23:24.800
Its role: to activate a gene
at a precise moment
00:23:24.833 --> 00:23:29.267
in order to set off
a biological process.
00:23:29.300 --> 00:23:32.567
But its work is sometimes
disrupted by imposters,
00:23:32.600 --> 00:23:35.467
chemical substances,
which, at low doses,
00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:38.400
mimic our hormones.
00:23:38.433 --> 00:23:40.400
They can thus trick our receptors
00:23:40.433 --> 00:23:44.100
and activate genes
at the wrong time.
00:23:44.133 --> 00:23:47.933
Other chemical substances
can block our hormonal receptors
00:23:47.967 --> 00:23:49.433
and prevent a real signal
00:23:49.467 --> 00:23:51.600
from arriving
at the right moment.
00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:56.967
All these interferences
can suddenly, yet seriously,
00:23:57.000 --> 00:23:59.000
disrupt the precise mechanisms
00:23:59.033 --> 00:24:01.467
that preside
over fetal development
00:24:01.500 --> 00:24:04.133
and the proper function
or our endocrine,
00:24:04.167 --> 00:24:07.633
immune, nervous,
and reproductive systems.
00:24:11.800 --> 00:24:14.733
- One of the compounds
that has me most concerned
00:24:14.767 --> 00:24:18.833
is a plastic molecule
called bisphenol A.
00:24:18.867 --> 00:24:23.967
This molecule is able
to change cell signaling
00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:26.967
at the lowest levels
that have ever been tested,
00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:29.933
.23 parts per trillion.
00:24:29.967 --> 00:24:33.267
At that level,
it changes cell signaling.
00:24:33.300 --> 00:24:36.233
At a little bit higher level,
00:24:36.267 --> 00:24:39.333
it increases the risk
to breast cancer
00:24:39.367 --> 00:24:42.267
in rats and mice.
00:24:42.300 --> 00:24:44.100
At a little bit higher level,
00:24:44.133 --> 00:24:50.267
it increases - it causes
prostate cancer in rats.
00:24:50.300 --> 00:24:52.633
At somewhat higher level,
00:24:52.667 --> 00:24:55.767
it causes
insulin resistance in mice.
00:24:55.800 --> 00:24:57.833
Insulin resistance
is linked to obesity
00:24:57.867 --> 00:24:59.533
and diabetes.
00:24:59.567 --> 00:25:03.400
The U.S. EPA standard right now
for exposure,
00:25:03.433 --> 00:25:05.367
accepted safe level exposure,
00:25:05.400 --> 00:25:07.667
is 50 parts per billion.
00:25:07.700 --> 00:25:11.200
Based on experiments done
in the 1980s,
00:25:11.233 --> 00:25:13.167
the scientific Jurassic,
00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:18.233
that involved testing whether
a rodent would lose weight
00:25:18.267 --> 00:25:21.500
when exposed to high levels
of bisphenol A,
00:25:21.533 --> 00:25:24.233
they found that
at 50 parts per million,
00:25:24.267 --> 00:25:25.633
it lost weight.
00:25:25.667 --> 00:25:28.500
And they said, \"Oh, we don\'t
have to test any lower.
00:25:28.533 --> 00:25:31.900
\"We\'ll use some safety factors
a thousandfold,
00:25:31.933 --> 00:25:35.367
\"and we\'ll never test it
at that level.
00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:37.400
But we\'ll just say
that\'s safe.\"
00:25:37.433 --> 00:25:39.000
So that\'s
the current health standard,
00:25:39.033 --> 00:25:43.267
despite the fact that,
in the last seven years,
00:25:43.300 --> 00:25:48.633
there have been over 150 studies
by academic scientists
00:25:48.667 --> 00:25:53.200
saying that bisphenol A
causes health problems.
00:25:53.233 --> 00:25:54.533
Now, coincidentally,
00:25:54.567 --> 00:25:58.400
there have been 12 studies
funded by industry
00:25:58.433 --> 00:25:59.433
of the same thing,
00:25:59.467 --> 00:26:01.500
and none of them
have found health problems
00:26:01.533 --> 00:26:04.300
at those exposure levels.
00:26:07.233 --> 00:26:11.167
Narrator: It\'s impossible to escape
this insidious pollution.
00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:13.767
There\'s bisphenol A
in my water bottle,
00:26:13.800 --> 00:26:15.200
in baby bottles,
00:26:15.233 --> 00:26:19.333
and in the lining
of canned foods.
00:26:19.367 --> 00:26:24.433
PBDEs leach out of my computer
and other electronic devices.
00:26:24.467 --> 00:26:25.867
I inhale them every day,
00:26:25.900 --> 00:26:27.733
along with phthalates from vinyl
00:26:27.767 --> 00:26:30.100
and soft plastics
that some toys are made of
00:26:30.133 --> 00:26:33.867
and can be toxic
for reproduction.
00:26:34.800 --> 00:26:37.300
PFOAs found in stain repellants
00:26:37.333 --> 00:26:39.000
and in my nonstick cookware
00:26:39.033 --> 00:26:43.567
have been linked
to thyroid problems and cancer.
00:26:43.600 --> 00:26:47.033
So it\'s even seeping out
of the pink Teflon frying pan
00:26:47.067 --> 00:26:51.100
I specifically bought to support
breast cancer research.
00:26:51.133 --> 00:26:53.967
My household cleaners
contain glycol ethers
00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:56.000
and nonylphenols,
00:26:56.033 --> 00:26:57.633
and that\'s
not to mention parabens,
00:26:57.667 --> 00:27:00.167
a preservative
that mimics estrogen,
00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:03.200
found in my shampoo,
my sunscreen,
00:27:03.233 --> 00:27:06.200
my day cream,
and my night cream.
00:27:06.233 --> 00:27:08.300
[screams]
00:27:08.333 --> 00:27:10.200
[lightning crashes]
00:27:16.067 --> 00:27:18.533
My body is not a toxic dump.
00:27:18.567 --> 00:27:20.233
- And this year,
as a special treat,
00:27:20.267 --> 00:27:23.600
we are having the toxic dump.
00:27:23.633 --> 00:27:25.133
The toxic dump -
thank you to everyone
00:27:25.167 --> 00:27:27.667
who brought their cosmetics.
00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:30.133
- We have strong, strong feelings
00:27:30.167 --> 00:27:32.800
that there are
toxic carcinogenic,
00:27:32.833 --> 00:27:35.733
mutagenic,
and hormone-disrupting chemicals
00:27:35.767 --> 00:27:38.833
within the cosmetics
and the personal care products
00:27:38.867 --> 00:27:40.533
that women and men use,
00:27:40.567 --> 00:27:42.167
that children use;
00:27:42.200 --> 00:27:45.533
toothpaste, mouthwash,
lipstick, shampoo.
00:27:45.567 --> 00:27:46.633
It\'s everywhere.
00:27:46.667 --> 00:27:49.733
We want the cosmetic makers
00:27:49.767 --> 00:27:52.467
to join
the Safe Cosmetic Compact,
00:27:52.500 --> 00:27:54.100
to sign on and agree
00:27:54.133 --> 00:27:56.600
that they will take -
remove from the cosmetics
00:27:56.633 --> 00:27:59.233
and the personal care products
the ingredients
00:27:59.267 --> 00:28:01.633
that could be linked
to breast cancer.
00:28:15.267 --> 00:28:17.467
- [speaking French]
00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:19.367
female translator: In 2003,
when it happened,
00:28:19.400 --> 00:28:22.033
I would say,
four or five months beforehand,
00:28:22.067 --> 00:28:25.267
I was working on a series
of breasts with a group of women
00:28:25.300 --> 00:28:27.167
who were working
to make the public more aware
00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:30.500
of breast cancer prevention.
00:28:30.533 --> 00:28:32.633
Well, they had asked us,
a few artists,
00:28:32.667 --> 00:28:35.100
to work on the theme of breasts.
00:28:35.133 --> 00:28:36.800
I wasn\'t involved with it
at the time.
00:28:36.833 --> 00:28:38.433
So for six or eight months,
00:28:38.467 --> 00:28:41.333
I was making breasts,
breasts, breasts.
00:28:41.367 --> 00:28:44.500
The exhibition took place,
and I said, \"That\'s it.
00:28:44.533 --> 00:28:46.733
\"I\'ve done that
from every angle.
00:28:46.767 --> 00:28:48.667
I\'m going to work
on something else.\"
00:28:48.700 --> 00:28:52.200
And then I found out
that I had breast cancer.
00:28:52.233 --> 00:28:53.700
I felt like, \"Oh, my God.
00:28:53.733 --> 00:28:56.000
I really can\'t
get out of this theme.\"
00:29:01.133 --> 00:29:05.900
For sure, in my case,
there were many factors.
00:29:05.933 --> 00:29:11.167
On a personal level,
I was going through a breakup.
00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:15.400
It\'s almost certain that if
something is going to happen,
00:29:15.433 --> 00:29:18.700
it\'ll happen
when you\'re most fragile.
00:29:18.733 --> 00:29:19.833
On the other hand,
00:29:19.867 --> 00:29:22.933
there are certainly
others factors as well.
00:29:22.967 --> 00:29:24.200
I grew up in a small town
00:29:24.233 --> 00:29:28.500
where there was a huge pulp
and paper mill.
00:29:28.533 --> 00:29:31.000
When we were kids,
we played in soot.
00:29:31.033 --> 00:29:33.200
It was everywhere.
00:29:33.233 --> 00:29:35.133
When my mom hung
the clothes on the clothesline,
00:29:35.167 --> 00:29:38.633
they always ended up
with gray spots.
00:29:38.667 --> 00:29:40.833
When I was older,
one of my first jobs
00:29:40.867 --> 00:29:43.600
was as
a government horticulturalist.
00:29:43.633 --> 00:29:44.733
We grew spruce trees,
00:29:44.767 --> 00:29:47.200
thousands and thousands
of spruce saplings.
00:29:47.233 --> 00:29:52.600
We sprayed tons of pesticides,
insecticides, fungicides.
00:29:52.633 --> 00:29:54.300
And we were in there.
00:29:54.333 --> 00:29:56.200
The person who sprayed,
while spraying,
00:29:56.233 --> 00:29:59.067
would wear a suit and a mask.
00:29:59.100 --> 00:30:01.667
But as soon
as the chemicals were deposited,
00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:06.600
we would go into the fields
and conduct our tests.
00:30:06.633 --> 00:30:10.367
We were in direct contact
with all those chemicals.
00:30:10.400 --> 00:30:13.667
I did that job for seven years.
00:30:13.700 --> 00:30:18.600
So there, too, I was exposed
to all kinds of poisons.
00:30:18.633 --> 00:30:20.467
Yuck.
00:30:23.433 --> 00:30:27.267
- I would say that the majority
of cancers, 90% of cancers,
00:30:27.300 --> 00:30:29.933
are what we call
\"complex diseases.\"
00:30:29.967 --> 00:30:32.033
In every case,
we\'re talking about an illness
00:30:32.067 --> 00:30:34.067
that involves
environmental factors
00:30:34.100 --> 00:30:37.333
and that is also polygenic,
meaning there are many genes
00:30:37.367 --> 00:30:39.033
that are involved
at the same time,
00:30:39.067 --> 00:30:40.800
no exceptions.
00:30:44.967 --> 00:30:48.233
What leads to a tumor or cancer?
00:30:48.267 --> 00:30:50.133
It\'s a long process.
00:30:50.167 --> 00:30:51.667
As for adult cancer -
00:30:51.700 --> 00:30:54.333
I\'m excluding
pediatric cancer -
00:30:54.367 --> 00:31:00.333
the process
generally takes 20, 25 years.
00:31:00.367 --> 00:31:02.600
Therefore,
there\'s a first mutation
00:31:02.633 --> 00:31:04.667
that happens
in one of those genes.
00:31:04.700 --> 00:31:07.433
And the cells
that we call \"daughter cells,\"
00:31:07.467 --> 00:31:10.067
the cells that originate
from this mutated cell,
00:31:10.100 --> 00:31:13.400
will all have that mutation.
00:31:13.433 --> 00:31:16.300
Over the years,
a second mutation will occur
00:31:16.333 --> 00:31:18.067
and then a third mutation.
00:31:18.100 --> 00:31:20.033
Therefore,
there\'ll be an accumulation
00:31:20.067 --> 00:31:22.200
of mutations
in that original cell
00:31:22.233 --> 00:31:25.633
until it starts developing
a cancerous phenotype.
00:31:25.667 --> 00:31:28.467
And that can take 20, 25 years.
00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:31.633
So generally, when
a 50-year-old adult has cancer,
00:31:31.667 --> 00:31:34.733
the first mutation occurred
25 years before.
00:31:34.767 --> 00:31:36.033
And that\'s why,
00:31:36.067 --> 00:31:38.867
even though we know that cancer
is a complex illness
00:31:38.900 --> 00:31:40.933
and that
the environment is implicated,
00:31:40.967 --> 00:31:44.100
it\'s very difficult to put your
finger on the initial source
00:31:44.133 --> 00:31:47.333
that caused the first mutation
25 years before.
00:31:50.167 --> 00:31:52.200
- In your case,
it was hormone dependent?
00:31:52.233 --> 00:31:54.200
- It was hormone dependent.
00:31:54.233 --> 00:31:56.700
I think that
it was 85% hormone dependent
00:31:56.733 --> 00:31:58.067
or something like that.
00:31:58.100 --> 00:31:59.733
What they told me was,
00:31:59.767 --> 00:32:03.333
\"Your cancer is feeding itself
off your hormone production,
00:32:03.367 --> 00:32:06.767
\"so if you cut
the hormonal relationship,
00:32:06.800 --> 00:32:09.300
the cancer can\'t feed itself
and can\'t grow.\"
00:32:12.500 --> 00:32:16.767
I wanted them to give me
something they call Zolodex,
00:32:16.800 --> 00:32:19.500
injections that induce
menopause artificially.
00:32:19.533 --> 00:32:21.500
It cuts hormone production.
00:32:21.533 --> 00:32:23.000
Besides that,
I stopped eating beef
00:32:23.033 --> 00:32:25.700
because I had heard about
hormone injections in beef.
00:32:25.733 --> 00:32:28.433
I had cancer
a couple of years ago,
00:32:28.467 --> 00:32:31.267
and I want to know if you know
where your beef comes from,
00:32:31.300 --> 00:32:33.333
if it\'s been injected
with hormones.
00:32:33.367 --> 00:32:37.033
It\'s very important
for me to know.
00:32:37.067 --> 00:32:40.967
- I don\'t think so,
because it\'s all regulated.
00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:42.167
- But can you guarantee it?
00:32:42.200 --> 00:32:43.967
Do you have a document
that confirms that?
00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:45.433
- No.
00:32:45.467 --> 00:32:47.133
But I can ask the supplier.
00:32:47.167 --> 00:32:48.833
- Okay, well,
I won\'t buy any right now.
00:32:48.867 --> 00:32:50.067
I\'ll wait for the information,
00:32:50.100 --> 00:32:51.600
and I\'ll come back
and see you about it.
00:32:51.633 --> 00:32:52.900
- Okay, no problem.
I\'ll find out.
00:32:52.933 --> 00:32:53.933
- Great.
Thanks a lot.
00:32:53.967 --> 00:32:55.967
- Thanks.
00:32:56.000 --> 00:32:58.167
- So did you find out
about the beef?
00:32:58.200 --> 00:33:01.833
- Yes, I called
a little while ago,
00:33:01.867 --> 00:33:06.633
and they said that the beef
from western Canada
00:33:06.667 --> 00:33:09.200
has some hormones in it.
00:33:09.233 --> 00:33:10.600
It\'s just a bit, not a lot.
00:33:10.633 --> 00:33:13.733
- Okay, and your beef,
it\'s from western Canada?
00:33:13.767 --> 00:33:15.567
- Yes, our beef\'s
from western Canada.
00:33:15.600 --> 00:33:19.567
Yeah, but it\'s
government regulated.
00:33:19.600 --> 00:33:22.867
Narrator: Indeed, Canada has approved
the use of six hormones
00:33:22.900 --> 00:33:25.900
in order to increase
the competitiveness of beef
00:33:25.933 --> 00:33:29.000
and, of course, beef producers.
00:33:29.033 --> 00:33:33.800
In 2004, these three scientists
were fired by Health Canada
00:33:33.833 --> 00:33:36.200
because they opposed
a superior\'s decision
00:33:36.233 --> 00:33:37.767
to approve a veterinary drug
00:33:37.800 --> 00:33:41.467
that contained
two of these hormones.
00:33:41.500 --> 00:33:42.500
- At that time,
00:33:42.533 --> 00:33:45.333
I presented my concerns,
00:33:45.367 --> 00:33:49.500
which were that the hormones
were causing abnormal effects
00:33:49.533 --> 00:33:53.267
in the reproductive tracts
of very young calves,
00:33:53.300 --> 00:33:57.867
in which the drugs
and combinations were being tested
00:33:57.900 --> 00:34:01.733
and, as well,
tremendous decrease
00:34:01.767 --> 00:34:03.567
in the weight
of the thymus glands
00:34:03.600 --> 00:34:05.433
in these very young calves.
00:34:05.467 --> 00:34:09.933
So this information I referred
to the Human Safety Division
00:34:09.967 --> 00:34:11.933
for review.
00:34:11.967 --> 00:34:14.633
As far as I know,
it was never, ever reviewed.
00:34:14.667 --> 00:34:20.333
And the product was passed
by senior management
00:34:20.367 --> 00:34:22.300
over our recommendations
00:34:22.333 --> 00:34:25.767
not to pass the drug
for marketing in Canada.
00:34:25.800 --> 00:34:27.933
- What happened was,
00:34:27.967 --> 00:34:30.067
I got a call from the company.
00:34:30.100 --> 00:34:32.500
This was a hormone product.
00:34:32.533 --> 00:34:34.100
It was called Revalor H.
00:34:34.133 --> 00:34:36.400
It was produced
by a huge German company,
00:34:36.433 --> 00:34:37.700
multinational.
00:34:37.733 --> 00:34:40.900
And they said,
\"Don\'t give it to Dr. Haydon.\"
00:34:40.933 --> 00:34:42.133
I said, \"Why?\"
00:34:42.167 --> 00:34:43.467
\"She nitpicks too much.\"
00:34:43.500 --> 00:34:45.833
I said, \"But that\'s her job.
00:34:45.867 --> 00:34:49.433
\"That\'s her job to nitpick
and find problems.
00:34:49.467 --> 00:34:52.867
As auditor, that\'s what
she\'s supposed to do.\"
00:34:52.900 --> 00:34:55.400
And he said,
\"I will complain to your boss.\"
00:34:55.433 --> 00:34:56.767
I said, \"Yo, go ahead.
00:34:56.800 --> 00:34:59.200
Then I will say what I\'m saying
in front of my boss.\"
00:34:59.233 --> 00:35:01.767
And so when I went to him,
I said,
00:35:01.800 --> 00:35:03.800
\"This is producing
these effects.
00:35:03.833 --> 00:35:06.133
\"The thymus
and the uterus is enlarged.
00:35:06.167 --> 00:35:09.833
And all these effects
are occurring in the cows.\"
00:35:09.867 --> 00:35:10.933
So he said, \"So what?
00:35:10.967 --> 00:35:12.333
They\'re going
to be slaughtered.\"
00:35:12.367 --> 00:35:13.500
And I said, \"For God\'s sakes,
00:35:13.533 --> 00:35:15.400
\"they\'re going
to be eaten by people,
00:35:15.433 --> 00:35:18.400
\"and these hormones
cause cancer.
00:35:18.433 --> 00:35:21.233
\"And even a single molecule
can cause cancer.
00:35:21.267 --> 00:35:23.000
Don\'t you understand
that\'s our job?\"
00:35:23.033 --> 00:35:24.033
And he didn\'t.
00:35:25.367 --> 00:35:27.067
Narrator: According to Health Canada,
00:35:27.100 --> 00:35:29.567
hormone residues in beef
are so minimal
00:35:29.600 --> 00:35:32.500
that their consumption
is harmless.
00:35:32.533 --> 00:35:35.633
But that opinion isn\'t shared
by the European Union,
00:35:35.667 --> 00:35:38.533
which has banned the hormone
since 1988,
00:35:38.567 --> 00:35:41.567
concluding that
it was impossible to determine
00:35:41.600 --> 00:35:42.833
a safe level.
00:35:42.867 --> 00:35:44.433
The United States and Canada
00:35:44.467 --> 00:35:47.300
undertook proceedings
against the European Union,
00:35:47.333 --> 00:35:50.900
accusing them of erecting
unnecessary barriers to trade.
00:35:50.933 --> 00:35:53.467
Dr. Henrik Leffers,
a Danish scientist,
00:35:53.500 --> 00:35:55.567
is part of the committee
that put together evidence
00:35:55.600 --> 00:35:58.067
to support the EU\'s position.
00:35:58.100 --> 00:36:00.233
- The estrogen level
in prepubescent children
00:36:00.267 --> 00:36:03.433
is so low
that it cannot be measured.
00:36:03.467 --> 00:36:06.200
The technology we have
for measuring hormones,
00:36:06.233 --> 00:36:07.967
we cannot measure it.
00:36:08.000 --> 00:36:10.167
But we know
that the child\'s growth
00:36:10.200 --> 00:36:12.600
is dependent on those hormones
00:36:12.633 --> 00:36:16.367
that are present
below detection limit.
00:36:16.400 --> 00:36:20.367
So when you add more hormones,
for instance, from beef,
00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:22.933
there will be
an additive effect.
00:36:22.967 --> 00:36:26.067
There cannot be a threshold
or a security level.
00:36:26.100 --> 00:36:29.633
It will immediately add
to what\'s in there already.
00:36:29.667 --> 00:36:34.633
So in principle,
this should give a higher risk.
00:36:34.667 --> 00:36:37.267
It has not been proven
that there is a higher risk,
00:36:37.300 --> 00:36:40.400
but we have
considerably more breast cancer
00:36:40.433 --> 00:36:42.600
in the U.S.
than in Europe.
00:36:42.633 --> 00:36:47.000
So whether it\'s caused
by this hormone, I don\'t know.
00:36:47.033 --> 00:36:48.333
And nobody knows.
00:36:48.367 --> 00:36:50.467
But I can\'t see any reason
00:36:50.500 --> 00:36:52.433
why we should expose
the whole population
00:36:52.467 --> 00:36:56.433
to hormones that we know
in animal experiments are bad.
00:36:56.467 --> 00:37:00.100
Narrator: I\'ll take one of these.
00:37:00.133 --> 00:37:02.333
And are these local plums?
00:37:02.367 --> 00:37:04.900
I don\'t have
to worry about hormones
00:37:04.933 --> 00:37:07.100
since I hardly consume any beef.
00:37:07.133 --> 00:37:09.333
But my numerous
vegetarian meals,
00:37:09.367 --> 00:37:11.633
that aren\'t always organic,
00:37:11.667 --> 00:37:16.100
offer me a slew of herbicides,
fungicides, and insecticides
00:37:16.133 --> 00:37:19.000
used in agriculture.
00:37:19.033 --> 00:37:21.033
In the interest of productivity,
00:37:21.067 --> 00:37:23.833
eating has become
a risky business.
00:37:26.367 --> 00:37:27.767
- In our study on children,
00:37:27.800 --> 00:37:32.133
we observed particularly for
organophosphoric insecticides,
00:37:32.167 --> 00:37:35.067
that all of the children
had been exposed.
00:37:35.100 --> 00:37:36.467
99% of the children
00:37:36.500 --> 00:37:39.100
had been exposed
to that group of insecticides.
00:37:39.133 --> 00:37:41.867
And not only
had they been exposed,
00:37:41.900 --> 00:37:43.867
but they had been exposed
at higher levels
00:37:43.900 --> 00:37:46.567
than what we find
in scientific literature.
00:37:46.600 --> 00:37:48.533
There have been
large studies done,
00:37:48.567 --> 00:37:51.367
particularly
in the United States, Italy,
00:37:51.400 --> 00:37:53.400
and other European countries.
00:37:53.433 --> 00:37:55.867
And our children
were almost always found
00:37:55.900 --> 00:37:59.700
to have much higher exposure
than those in the other studies.
00:38:01.333 --> 00:38:02.633
It\'s possible that our children
00:38:02.667 --> 00:38:04.200
consume more fruits
and vegetables
00:38:04.233 --> 00:38:05.700
than American children.
00:38:05.733 --> 00:38:08.933
It\'s a hypothesis which
has not yet been validated.
00:38:11.267 --> 00:38:14.333
The second hypothesis is
that our fruits and vegetables
00:38:14.367 --> 00:38:18.167
possibly contain
more pesticides.
00:38:24.400 --> 00:38:27.567
Narrator: Could it be that because
our standards are less stringent,
00:38:27.600 --> 00:38:30.667
our children are more exposed?
00:38:30.700 --> 00:38:31.967
Compared to Europe,
00:38:32.000 --> 00:38:36.300
Canada permits twice
as much thiram on tomatoes,
00:38:36.333 --> 00:38:40.033
four times as much
carbofuran on strawberries,
00:38:40.067 --> 00:38:44.467
400 times as much permethrin
on certain leafy vegetables,
00:38:44.500 --> 00:38:48.000
and 1,400 times
as much methoxychlor
00:38:48.033 --> 00:38:50.433
on its fruits and vegetables.
00:38:50.467 --> 00:38:54.933
- All in all, we\'re talking
about low levels of exposure.
00:38:54.967 --> 00:38:57.567
But with all the uncertainties
associated with this,
00:38:57.600 --> 00:38:59.933
we must be very cautious.
00:38:59.967 --> 00:39:01.567
Recently, for instance,
00:39:01.600 --> 00:39:04.567
medical journals have
reported neurotoxic effects
00:39:04.600 --> 00:39:09.367
even at very low concentrations.
00:39:09.400 --> 00:39:12.033
So the fact that some types
of learning could be slowed down
00:39:12.067 --> 00:39:15.433
with low-dose exposure
over long periods worries us
00:39:15.467 --> 00:39:18.500
and leads us to seek ways
to diminish the use
00:39:18.533 --> 00:39:22.067
of these products and,
most importantly,
00:39:22.100 --> 00:39:24.800
to reduce the residues
found in food.
00:39:29.267 --> 00:39:32.267
Narrator: A few years ago,
for the good of our children,
00:39:32.300 --> 00:39:34.067
Quebec banned
the use of pesticides
00:39:34.100 --> 00:39:35.767
for aesthetic reasons,
00:39:35.800 --> 00:39:39.500
despite
manufacturers\' threats to sue.
00:39:39.533 --> 00:39:41.633
The same
well-intentioned logic
00:39:41.667 --> 00:39:47.267
should be used to ban pesticides
from agriculture as well,
00:39:47.300 --> 00:39:53.567
except that all our agriculture
relies on these pesticides.
00:39:53.600 --> 00:39:58.700
Banning them would mean changing
our way of doing things.
00:40:01.467 --> 00:40:04.000
And we are far from that.
00:40:04.033 --> 00:40:05.967
The need
for maximum productivity
00:40:06.000 --> 00:40:07.667
is stronger than ever
00:40:07.700 --> 00:40:11.267
and often comes with
a heavy environmental price,
00:40:11.300 --> 00:40:14.533
like in Chemical Valley
in Sarnia.
00:40:14.567 --> 00:40:17.833
Here we find,
squeezed into a few kilometers,
00:40:17.867 --> 00:40:20.067
a high concentration
of refineries
00:40:20.100 --> 00:40:24.033
and chemical plants,
a coal-fired power plant,
00:40:24.067 --> 00:40:27.900
and a toxic waste dump;
00:40:27.933 --> 00:40:30.633
a model of economic development
00:40:30.667 --> 00:40:35.467
or an environmental
sacrifice zone?
00:40:35.500 --> 00:40:38.700
We should ask the citizens
of Aamjiwnaang,
00:40:38.733 --> 00:40:40.467
an Indian reservation
in the heart
00:40:40.500 --> 00:40:43.300
of this colossal
industrial complex.
00:40:47.233 --> 00:40:50.767
- I also have to give my daughter
her puffer before she goes.
00:40:50.800 --> 00:40:52.033
It\'s five minutes apart,
00:40:52.067 --> 00:40:54.900
and we only did
the blue one so far, so...
00:40:54.933 --> 00:40:57.633
- Which one has a puffer?
00:40:57.667 --> 00:40:59.200
- She does.
00:40:59.233 --> 00:41:02.700
She\'s does right now, Jocelyn.
00:41:02.733 --> 00:41:06.567
- It\'s a problem here
in the reserve?
00:41:06.600 --> 00:41:08.067
- Yes.
00:41:08.100 --> 00:41:12.033
Yeah, all my kids had been on
this at one point or another.
00:41:12.067 --> 00:41:14.567
My two older ones
used to be always on it too,
00:41:14.600 --> 00:41:16.500
but they\'ve kind of outgrown it.
00:41:16.533 --> 00:41:17.733
Their lungs have matured more,
00:41:17.767 --> 00:41:19.100
so they\'re able
to handle it more.
00:41:23.733 --> 00:41:25.933
- Do you have to have a note
for her to take a puffer?
00:41:25.967 --> 00:41:27.467
- No, because
she can do it by herself.
00:41:27.500 --> 00:41:30.867
And plus, I signed a note
a couple of years ago,
00:41:30.900 --> 00:41:32.467
so they probably
keep it on file.
00:41:32.500 --> 00:41:35.033
- She\'s allergic
with the mosquitoes,
00:41:35.067 --> 00:41:38.033
that I have to take that there
and just - yeah.
00:41:38.067 --> 00:41:39.600
Actually, I don\'t think
I signed a note.
00:41:39.633 --> 00:41:40.833
I just handed it to the teacher.
00:41:40.867 --> 00:41:42.400
If she gets bit
and starts swelling up,
00:41:42.433 --> 00:41:43.733
give it to her.
00:41:43.767 --> 00:41:45.500
But it\'s got to be
prescribed, though.
00:41:47.067 --> 00:41:48.533
But I don\'t know.
00:41:48.567 --> 00:41:50.333
One of the day care teachers
were saying that
00:41:50.367 --> 00:41:52.333
there\'s a whole bunch of kids
that are all allergic
00:41:52.367 --> 00:41:53.367
to the mosquito bites.
00:42:02.633 --> 00:42:04.967
Narrator: Maybe you noticed,
00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:08.600
only one boy got on the bus.
00:42:08.633 --> 00:42:13.467
And it\'s pretty much the same
at all the other bus stops.
00:42:13.500 --> 00:42:16.767
An unusual phenomenon has been
affecting the community
00:42:16.800 --> 00:42:18.733
since 1993.
00:42:18.767 --> 00:42:22.133
Male births
have been in decline.
00:42:22.167 --> 00:42:25.400
It\'s gotten to the point where,
today, in Aamjiwnaang,
00:42:25.433 --> 00:42:27.933
twice as many girls
are born as boys.
00:42:31.600 --> 00:42:33.767
- No, not the glasses.
00:42:33.800 --> 00:42:35.300
Thank you.
00:42:35.333 --> 00:42:38.000
- So you\'re lucky
that you had a boy.
00:42:38.033 --> 00:42:39.733
- Yeah.
00:42:39.767 --> 00:42:42.167
- And do you know now
if you have a boy or a girl?
00:42:42.200 --> 00:42:43.600
The ultrasound said it\'s a girl,
00:42:43.633 --> 00:42:46.033
but my husband, Ron,
still says it\'s a boy,
00:42:46.067 --> 00:42:48.567
so it\'s still up in the air.
00:42:48.600 --> 00:42:50.867
It was inconclusive
that it was a girl.
00:42:50.900 --> 00:42:53.767
It\'s just strong evidence
towards a girl.
00:42:53.800 --> 00:42:55.800
- He is your first baby?
00:42:55.833 --> 00:42:57.133
- Yes, yeah.
00:42:57.167 --> 00:42:59.733
I\'ve had
a few miscarriages before.
00:42:59.767 --> 00:43:01.200
- Ah, you too?
00:43:01.233 --> 00:43:04.300
- And then one afterwards,
like, one just before this one,
00:43:04.333 --> 00:43:06.167
we had a miscarriage.
00:43:06.200 --> 00:43:07.733
- How many?
00:43:07.767 --> 00:43:10.200
- In total, four miscarriages.
00:43:11.700 --> 00:43:13.167
When I got pregnant with Miskwa,
00:43:13.200 --> 00:43:15.467
our main worry was
that we wouldn\'t be able
00:43:15.500 --> 00:43:17.833
to carry him to term.
00:43:17.867 --> 00:43:20.667
So when we reached
the three-month mark with him,
00:43:20.700 --> 00:43:22.600
it was a major milestone.
00:43:22.633 --> 00:43:23.700
- Wow.
00:43:23.733 --> 00:43:25.167
- And then to find out
that he was a boy
00:43:25.200 --> 00:43:27.767
was, like, the best thing ever.
00:43:30.967 --> 00:43:32.167
I grew up here my whole life,
00:43:32.200 --> 00:43:35.933
and Suncor
was in my back -
00:43:35.967 --> 00:43:37.900
looking out my back window.
00:43:37.933 --> 00:43:40.767
Their flares at night
were our night-lights.
00:43:40.800 --> 00:43:42.600
We\'d get calls
at 3:00 in the morning
00:43:42.633 --> 00:43:44.733
to say \"Evacuate\" kind of thing.
00:43:44.767 --> 00:43:48.233
And we\'ve been like this
our whole life.
00:43:48.267 --> 00:43:49.267
- [sneezes]
00:43:49.300 --> 00:43:50.500
- Holy.
00:43:50.533 --> 00:43:51.533
- [sneezes]
00:43:51.567 --> 00:43:52.800
- Holy.
00:43:52.833 --> 00:43:53.900
- [sneezes]
00:43:53.933 --> 00:43:55.567
- Holy.
00:43:55.600 --> 00:43:57.467
Chemical Valley.
00:44:00.267 --> 00:44:02.767
- Here\'s Zach and his daddy.
00:44:02.800 --> 00:44:05.033
Hi, Zach.
00:44:05.067 --> 00:44:09.367
- Well, we have smells and
smoke and stuff all the time.
00:44:09.400 --> 00:44:11.300
We just had one on Monday.
00:44:11.333 --> 00:44:13.067
There was black smoke
coming from over here.
00:44:13.100 --> 00:44:14.667
Our supervisor called 911.
00:44:14.700 --> 00:44:17.000
And the gas people came out,
00:44:17.033 --> 00:44:18.933
and they asked questions,
I guess, to Suncor.
00:44:18.967 --> 00:44:21.800
And we never really
got an answer...
00:44:21.833 --> 00:44:23.333
on why there was black smoke.
00:44:23.367 --> 00:44:26.800
But it was coming from right
behind these trees right here.
00:44:26.833 --> 00:44:28.733
And then we went,
and we ended up going inside.
00:44:28.767 --> 00:44:31.033
We just make the decision
on our own to not stay outside.
00:44:31.067 --> 00:44:33.500
If we don\'t know what it is,
then we just go in.
00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:45.300
- I always have everything
that\'s close by
00:44:45.333 --> 00:44:47.067
and I know where to get it.
00:44:49.333 --> 00:44:50.867
- I\'m glad that you kept it.
00:44:50.900 --> 00:44:52.733
- Oh, heck yeah.
That ain\'t going nowhere.
00:44:52.767 --> 00:44:54.000
I did a lot of work on that.
00:44:54.033 --> 00:44:57.567
It ain\'t...
00:44:57.600 --> 00:45:02.167
Now, \'cause we put it
as a boy and a girl...
00:45:02.200 --> 00:45:06.433
So that\'s the female child
under the age of 16.
00:45:06.467 --> 00:45:10.300
Orange ones
are breathing problems,
00:45:10.333 --> 00:45:15.133
bloody noses, and sore throats.
00:45:15.167 --> 00:45:18.733
The blue;
this was interesting too,
00:45:18.767 --> 00:45:20.600
\'cause that can mean, like -
00:45:20.633 --> 00:45:23.333
that\'s hearing problems
or ear problems.
00:45:23.367 --> 00:45:24.967
Vision loss,
00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:27.700
learning
or development problems,
00:45:27.733 --> 00:45:29.300
behavioral problems,
00:45:29.333 --> 00:45:31.400
ADHD and stuff like that.
00:45:33.233 --> 00:45:35.500
This is the male child.
00:45:35.533 --> 00:45:36.900
- Wow.
00:45:36.933 --> 00:45:40.233
And these are your learning
disabilities again, right?
00:45:40.267 --> 00:45:41.633
- All those orange -
00:45:41.667 --> 00:45:44.100
- Those are the - the orange
are the breathing problems,
00:45:44.133 --> 00:45:46.367
respiratory problems.
00:45:46.400 --> 00:45:50.033
It\'s from your smoking
and your drinking and your alcohol,
00:45:50.067 --> 00:45:53.367
drugs, is why all this
is happening to us.
00:45:53.400 --> 00:45:56.000
That\'s what they keep saying.
00:45:56.033 --> 00:45:58.800
This is the female adult.
00:46:10.067 --> 00:46:14.133
These are the miscarriages
and stuff too.
00:46:14.167 --> 00:46:15.500
Sorry.
00:46:15.533 --> 00:46:17.367
- Miscarriages.
00:46:17.400 --> 00:46:19.733
- Yeah.
00:46:19.767 --> 00:46:22.067
It just hurts
to see all of this stuff.
00:46:22.100 --> 00:46:25.267
You know, me and Naomi Oliver,
we did this, right?
00:46:25.300 --> 00:46:27.000
We, you know,
we did the surveys.
00:46:27.033 --> 00:46:28.967
We checked off
who was going to get what dot
00:46:29.000 --> 00:46:30.067
and stuff like that, right?
00:46:30.100 --> 00:46:32.833
And she entered it
into the computer,
00:46:32.867 --> 00:46:34.033
and then I\'d put the dots on.
00:46:34.067 --> 00:46:35.333
We worked together all the time.
00:46:35.367 --> 00:46:37.900
And then at the end of the day,
00:46:37.933 --> 00:46:41.100
we\'d just sit there
and stare at it.
00:46:41.133 --> 00:46:43.467
And then, you know, we could
feel the lumps in our throats,
00:46:43.500 --> 00:46:45.300
the tears in our eyes.
00:46:45.333 --> 00:46:47.267
But then, you know, we just
carried on to get done,
00:46:47.300 --> 00:46:48.800
you know, do it,
just get it done.
00:46:48.833 --> 00:46:54.000
And then we had to take off,
like, a week or two just...
00:46:54.033 --> 00:46:55.667
to get away from it.
00:46:55.700 --> 00:46:58.267
And, you know,
people always ask me -
00:46:58.300 --> 00:46:59.633
all the time, you know,
00:46:59.667 --> 00:47:02.967
want me to recite
all this stuff, but...
00:47:03.000 --> 00:47:07.200
it\'s hard,
because you learn this stuff.
00:47:07.233 --> 00:47:09.000
But if you keep
thinking about it all the time,
00:47:09.033 --> 00:47:11.767
you\'re going to, you know,
hurt yourself inside too.
00:47:11.800 --> 00:47:14.333
So you got to walk away
from it for a while.
00:47:14.367 --> 00:47:16.567
I got to go blow my nose.
Sorry.
00:47:20.300 --> 00:47:24.200
- Sex ratio is a very,
very important end point.
00:47:24.233 --> 00:47:27.067
You know, it stands for -
00:47:27.100 --> 00:47:30.433
as a marker for other problems.
00:47:30.467 --> 00:47:32.400
It\'s not going to be
in isolation.
00:47:32.433 --> 00:47:35.967
You don\'t have an
altered sex ratio in isolation.
00:47:36.000 --> 00:47:42.300
Usual figures are 106 males
for every 100 females,
00:47:42.333 --> 00:47:44.600
so slightly more males
than females.
00:47:44.633 --> 00:47:49.367
However, before birth,
there are even more males.
00:47:49.400 --> 00:47:53.533
And they are lost through
miscarriage and stillbirth
00:47:53.567 --> 00:47:56.133
at a higher rate
than the females.
00:47:56.167 --> 00:47:58.167
And this continues.
00:47:58.200 --> 00:48:00.667
So at some point,
there is an equal number of males
00:48:00.700 --> 00:48:02.100
and females in the population.
00:48:02.133 --> 00:48:04.433
And then, eventually,
there\'s many more females.
00:48:04.467 --> 00:48:06.733
But this
shouldn\'t happen at birth,
00:48:06.767 --> 00:48:10.267
because we need that reserve
of males to be around
00:48:10.300 --> 00:48:14.700
because of this excess morbidity
to males throughout life.
00:48:16.533 --> 00:48:18.233
Narrator: One plausible hypothesis
00:48:18.267 --> 00:48:20.433
to explain this
disturbing shortage of boys
00:48:20.467 --> 00:48:22.833
would be that, since 1993,
00:48:22.867 --> 00:48:26.500
something has been making male
fetuses even more fragile.
00:48:26.533 --> 00:48:28.667
They can\'t make it to full term.
00:48:31.200 --> 00:48:34.267
- Something started in 1993?
00:48:34.300 --> 00:48:36.000
Did it happen then,
00:48:36.033 --> 00:48:39.900
or did it happen earlier
and the children were exposed,
00:48:39.933 --> 00:48:44.100
and then as adults,
something begins to happen?
00:48:44.133 --> 00:48:46.233
Was it a new process
that was entered into
00:48:46.267 --> 00:48:47.433
in the Chemical Valley?
00:48:47.467 --> 00:48:50.133
Was there,
for instance, one new plant
00:48:50.167 --> 00:48:51.733
or one new product
being produced,
00:48:51.767 --> 00:48:54.100
and then that added
into the mixture?
00:48:54.133 --> 00:48:58.867
I mean, we truthfully
don\'t know what triggered this.
00:49:00.800 --> 00:49:03.633
Narrator: Industry officials were
unavailable for comment
00:49:03.667 --> 00:49:06.267
during both my visits to Sarnia.
00:49:08.033 --> 00:49:09.733
At the time,
they seemed more concerned
00:49:09.767 --> 00:49:12.233
about the security
of their facilities
00:49:12.267 --> 00:49:14.700
than about
Aamjiwnaang\'s sex ratio.
00:49:14.733 --> 00:49:16.767
- We understand totally.
00:49:16.800 --> 00:49:19.333
- We are not terrorists.
We are just filmmakers.
00:49:19.367 --> 00:49:21.833
- We really don\'t know that.
00:49:21.867 --> 00:49:24.967
[siren whoops]
00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:28.933
narrator: The issue, however,
is far from trivial.
00:49:28.967 --> 00:49:31.567
The sex ratio
has also begun to drop
00:49:31.600 --> 00:49:33.900
in industrialized countries,
00:49:33.933 --> 00:49:36.433
a subtle yet noticeable decline.
00:49:39.067 --> 00:49:41.333
Could the hundreds
of endocrine disrupters
00:49:41.367 --> 00:49:43.000
present in our environment
00:49:43.033 --> 00:49:46.167
explain this disturbance
in human reproduction?
00:49:51.967 --> 00:49:55.467
Looking for clues,
biologists around the world
00:49:55.500 --> 00:49:58.100
closely observe wildlife,
00:49:58.133 --> 00:50:00.833
like this research team
I\'m accompanying
00:50:00.867 --> 00:50:02.700
on the Saint Lawrence River,
00:50:02.733 --> 00:50:05.433
not far from where
the entire city\'s industrial
00:50:05.467 --> 00:50:07.267
and domestic sewage is dumped.
00:50:13.567 --> 00:50:17.233
- The Saint Lawrence
is a pollution smorgasbord.
00:50:17.267 --> 00:50:19.567
There are thousands
of pollutants here.
00:50:19.600 --> 00:50:21.767
And we know that,
in this particular area,
00:50:21.800 --> 00:50:24.467
we find pollutants
that act like estrogens.
00:50:24.500 --> 00:50:26.067
They\'re called xenoestrogens,
00:50:26.100 --> 00:50:27.733
particularly nonylphenols,
00:50:27.767 --> 00:50:31.567
a common detergent
that is estrogenic.
00:50:34.367 --> 00:50:37.500
- What we notice
is that the more exposure
00:50:37.533 --> 00:50:39.267
to estrogenic products,
00:50:39.300 --> 00:50:41.367
the lower the spermatogenesis,
00:50:41.400 --> 00:50:43.800
meaning that the fish
produce less sperm
00:50:43.833 --> 00:50:46.500
and the the sperm that
is produced is less active;
00:50:46.533 --> 00:50:48.500
they swim less.
00:50:48.533 --> 00:50:49.867
That\'s important in fish,
00:50:49.900 --> 00:50:53.667
because the sperm is active
for only about 30 seconds.
00:50:53.700 --> 00:50:57.333
Thus, if they\'re slower,
they\'re active for less time.
00:50:57.367 --> 00:51:01.800
The chances of fertilization
decrease significantly.
00:51:01.833 --> 00:51:03.733
Moreover,
another thing we\'ve found
00:51:03.767 --> 00:51:07.567
is that together with this
decrease of spermatogenesis,
00:51:07.600 --> 00:51:10.233
this increase
of estrogenic pollutants,
00:51:10.267 --> 00:51:12.867
we found
many hermaphrodite fish,
00:51:12.900 --> 00:51:16.167
meaning ovaries are beginning
to grow in their testicles.
00:51:16.200 --> 00:51:20.000
So instead of producing sperm,
they\'re producing eggs.
00:51:20.033 --> 00:51:21.733
- Is it the majority of fish
00:51:21.767 --> 00:51:23.267
or only 2% or 3%?
00:51:23.300 --> 00:51:24.900
- In the most polluted areas,
00:51:24.933 --> 00:51:28.200
we\'re finding about
1/3 of the fish are effected.
00:51:30.700 --> 00:51:33.833
- I can\'t help but wonder
if that could affect us too,
00:51:33.867 --> 00:51:36.833
if it could affect
the human reproductive system.
00:51:36.867 --> 00:51:40.267
- It\'s very possible.
00:51:40.300 --> 00:51:42.367
There are studies
of the Great Lakes
00:51:42.400 --> 00:51:44.533
that reveal that people
who eat a lot of fish
00:51:44.567 --> 00:51:46.300
have lower IQs.
00:51:50.300 --> 00:51:52.367
And in an experiment
that we\'re conducting
00:51:52.400 --> 00:51:54.567
in conjunction with Daniel Cyr,
00:51:54.600 --> 00:51:59.067
we found that when female rats
eat fish from this area
00:51:59.100 --> 00:52:01.667
while they nurse their young,
00:52:01.700 --> 00:52:07.500
the male sperm of the subsequent
generation is affected,
00:52:07.533 --> 00:52:10.533
thus it\'s a concern
for humans as well.
00:52:13.500 --> 00:52:16.167
When we disturb the hormones,
or the endocrine system,
00:52:16.200 --> 00:52:17.867
of animals or humans,
00:52:17.900 --> 00:52:19.867
we see very serious
side effects.
00:52:19.900 --> 00:52:22.700
For me, it\'s one of the biggest
environmental problems
00:52:22.733 --> 00:52:24.167
in the world.
00:52:29.867 --> 00:52:31.433
Narrator: This same concern
00:52:31.467 --> 00:52:33.833
is what has brought
another group of researchers
00:52:33.867 --> 00:52:35.467
to the Barbue River,
00:52:35.500 --> 00:52:37.900
a tributary
of the Yamaska River,
00:52:37.933 --> 00:52:39.767
whose waters are so polluted
00:52:39.800 --> 00:52:42.100
that frogs are scarce.
00:52:42.133 --> 00:52:46.267
This river runs through
a region of corn and soy fields
00:52:46.300 --> 00:52:48.800
stretching as far
as the eye can see.
00:52:48.833 --> 00:52:51.000
The presence
in the water of atrazine,
00:52:51.033 --> 00:52:54.100
the herbicide
most widely used on corn,
00:52:54.133 --> 00:52:55.400
is suspected of affecting
00:52:55.433 --> 00:52:58.100
the batrachian\'s
reproductive system,
00:52:58.133 --> 00:53:01.533
which could, in part, explain
their declining population.
00:53:04.067 --> 00:53:07.167
- What we did when we came
on the Yamaska River
00:53:07.200 --> 00:53:09.733
was to collect the tadpoles
at the time of the year
00:53:09.767 --> 00:53:12.600
when the testes was developing.
00:53:12.633 --> 00:53:15.567
And we measured, in the water,
00:53:15.600 --> 00:53:19.100
over 65 pesticides, herbicides.
00:53:19.133 --> 00:53:22.833
And the only one that showed up
with a direct correlation
00:53:22.867 --> 00:53:27.233
between the degenerating testes
00:53:27.267 --> 00:53:29.933
and the levels of pesticide
or herbicide
00:53:29.967 --> 00:53:31.167
was the atrazine.
00:53:31.200 --> 00:53:34.033
And it gave us a very,
very high correlation,
00:53:34.067 --> 00:53:36.267
close to one.
00:53:36.300 --> 00:53:38.367
The interesting thing
about atrazine
00:53:38.400 --> 00:53:42.667
is that levels go up
at the same time
00:53:42.700 --> 00:53:45.567
as the tadpoles are developing.
00:53:45.600 --> 00:53:47.500
And that\'s what
makes it critical.
00:53:47.533 --> 00:53:50.500
Okay, so do you want to go
through these parts again?
00:53:50.533 --> 00:53:54.800
The germ cells that
are going to form into sperm
00:53:54.833 --> 00:53:57.600
for these organisms,
for their lifetime,
00:53:57.633 --> 00:53:59.667
are occurring and forming
00:53:59.700 --> 00:54:02.933
and undergoing their initial
development at that time.
00:54:02.967 --> 00:54:05.367
And so that if you
killed them at that time,
00:54:05.400 --> 00:54:07.500
then they\'re
not available subsequently
00:54:07.533 --> 00:54:11.667
for the continuing cycles
of spermatogenesis.
00:54:13.367 --> 00:54:17.500
- Could these small quantities
affect humans?
00:54:22.000 --> 00:54:24.533
- He gave you the answer.
00:54:24.567 --> 00:54:25.567
- The bullfrogs?
00:54:25.600 --> 00:54:28.400
- Yes.
[laughing]
00:54:28.433 --> 00:54:30.467
He says,
\"Absolutely, yes.\"
00:54:30.500 --> 00:54:35.600
I think the value
with working with hormones
00:54:35.633 --> 00:54:38.933
is that through evolution,
00:54:38.967 --> 00:54:41.267
they\'ve been
very faithfully conserved.
00:54:41.300 --> 00:54:43.867
So estrogen in lower forms
00:54:43.900 --> 00:54:46.233
is the same as estrogen
in higher forms
00:54:46.267 --> 00:54:49.800
and the receptor sites
on which they act.
00:54:49.833 --> 00:54:54.433
So there is a potential there
to be able to extrapolate.
00:54:55.900 --> 00:54:58.167
Narrator: Feminized fish?
00:54:58.200 --> 00:54:59.800
Infertile frogs,
00:54:59.833 --> 00:55:03.333
whose hormones resemble mine?
00:55:03.367 --> 00:55:08.200
Health Canada
must be really worried.
00:55:08.233 --> 00:55:12.333
- The frog is not a good model
00:55:12.367 --> 00:55:15.700
for assessing the risk to man.
00:55:15.733 --> 00:55:18.600
First of all, it\'s not a mammal.
00:55:18.633 --> 00:55:20.600
It\'s a frog.
00:55:20.633 --> 00:55:23.533
Secondly,
they live in the water.
00:55:23.567 --> 00:55:25.500
We don\'t
live in the water, madam.
00:55:25.533 --> 00:55:27.033
We live on land.
00:55:27.067 --> 00:55:30.567
Thirdly, they breathe
through their skin.
00:55:30.600 --> 00:55:32.800
So you see,
it\'s not a good model
00:55:32.833 --> 00:55:36.067
for estimating
what the risk to man will be.
00:55:36.100 --> 00:55:37.667
It\'s unquestionably a model
00:55:37.700 --> 00:55:40.267
for estimating the risk
to amphibians.
00:55:41.867 --> 00:55:43.800
Narrator: That\'s reassuring,
00:55:43.833 --> 00:55:46.500
but not entirely.
00:55:46.533 --> 00:55:49.700
True, I don\'t live
in pesticide-ridden water,
00:55:49.733 --> 00:55:52.267
but I do drink it.
00:55:54.533 --> 00:55:57.967
- You can see a slight
difference between the two.
00:55:58.000 --> 00:55:59.300
We add sand to the water
00:55:59.333 --> 00:56:02.500
in order to coagulate
any suspended matter.
00:56:02.533 --> 00:56:05.400
- Are there any pesticides
left in the drinking water?
00:56:05.433 --> 00:56:07.467
- Very little.
Very, very little.
00:56:07.500 --> 00:56:10.167
With the treatment we\'ve been
doing here for several years,
00:56:10.200 --> 00:56:12.100
we\'re able to control
the organic compounds
00:56:12.133 --> 00:56:13.867
found in the water.
00:56:13.900 --> 00:56:16.667
We\'re able to oxidize them
in the ozonation process
00:56:16.700 --> 00:56:19.200
and absorb them
with activated carbon filters.
00:56:23.167 --> 00:56:25.000
We\'re required
to test for pesticides
00:56:25.033 --> 00:56:26.233
four times a year
00:56:26.267 --> 00:56:30.367
for the water we distribute
to the population.
00:56:30.400 --> 00:56:32.167
And we\'re always
way below the levels
00:56:32.200 --> 00:56:35.033
stipulated by
the drinking water legislation.
00:56:37.233 --> 00:56:38.933
Narrator: It\'s true.
00:56:38.967 --> 00:56:43.100
None of the 32 or so pesticides
present in our drinking water
00:56:43.133 --> 00:56:45.133
exceed Canadian standards.
00:56:45.167 --> 00:56:47.533
Actually, we\'re far below them.
00:56:47.567 --> 00:56:49.500
But when these
individual pesticides
00:56:49.533 --> 00:56:52.533
are added together,
the overall total concentrations
00:56:52.567 --> 00:56:55.367
can be as high
as 30 micrograms per liter.
00:56:55.400 --> 00:56:58.200
And these combinations
have never been tested.
00:56:59.700 --> 00:57:02.400
- We wondered whether
the sperm count was different
00:57:02.433 --> 00:57:05.267
in different places
in the United States.
00:57:05.300 --> 00:57:08.633
And what we found
was that it was poorer,
00:57:08.667 --> 00:57:11.800
sperm quality was poorer,
not as good,
00:57:11.833 --> 00:57:15.800
in the rural
agricultural community
00:57:15.833 --> 00:57:17.433
of Columbia, Missouri,
00:57:17.467 --> 00:57:21.000
compared to the urban,
big-city communities
00:57:21.033 --> 00:57:24.433
in Los Angeles, New York City,
and Minneapolis.
00:57:24.467 --> 00:57:26.400
And so the first thing
that jumps out at you
00:57:26.433 --> 00:57:30.700
when you see that difference is,
\"Maybe it\'s a pesticide.\"
00:57:30.733 --> 00:57:33.267
So to look at that,
00:57:33.300 --> 00:57:37.133
we went
to our Missouri population,
00:57:37.167 --> 00:57:42.767
and we looked to see whether men
who had low sperm concentration
00:57:42.800 --> 00:57:45.967
had higher levels of pesticides
00:57:46.000 --> 00:57:49.767
than men with
a high sperm concentration.
00:57:49.800 --> 00:57:50.867
And that was what we found.
00:57:50.900 --> 00:57:52.633
That was also very surprising.
00:57:52.667 --> 00:57:54.100
- Yes?
- Yes.
00:57:54.133 --> 00:57:59.267
And because no one has studied
these kinds of pesticides -
00:57:59.300 --> 00:58:02.300
pesticides that are used today,
right now,
00:58:02.333 --> 00:58:05.700
all over the U.S. and Canada
very widely -
00:58:05.733 --> 00:58:08.567
and the ones that were
most strongly associated
00:58:08.600 --> 00:58:15.267
were Alachlor, Atrazine,
Metolachlor, Diazinon, 2,4-D.
00:58:15.300 --> 00:58:18.167
We had five
that were associated.
00:58:22.533 --> 00:58:25.267
- This is where I was born.
00:58:25.300 --> 00:58:28.533
I learned my very first word
by watching those farmers go by
00:58:28.567 --> 00:58:32.033
every morning,
\"tractor.\"
00:58:32.067 --> 00:58:38.467
Hey, that\'s my idol,
Jacques Cartier.
00:58:38.500 --> 00:58:40.667
He\'s the guy I admired
when I was young.
00:58:40.700 --> 00:58:42.633
I used to go to his house
with his son.
00:58:42.667 --> 00:58:43.667
- And he\'s a farmer?
00:58:43.700 --> 00:58:44.900
- A farmer, yes.
00:58:49.400 --> 00:58:51.100
Both my parents
were from the city,
00:58:51.133 --> 00:58:54.133
my father from Ste-Thérèse
and my mother from Laval.
00:58:54.167 --> 00:58:55.800
When they met,
they had the same idea.
00:58:55.833 --> 00:58:57.900
They both wanted
to live in the country.
00:58:57.933 --> 00:59:02.267
They bought this house
30 years ago.
00:59:02.300 --> 00:59:06.200
In 1980, I remember that
there was a big crisis here.
00:59:06.233 --> 00:59:08.100
Some trees
were going to be cut down.
00:59:08.133 --> 00:59:12.200
And my parents fought to keep
the trees on their property.
00:59:12.233 --> 00:59:14.433
That\'s when people started
cutting down trees,
00:59:14.467 --> 00:59:17.533
enlarging ditches,
draining soil.
00:59:17.567 --> 00:59:20.033
It was the beginning
of the new agriculture,
00:59:20.067 --> 00:59:21.900
corn, and monoculture.
00:59:21.933 --> 00:59:23.900
We saw families gradually
selling their cows
00:59:23.933 --> 00:59:27.533
to buy tractors and then
turning to monoculture.
00:59:27.567 --> 00:59:30.367
My parents came here so they
could raise their children
00:59:30.400 --> 00:59:33.800
in nature, in the country.
00:59:33.833 --> 00:59:37.167
Fresh air, that was the idea.
00:59:42.133 --> 00:59:44.800
This is a good example.
00:59:44.833 --> 00:59:47.767
Here, you can really see
the deforestation.
00:59:47.800 --> 00:59:51.400
Not a tree left anywhere,
or almost none.
00:59:51.433 --> 00:59:54.833
You know, in Montreal,
they have 25% tree cover.
00:59:54.867 --> 00:59:57.767
And in St-Aimé,
we have 4%.
00:59:57.800 --> 00:59:59.867
And when you have
only 4% tree cover,
00:59:59.900 --> 01:00:01.300
you have a big problem,
01:00:01.333 --> 01:00:03.533
because you no longer
have any pollinators,
01:00:03.567 --> 01:00:05.833
so species
don\'t reproduce anymore.
01:00:05.867 --> 01:00:07.767
And that affects
the animal chain.
01:00:07.800 --> 01:00:11.567
And that affects us.
01:00:11.600 --> 01:00:13.167
I\'ve been affected by it.
01:00:13.200 --> 01:00:17.667
It seems I have
reproductive problems.
01:00:17.700 --> 01:00:19.200
When I decide I want children,
01:00:19.233 --> 01:00:20.333
I\'ll likely have problems
01:00:20.367 --> 01:00:22.000
because of
the agricultural environment
01:00:22.033 --> 01:00:23.500
in which I was born.
01:00:23.533 --> 01:00:27.333
I\'ve been told that I have
an abnormally low sperm count.
01:00:27.367 --> 01:00:29.300
So I could
have children one day.
01:00:29.333 --> 01:00:30.633
It could happen,
01:00:30.667 --> 01:00:33.933
because all it takes is
one spermatozoid in a billion.
01:00:33.967 --> 01:00:36.800
But it\'s still a problem
I\'m facing.
01:00:36.833 --> 01:00:38.767
And I think
I\'m not the only one,
01:00:38.800 --> 01:00:40.233
though it\'s well hidden.
01:00:40.267 --> 01:00:41.400
And I don\'t think
01:00:41.433 --> 01:00:43.467
that there have been
studies on the subject.
01:00:43.500 --> 01:00:46.000
I would really like to know if
it\'s something that\'s happening,
01:00:46.033 --> 01:00:49.267
because I know that there\'s
a big problem with female frogs
01:00:49.300 --> 01:00:52.400
and that and there are
no longer any males.
01:00:52.433 --> 01:00:54.433
They\'re becoming females.
01:00:54.467 --> 01:00:56.867
That\'s a public health issue.
01:00:56.900 --> 01:00:59.533
Are there any studies
that have been done on that?
01:00:59.567 --> 01:01:01.867
When they tell me
I have the right to produce,
01:01:01.900 --> 01:01:05.600
I tell them, \"Well, I have
the right to reproduce.\"
01:01:11.267 --> 01:01:15.233
narrator: Alex will never know the cause
of his diminished fertility.
01:01:15.267 --> 01:01:17.733
But his questions
catch my attention.
01:01:17.767 --> 01:01:20.400
In Europe,
atrazine has been banned.
01:01:24.600 --> 01:01:28.900
- The decision in Europe was
based on a policy they have.
01:01:28.933 --> 01:01:31.433
It wasn\'t based
on a risk analysis.
01:01:31.467 --> 01:01:33.233
It wasn\'t based on science.
01:01:33.267 --> 01:01:36.867
And it wasn\'t based on atrazine.
01:01:36.900 --> 01:01:39.900
They have a policy
that prohibits concentrations
01:01:39.933 --> 01:01:41.833
of any chemical in ground water
01:01:41.867 --> 01:01:46.800
from exceeding
0.1 part per billion.
01:01:46.833 --> 01:01:50.900
- And that policy,
is it the precautionary principle?
01:01:50.933 --> 01:01:54.433
- We have a precautionary
approach in Canada too.
01:01:54.467 --> 01:01:57.933
And if we determine that there\'s
an imminent risk to health
01:01:57.967 --> 01:02:01.633
or to the environment,
we take the necessary measures
01:02:01.667 --> 01:02:03.800
to remedy the situation.
01:02:03.833 --> 01:02:05.867
That\'s what we\'ve done
in the past.
01:02:08.100 --> 01:02:09.767
And in the case of atrazine,
01:02:09.800 --> 01:02:12.167
it wasn\'t a question
of imminent risk,
01:02:12.200 --> 01:02:15.067
but we reduced
the application rates.
01:02:15.100 --> 01:02:16.667
We have mitigation measures
01:02:16.700 --> 01:02:18.933
that minimize
the associated risk
01:02:18.967 --> 01:02:21.633
to the environment
and human health.
01:02:29.900 --> 01:02:33.533
- What was shown in the lab is
that at 21 micrograms per liter,
01:02:33.567 --> 01:02:36.567
we see degenerating testes
with atrazine.
01:02:36.600 --> 01:02:40.700
It\'s often very uncomfortable
to speak out against atrazine
01:02:40.733 --> 01:02:45.867
because of the economic issues
and monies involved and so on.
01:02:45.900 --> 01:02:47.300
But still, as a scientist,
01:02:47.333 --> 01:02:48.667
there comes a point in your life
01:02:48.700 --> 01:02:52.667
where you feel that you
have to speak out and say,
01:02:52.700 --> 01:02:56.133
\"Yes, the weight of evidence
has tipped in the direction
01:02:56.167 --> 01:02:59.500
\"that atrazine - we should be
thinking very closely
01:02:59.533 --> 01:03:01.433
about removing atrazine.\"
01:03:01.467 --> 01:03:06.800
narrator: Biologist Tyrone Hayes
has come to the same conclusion
01:03:06.833 --> 01:03:08.533
and has been
shouting it loud and clear
01:03:08.567 --> 01:03:10.600
to the biggest
producer of atrazine,
01:03:10.633 --> 01:03:11.900
the multinational Syngenta.
01:03:11.933 --> 01:03:13.233
- Thank you.
Thank you very much.
01:03:13.267 --> 01:03:14.433
- Really fabulous job.
01:03:14.467 --> 01:03:17.033
- Oh, you\'re Sylvia Ruby.
Of course.
01:03:17.067 --> 01:03:18.467
Oh, yes.
01:03:18.500 --> 01:03:21.433
I had originally done the work
with Syngenta\'s money.
01:03:21.467 --> 01:03:23.267
And of course,
they wouldn\'t let me publish it.
01:03:23.300 --> 01:03:25.467
They wanted me to repeat it,
and I left and that was -
01:03:25.500 --> 01:03:26.767
Agencies that provide the money
01:03:26.800 --> 01:03:29.300
are very nervous
about the industry reaction.
01:03:29.333 --> 01:03:31.367
So it\'s very difficult
for me now to get government -
01:03:31.400 --> 01:03:32.933
they won\'t fund
any work on pesticides,
01:03:32.967 --> 01:03:34.267
the National Science Foundation.
01:03:34.300 --> 01:03:36.467
So they won\'t even
read a grant proposal.
01:03:36.500 --> 01:03:39.867
So most of my funding now comes
from other private industries,
01:03:39.900 --> 01:03:41.500
like a water company
01:03:41.533 --> 01:03:43.167
or just concerned citizens
01:03:43.200 --> 01:03:45.367
who have the money
to donate to the laboratory,
01:03:45.400 --> 01:03:47.333
because other places,
I think, fear so much
01:03:47.367 --> 01:03:52.733
what the industry influence
has over government officials.
01:03:52.767 --> 01:03:55.000
There\'s two other people here
01:03:55.033 --> 01:03:57.233
who are getting
the same effects with atrazine.
01:03:57.267 --> 01:03:59.300
And you know, I\'ve written
this paper in BioScience
01:03:59.333 --> 01:04:01.533
that shows that the only people
who get a negative effect
01:04:01.567 --> 01:04:03.933
are all being paid by Syngenta.
01:04:03.967 --> 01:04:06.000
I mean, it\'s just
a coincidence, though.
01:04:06.033 --> 01:04:07.233
I don\'t think we\'re going to see
01:04:07.267 --> 01:04:10.300
atrazine regulated
in this country.
01:04:10.333 --> 01:04:12.167
The industry
is too important here
01:04:12.200 --> 01:04:16.833
and has too much influence
over the government politics.
01:04:16.867 --> 01:04:18.933
If any regulation will occur,
01:04:18.967 --> 01:04:21.400
it\'ll be local,
state by state by state.
01:04:21.433 --> 01:04:23.833
And in a way - that\'s the way
it happened in Europe,
01:04:23.867 --> 01:04:27.800
as different countries banned it
until finally, the EU -
01:04:27.833 --> 01:04:29.633
the company doesn\'t want me
to say \"banned\" -
01:04:29.667 --> 01:04:31.533
denied regulatory approval.
01:04:31.567 --> 01:04:32.833
So individual countries did it.
01:04:32.867 --> 01:04:35.567
And then the whole EU says,
\"Okay, then we have to.\"
01:04:35.600 --> 01:04:37.800
But I don\'t think
the federal government here -
01:04:37.833 --> 01:04:40.333
um, maybe.
01:04:40.367 --> 01:04:42.733
But I think I\'m unrealistic
if that\'s true.
01:04:47.067 --> 01:04:50.333
Narrator: When there\'s a risk
of serious or irreversible harm,
01:04:50.367 --> 01:04:52.900
lack of scientific certainty
should not be used
01:04:52.933 --> 01:04:56.400
as a reason
for postponing decisions.
01:04:56.433 --> 01:05:00.367
That\'s the
precautionary principle.
01:05:00.400 --> 01:05:03.600
But it seems that what
is considered \"serious harm\"
01:05:03.633 --> 01:05:06.333
or \"imminent risk\"
is subject to interpretation
01:05:06.367 --> 01:05:08.733
from one continent to the next.
01:05:15.767 --> 01:05:19.200
- I\'ll show you my products.
01:05:19.233 --> 01:05:20.767
Here\'s the bottle
I found the other day.
01:05:20.800 --> 01:05:24.767
We used to use this,
actually, atrazine.
01:05:24.800 --> 01:05:26.267
This is what my father used.
01:05:26.300 --> 01:05:28.033
- How long has it been banned?
01:05:28.067 --> 01:05:30.533
- For four years, since 2002.
01:05:30.567 --> 01:05:33.967
And these are the products
that we use now
01:05:34.000 --> 01:05:37.300
that replace atrazine.
01:05:37.333 --> 01:05:40.233
We could go organic
and question all the products.
01:05:40.267 --> 01:05:44.100
That\'s one choice.
01:05:44.133 --> 01:05:48.400
Me, I decided to just
use it sparingly.
01:05:59.700 --> 01:06:01.100
[speaking French]
01:06:06.900 --> 01:06:12.800
[speaking French]
01:06:12.833 --> 01:06:13.900
- Is that your daughter?
01:06:13.933 --> 01:06:15.867
- Yes, this is my daughter,
Elena.
01:06:15.900 --> 01:06:18.167
We adopted her in Madagascar.
01:06:18.200 --> 01:06:20.800
She\'s been here for a year.
01:06:20.833 --> 01:06:22.467
- Why did you adopt?
01:06:22.500 --> 01:06:25.533
- Because we couldn\'t have
biological children,
01:06:25.567 --> 01:06:28.833
because, to be blunt,
01:06:28.867 --> 01:06:33.700
I have a very low sperm count.
01:06:33.733 --> 01:06:35.333
We turned to adoption.
01:06:35.367 --> 01:06:37.233
It was a very long process.
01:06:37.267 --> 01:06:39.900
We waited for Elena
for 15 months.
01:06:39.933 --> 01:06:44.600
We went to Madagascar
four times.
01:06:44.633 --> 01:06:46.533
They haven\'t found the cause.
01:06:46.567 --> 01:06:48.567
We don\'t know.
01:06:48.600 --> 01:06:49.633
Thought about everything:
01:06:49.667 --> 01:06:52.133
pollution, herbicides, all that.
01:06:52.167 --> 01:06:54.633
Since it wasn\'t as regulated
as it is today,
01:06:54.667 --> 01:06:57.667
we weren\'t protected
inside tractor cabs.
01:06:57.700 --> 01:06:58.833
And on top of that,
01:06:58.867 --> 01:07:01.733
we used to use products
that were a lot harsher
01:07:01.767 --> 01:07:03.600
than they are today.
01:07:09.733 --> 01:07:14.000
Corn crops,
especially given our climate,
01:07:14.033 --> 01:07:16.067
have to be weeded.
01:07:16.100 --> 01:07:19.200
If it rained enough,
we could do without that.
01:07:19.233 --> 01:07:21.933
But with our climate...
01:07:21.967 --> 01:07:24.000
We don\'t have seasons anymore.
01:07:24.033 --> 01:07:27.167
Our winters are very cold,
and then, bang, it\'s summer.
01:07:31.200 --> 01:07:33.933
The earth,
after four years of drought...
01:07:36.733 --> 01:07:40.733
And this year is the third year
that we haven\'t had any flies.
01:07:40.767 --> 01:07:42.167
I looked it up on the internet.
01:07:42.200 --> 01:07:45.867
When it\'s above 30 degrees,
flies stop reproducing.
01:07:45.900 --> 01:07:47.767
May not be the same for cows,
01:07:47.800 --> 01:07:49.500
but the cows
aren\'t going into heat,
01:07:49.533 --> 01:07:51.667
so we can\'t inseminate them.
01:07:51.700 --> 01:07:54.067
The cycle seems to be blocked.
01:07:56.500 --> 01:07:57.700
Narrator: We\'re not all equal
01:07:57.733 --> 01:08:00.533
when it comes
to environmental factors.
01:08:00.567 --> 01:08:04.500
Some men naturally produce
less sperm than others.
01:08:04.533 --> 01:08:05.833
They are the ones most at risk
01:08:05.867 --> 01:08:07.833
of falling below
the fertility threshold
01:08:07.867 --> 01:08:10.733
if there\'s a general decrease
in sperm production.
01:08:12.633 --> 01:08:17.800
Some studies put this decrease
at 2% a year since the 1970s,
01:08:17.833 --> 01:08:21.267
worrisome numbers that have
confounded many skeptics,
01:08:21.300 --> 01:08:23.467
such as Dr. Jacques Auger.
01:08:28.367 --> 01:08:29.600
- We were very surprised
01:08:29.633 --> 01:08:31.900
when the French study
showed a decrease
01:08:31.933 --> 01:08:35.967
not only in sperm counts
in the last 20 years
01:08:36.000 --> 01:08:38.300
but also a decrease
in the motility
01:08:38.333 --> 01:08:39.767
of the spermatozoa
01:08:39.800 --> 01:08:42.400
and an increase
in morphological anomalies
01:08:42.433 --> 01:08:45.933
of the spermatozoa.
01:08:45.967 --> 01:08:50.000
Look, you have
a fine specimen here.
01:08:50.033 --> 01:08:51.433
And then you see this one.
01:08:51.467 --> 01:08:54.700
It has
an irregular-shaped head.
01:08:54.733 --> 01:08:57.233
We were able to show
that the deterioration
01:08:57.267 --> 01:09:01.133
recorded in sperm count,
motility, and morphology
01:09:01.167 --> 01:09:05.833
correlated
with the year of birth.
01:09:05.867 --> 01:09:08.100
The more recently
these men were born,
01:09:08.133 --> 01:09:10.933
the poorer was the quality
of their sperm,
01:09:10.967 --> 01:09:12.967
which, of course,
immediately raises questions
01:09:13.000 --> 01:09:14.700
about environmental factors.
01:09:17.700 --> 01:09:20.733
Narrator: The \"your jeans
are too tight\" theory
01:09:20.767 --> 01:09:23.333
must be considered too,
of course,
01:09:23.367 --> 01:09:26.133
although, it doesn\'t explain
why laboratory rats
01:09:26.167 --> 01:09:27.833
exposed to endocrine disrupters
01:09:27.867 --> 01:09:30.867
suffer serious
reproductive damage as well.
01:09:33.967 --> 01:09:36.433
- If we expose rats
from conception,
01:09:36.467 --> 01:09:38.000
that is, in the womb,
01:09:38.033 --> 01:09:40.900
until adulthood
to doses equivalent
01:09:40.933 --> 01:09:44.667
to what humans are exposed to,
01:09:44.700 --> 01:09:48.200
we find
a lot of adverse effects:
01:09:48.233 --> 01:09:51.167
malformations,
undescended testicles,
01:09:51.200 --> 01:09:54.467
low sperm count, low fertility,
01:09:54.500 --> 01:09:58.333
altered sexual behavior,
et cetera, et cetera.
01:09:58.367 --> 01:10:00.567
Obviously, this raises
some major questions
01:10:00.600 --> 01:10:02.467
with regard to humans.
01:10:02.500 --> 01:10:04.333
Narrator: We\'ll
never have absolute proof
01:10:04.367 --> 01:10:07.133
without using
human test subjects.
01:10:07.167 --> 01:10:08.667
But more and more studies
01:10:08.700 --> 01:10:11.400
are leading toward
the same conclusion,
01:10:11.433 --> 01:10:14.867
studies on laboratory animals,
on human cells,
01:10:14.900 --> 01:10:19.800
and epidemiological studies,
which look at populations.
01:10:19.833 --> 01:10:23.033
For instance,
the one by Charles Sultan.
01:10:23.067 --> 01:10:28.067
In 2003, he conducted a study
in a Montpellier maternity ward
01:10:28.100 --> 01:10:30.700
to verify the prevalence
of genital malformations
01:10:30.733 --> 01:10:34.200
in male infants.
01:10:34.233 --> 01:10:37.367
- We\'ve been able to show that
the prevalence of hypospadias
01:10:37.400 --> 01:10:40.800
is ten times greater
than previously thought.
01:10:40.833 --> 01:10:44.000
The rate of male
pseudo hermaphroditism
01:10:44.033 --> 01:10:46.367
is up by a factor of 20.
01:10:46.400 --> 01:10:48.133
Also among children
who presented
01:10:48.167 --> 01:10:51.167
with a genital malformation,
01:10:51.200 --> 01:10:54.933
twice as many
were sons of farmers.
01:10:54.967 --> 01:10:58.767
This is a newborn.
01:10:58.800 --> 01:11:00.667
You see the scrotum.
01:11:00.700 --> 01:11:02.467
The scrotum remains open.
01:11:02.500 --> 01:11:04.000
There\'s a space here.
01:11:04.033 --> 01:11:08.300
And the opening is from
the penis to the scrotum.
01:11:08.333 --> 01:11:10.000
The flesh hasn\'t closed.
01:11:10.033 --> 01:11:11.800
It almost looks like a vagina.
01:11:11.833 --> 01:11:14.033
- That\'s it?
It looks like labia majora.
01:11:14.067 --> 01:11:15.367
- Exactly.
01:11:15.400 --> 01:11:17.267
What\'s the difference
between a man and a woman?
01:11:17.300 --> 01:11:19.133
They\'re the same.
They have the same origin.
01:11:19.167 --> 01:11:21.300
- I never realized that.
01:11:21.333 --> 01:11:23.133
- Of course.
They\'re the same.
01:11:23.167 --> 01:11:26.400
- I read that we\'re
all conceived female, right?
01:11:26.433 --> 01:11:28.600
- Yes, of course.
01:11:28.633 --> 01:11:30.700
And because of testosterone,
01:11:30.733 --> 01:11:32.700
this little gland -
01:11:32.733 --> 01:11:33.967
see, that\'s a clitoris.
01:11:34.000 --> 01:11:36.600
It\'s a clitoris.
01:11:36.633 --> 01:11:42.233
In males, the clitoris grows
because of testosterone.
01:11:42.267 --> 01:11:47.833
So here is a newborn
with a genital malformation,
01:11:47.867 --> 01:11:52.267
whose male hormone levels
are completely normal
01:11:52.300 --> 01:11:53.767
and whose genes,
01:11:53.800 --> 01:11:56.500
which are responsible
for activating those hormones,
01:11:56.533 --> 01:11:58.800
are normal as well.
01:11:58.833 --> 01:12:04.200
So the only hypothesis is that
during fetal life,
01:12:04.233 --> 01:12:05.933
some X factor
01:12:05.967 --> 01:12:09.467
interfered with the work
of the male hormones.
01:12:09.500 --> 01:12:12.933
And that X factor
could be a pesticide
01:12:12.967 --> 01:12:16.267
that, in labs, has been shown
to block testosterone action
01:12:16.300 --> 01:12:18.133
on cell lines.
01:12:18.167 --> 01:12:20.067
It takes the place
of the receptors
01:12:20.100 --> 01:12:24.333
and blocks the action
of testosterone.
01:12:24.367 --> 01:12:27.133
We\'re sitting on a volcano,
really.
01:12:27.167 --> 01:12:29.733
We\'re sitting
on top of a volcano.
01:12:50.967 --> 01:12:54.733
- What has possibly spared
the human race until now
01:12:54.767 --> 01:12:58.633
is the fact that our
reproductive cycle is long.
01:12:58.667 --> 01:13:01.033
The animal species
that have disappeared
01:13:01.067 --> 01:13:03.700
have had
shorter reproductive cycles.
01:13:03.733 --> 01:13:06.967
And the chemicals that
concentrated in one generation
01:13:07.000 --> 01:13:09.000
affected
the reproductive systems
01:13:09.033 --> 01:13:11.067
of subsequent generations
01:13:11.100 --> 01:13:13.133
with catastrophic effects
being observed
01:13:13.167 --> 01:13:15.467
in the third
or fourth generation.
01:13:15.500 --> 01:13:17.633
For an animal species
such as trout,
01:13:17.667 --> 01:13:19.500
which reproduces
every two years,
01:13:19.533 --> 01:13:23.667
after five or six years,
the species becomes extinct.
01:13:25.600 --> 01:13:27.200
I was born in the \'50s,
01:13:27.233 --> 01:13:29.133
so I wasn\'t exposed
to those chemicals
01:13:29.167 --> 01:13:33.433
while in the womb.
01:13:33.467 --> 01:13:36.833
But my children were exposed
in their mother\'s womb.
01:13:38.733 --> 01:13:41.967
They\'re the first generation
to be exposed in the womb
01:13:42.000 --> 01:13:44.700
to chemicals that could affect
their development.
01:13:47.133 --> 01:13:49.700
So the next generation
of human children
01:13:49.733 --> 01:13:51.833
will correspond
to the generation of animals
01:13:51.867 --> 01:13:53.933
that has shown
the most serious effects
01:13:53.967 --> 01:13:55.767
of chemical exposure.
01:14:01.433 --> 01:14:03.100
Narrator: We\'ve played with fire
01:14:03.133 --> 01:14:05.300
and turned ourselves
into guinea pigs.
01:14:06.933 --> 01:14:09.433
Through
thoughtlessness or greed,
01:14:09.467 --> 01:14:12.233
could we now be crossing
the line between progress
01:14:12.267 --> 01:14:14.033
and self-destruction?
01:14:17.300 --> 01:14:19.433
We didn\'t know any better.
01:14:19.467 --> 01:14:22.067
Fire fulfilled
its promise of progress,
01:14:22.100 --> 01:14:25.133
and we thought that the Earth
and its oceans were limitless,
01:14:25.167 --> 01:14:27.733
able to absorb all our waste.
01:14:27.767 --> 01:14:31.033
Now that waste
has found its way inside us.
01:14:35.033 --> 01:14:38.533
- I had my own blood tested.
01:14:38.567 --> 01:14:41.567
We found 110 chemicals.
01:14:41.600 --> 01:14:46.133
So shouldn\'t I be worried
about that?
01:14:46.167 --> 01:14:48.500
- I don\'t think so,
for the most part.
01:14:48.533 --> 01:14:52.133
For most of the chemicals
that Canadians are exposed to,
01:14:52.167 --> 01:14:55.567
we have a comprehensive
set of laws in Canada
01:14:55.600 --> 01:14:57.700
that help us
identify the chemicals
01:14:57.733 --> 01:14:58.733
that are of concern
01:14:58.767 --> 01:15:01.233
and to take the controls
to manage them.
01:15:01.267 --> 01:15:02.600
There\'s a variety of laws.
01:15:02.633 --> 01:15:06.767
They depend on the type of chemical
that we want to assess
01:15:06.800 --> 01:15:08.533
and to manage the risk from.
01:15:08.567 --> 01:15:11.767
So you\'ll probably be talking
to someone on pesticides,
01:15:11.800 --> 01:15:14.100
and that\'s the
Pest Control Products Act.
01:15:14.133 --> 01:15:16.267
And then there\'s an act
that deals with drugs
01:15:16.300 --> 01:15:19.400
and with cosmetics
and veterinary drugs.
01:15:19.433 --> 01:15:21.600
And the most comprehensive act,
of course,
01:15:21.633 --> 01:15:23.433
is the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act,
01:15:23.467 --> 01:15:25.300
which is the one
that I deal with.
01:15:25.333 --> 01:15:27.533
And that gives the federal government
the authority
01:15:27.567 --> 01:15:31.133
to require information
from industry
01:15:31.167 --> 01:15:33.900
so that we can assess the risk
of the chemicals
01:15:33.933 --> 01:15:35.300
and then to manage the risk
01:15:35.333 --> 01:15:39.200
in whichever way
we think is appropriate.
01:15:39.233 --> 01:15:41.200
Narrator: Did you think
that Health Canada\'s role
01:15:41.233 --> 01:15:42.300
was to protect your health
01:15:42.333 --> 01:15:44.600
through
a precautionary approach?
01:15:44.633 --> 01:15:46.133
Well, think again.
01:15:46.167 --> 01:15:49.200
Today it\'s all about
risk management
01:15:49.233 --> 01:15:53.500
and evaluating what constitutes
an acceptable risk.
01:15:53.533 --> 01:15:55.433
This approach
clearly demonstrates
01:15:55.467 --> 01:15:58.067
how Health Canada\'s mandate
has been eroding
01:15:58.100 --> 01:16:00.467
since the implementation
of smart regulation
01:16:00.500 --> 01:16:03.267
a few years ago.
01:16:03.300 --> 01:16:05.900
- The precautionary approach,
01:16:05.933 --> 01:16:09.333
the philosophy is,
protection first,
01:16:09.367 --> 01:16:11.600
primacy of protection.
01:16:11.633 --> 01:16:14.167
The smart regulation
approach takes -
01:16:14.200 --> 01:16:17.467
the criteria is risk management.
01:16:19.633 --> 01:16:22.900
What we\'re talking about
is a long-standing initiative
01:16:22.933 --> 01:16:25.200
of deregulation.
01:16:25.233 --> 01:16:27.133
It\'s corporate driven.
01:16:27.167 --> 01:16:29.733
It\'s supported
by business think tanks.
01:16:29.767 --> 01:16:32.233
And what is different about
the risk management approach
01:16:32.267 --> 01:16:33.567
is that it elevates
01:16:33.600 --> 01:16:36.533
economic competitiveness
considerations
01:16:36.567 --> 01:16:43.000
to the same level as questions
of health and safety
01:16:43.033 --> 01:16:44.933
and protection.
01:16:44.967 --> 01:16:46.667
So basically, it says, you know,
01:16:46.700 --> 01:16:49.400
you have to - you know,
\"If you\'re going to, you know,
01:16:49.433 --> 01:16:52.800
\"regulate us in a certain way,
you have to -
01:16:52.833 --> 01:16:57.233
\"you have to give equal weight
to our concerns
01:16:57.267 --> 01:17:00.933
about competition
and cost.\"
01:17:00.967 --> 01:17:02.767
narrator: It\'s perhaps
with that in mind
01:17:02.800 --> 01:17:04.233
that, in 2006,
01:17:04.267 --> 01:17:08.133
Canada courageously
banned the use of four PBDEs,
01:17:08.167 --> 01:17:12.067
which the industry had
already taken off the market.
01:17:12.100 --> 01:17:15.633
Four the most widely used
PBDE on the market,
01:17:15.667 --> 01:17:17.633
Health Canada
relies on the industry
01:17:17.667 --> 01:17:19.200
to take voluntary measures
01:17:19.233 --> 01:17:22.733
and for consumers to beware.
01:17:22.767 --> 01:17:27.067
- Health Canada recommendations
regarding PBDEs:
01:17:27.100 --> 01:17:30.200
Ask the retailer about PBDEs
before you make a purchase.
01:17:30.233 --> 01:17:32.600
Good luck with that.
Just try to.
01:17:32.633 --> 01:17:34.533
Limit your consumption
of fatty foods.
01:17:34.567 --> 01:17:36.033
That has nothing to do with it.
01:17:36.067 --> 01:17:39.333
Clean your house often.
01:17:42.700 --> 01:17:44.667
Narrator: Along the same lines,
01:17:44.700 --> 01:17:46.833
citizens wishing
to manage their risks
01:17:46.867 --> 01:17:49.467
should, in so far as possible,
01:17:49.500 --> 01:17:52.633
(avoid being a) an Inuit,
01:17:52.667 --> 01:17:55.500
(b) an aboriginal,
01:17:55.533 --> 01:18:01.100
(c) too poor to afford organic
food on a daily basis.
01:18:01.133 --> 01:18:03.967
They should also follow
the numerous recommendations
01:18:04.000 --> 01:18:05.267
offered by the industry
01:18:05.300 --> 01:18:08.333
for protecting themselves
from cancer.
01:18:08.367 --> 01:18:10.533
A diet rich in fiber,
01:18:10.567 --> 01:18:13.067
together with fruits
and vegetables,
01:18:13.100 --> 01:18:16.800
can reduce
your risk of cancer by 40%?
01:18:23.533 --> 01:18:29.300
I was careful to keep a sample
of my blood plasma as evidence.
01:18:29.333 --> 01:18:31.833
I wanted to present it
to the chemical companies
01:18:31.867 --> 01:18:35.200
and give them back
a few of their molecules,
01:18:38.800 --> 01:18:43.167
an unusual and somewhat
intimidating mission.
01:18:49.200 --> 01:18:51.800
- Is it normal that we have
so many chemicals
01:18:51.833 --> 01:18:53.333
in our bodies now?
01:18:53.367 --> 01:18:54.667
- Well, I think that\'s something
01:18:54.700 --> 01:18:57.867
we need to get
better information on.
01:18:57.900 --> 01:19:01.667
One of the things Canadian
Chemical Producers\' Association
01:19:01.700 --> 01:19:05.367
has done is, we very much
supported Health Canada\'s
01:19:05.400 --> 01:19:09.400
efforts to try to have a broad
biomonitoring program
01:19:09.433 --> 01:19:12.833
of chemicals so that
we can get a broad sample.
01:19:12.867 --> 01:19:17.000
I mean, what\'s in your blood
is obviously important to you.
01:19:17.033 --> 01:19:21.867
But up to now, we have done
samples of very few people.
01:19:21.900 --> 01:19:24.400
And we need to do
a much broader sampling.
01:19:24.433 --> 01:19:29.400
We need to get an understanding
of what is in people\'s blood.
01:19:29.433 --> 01:19:32.033
That will help industry
in terms of prioritizing
01:19:32.067 --> 01:19:33.267
what we need to work on
01:19:33.300 --> 01:19:37.700
in terms of reducing
our contribution to that.
01:19:37.733 --> 01:19:41.100
Narrator: The industry spokesman
fulfilled his role well.
01:19:41.133 --> 01:19:43.400
He stressed the voluntary
environmental measures
01:19:43.433 --> 01:19:45.533
taken by manufacturers.
01:19:45.567 --> 01:19:47.533
He confirmed
their willingness to cooperate
01:19:47.567 --> 01:19:51.200
with Canada\'s new
substances evaluation program
01:19:51.233 --> 01:19:55.933
and ensured that past mistakes
won\'t be repeated.
01:19:55.967 --> 01:19:59.233
But banning toxic substances?
01:19:59.267 --> 01:20:03.467
- The industry\'s position is
always, \"Let\'s do more studies.\"
01:20:03.500 --> 01:20:06.967
How much evidence do we need
to ban a product?
01:20:07.000 --> 01:20:11.733
- Banning is a very legitimate
risk management tool.
01:20:11.767 --> 01:20:14.167
But it\'s not the only
risk management tool.
01:20:14.200 --> 01:20:18.067
The essence of risk managing,
01:20:18.100 --> 01:20:22.667
if you can limit the exposure
and manage the exposure,
01:20:22.700 --> 01:20:25.433
then you have achieved
the result.
01:20:25.467 --> 01:20:29.100
- I wanted to give you that
as maybe a reminder.
01:20:29.133 --> 01:20:31.400
This is a little bit
of my plasma.
01:20:31.433 --> 01:20:32.467
- Okay.
01:20:32.500 --> 01:20:33.800
Well, look, we\'ll make a trade.
01:20:33.833 --> 01:20:35.700
I\'ll give you our book
about reducing emissions,
01:20:35.733 --> 01:20:36.733
and I\'ll -
01:20:36.767 --> 01:20:38.633
yours is a more personal one.
01:20:42.667 --> 01:20:44.267
Narrator: Let\'s face it;
01:20:44.300 --> 01:20:46.267
market forces
don\'t spontaneously
01:20:46.300 --> 01:20:49.567
tend to favor public health.
01:20:49.600 --> 01:20:51.533
- With tobacco,
the first victories came
01:20:51.567 --> 01:20:53.467
when we stopped
targeting individuals
01:20:53.500 --> 01:20:55.133
and telling them to quit smoking
01:20:55.167 --> 01:20:58.600
and starting targeting
marketing practices instead.
01:20:58.633 --> 01:21:00.933
Otherwise, you\'re,
like, 20 years behind.
01:21:00.967 --> 01:21:03.233
While you strive to protect
people from tobacco,
01:21:03.267 --> 01:21:05.400
the industry is already
ten years ahead,
01:21:05.433 --> 01:21:07.167
exposing them
to even more chemicals
01:21:07.200 --> 01:21:10.633
and getting them hooked.
01:21:10.667 --> 01:21:13.000
So yes,
individual decisions matter,
01:21:13.033 --> 01:21:15.767
but government ministers,
CEOs, and industry experts
01:21:15.800 --> 01:21:18.000
and those interested
in selling their products,
01:21:18.033 --> 01:21:19.700
their decisions
have a much greater impact
01:21:19.733 --> 01:21:20.933
than those of the consumers
01:21:20.967 --> 01:21:22.400
who are stuck
with these products
01:21:22.433 --> 01:21:24.933
and the chemicals they contain.
01:21:24.967 --> 01:21:28.433
- Oh, are we allowed
to misspell words?
01:21:28.467 --> 01:21:30.533
I\'m missing an \"N.\"
01:21:30.567 --> 01:21:32.400
\"Bannis.\"
01:21:32.433 --> 01:21:34.467
- Oh, maybe
we can work together.
01:21:34.500 --> 01:21:37.267
- Bannis.
01:21:37.300 --> 01:21:38.467
That\'s French
for \"banned.\"
01:21:38.500 --> 01:21:40.100
Thank you.
01:21:41.167 --> 01:21:42.667
- Would you like
something to eat,
01:21:42.700 --> 01:21:44.367
some hormones, some antibiotics,
01:21:44.400 --> 01:21:46.500
or perhaps some pesticides?
01:21:46.533 --> 01:21:48.533
- You have a choice
of salmon with PCBs
01:21:48.567 --> 01:21:49.767
or with mercury.
01:21:49.800 --> 01:21:51.900
- Hi, would you like some fruit?
01:21:51.933 --> 01:21:54.233
- Would you like to have
a taste of our toxic buffet,
01:21:54.267 --> 01:21:56.533
entirely approved
by Health Canada?
01:21:56.567 --> 01:21:58.700
Some pike filet, sir,
from the St. Lawrence,
01:21:58.733 --> 01:22:01.367
with flame retardants?
01:22:01.400 --> 01:22:03.633
- It\'s excellent, huh?
01:22:03.667 --> 01:22:04.800
- Yeah, they\'re good.
01:22:04.833 --> 01:22:06.167
- That\'s the problem.
01:22:06.200 --> 01:22:08.100
Mercury, pesticides,
are tasteless.
01:22:08.133 --> 01:22:10.267
The fruit is delicious, so good.
01:22:10.300 --> 01:22:13.267
- Wouldn\'t you like a little
tuna and mercury salad?
01:22:13.300 --> 01:22:14.467
- Thank you.
01:22:14.500 --> 01:22:15.800
- Here we have pesticide grapes.
01:22:15.833 --> 01:22:16.833
Tasty.
01:22:16.867 --> 01:22:17.933
- Oh, they look wonderful.
01:22:17.967 --> 01:22:20.367
Oh, I see you have
phthalates as well.
01:22:20.400 --> 01:22:22.333
- Phthalates are everywhere.
01:22:22.367 --> 01:22:25.033
They come from plastics
and vinyl.
01:22:25.067 --> 01:22:28.633
- There are antibiotics
in pork and chicken.
01:22:28.667 --> 01:22:32.767
- Nonylphenol garlic butter.
01:22:32.800 --> 01:22:34.567
What is that?
01:22:34.600 --> 01:22:37.767
- It sounds toxic,
even the name.
01:22:37.800 --> 01:22:41.133
- Yeah, I make my garlic butter
with margarine, Becel.
01:22:41.167 --> 01:22:42.367
I put garlic in it.
01:22:42.400 --> 01:22:43.400
I mix it.
01:22:43.433 --> 01:22:44.733
And it\'s mighty good,
01:22:44.767 --> 01:22:47.967
because Becel,
by itself, is tasteless.
01:22:48.000 --> 01:22:49.800
- I\'m started to get hungry.
01:22:49.833 --> 01:22:51.100
- Me too.
I\'m hungry.
01:22:51.133 --> 01:22:53.100
It looks so appetizing.
01:22:53.133 --> 01:22:56.033
- We eat that every day.
01:22:56.067 --> 01:22:57.567
There\'s nothing else to eat.
01:22:57.600 --> 01:23:00.533
- But if we don\'t eat that,
what do we eat?
01:23:00.567 --> 01:23:03.700
- We fast.
01:23:03.733 --> 01:23:05.000
Carole, help me!
01:23:12.833 --> 01:23:16.933
Narrator: Everything we eat and drink
is absorbed by our bodies
01:23:16.967 --> 01:23:20.167
and transformed into food
for our cells.
01:23:20.200 --> 01:23:23.700
Our cells replace themselves
from these substances.
01:23:23.733 --> 01:23:25.933
Our stomach, our intestines,
01:23:25.967 --> 01:23:28.967
are completely renewed
about every six months,
01:23:29.000 --> 01:23:31.767
our skin, every 28 days.
01:23:31.800 --> 01:23:35.733
We\'re a new person
every two years.
01:23:35.767 --> 01:23:37.300
Did we think we could get away
01:23:37.333 --> 01:23:41.900
with polluting
everything we\'re made of?
01:23:41.933 --> 01:23:45.167
Sometimes nature pays us back.
01:23:45.200 --> 01:23:47.100
This morning, in Montreal,
01:23:47.133 --> 01:23:49.833
municipal employees
are destroying vegetables
01:23:49.867 --> 01:23:52.133
grown in the community garden
01:23:52.167 --> 01:23:57.467
after tests revealed the
presence of lead in the produce.
01:23:57.500 --> 01:23:59.300
- This was your garden?
01:23:59.333 --> 01:24:00.867
Narrator: The garden
had been set up
01:24:00.900 --> 01:24:04.733
on a former dumping ground.
01:24:04.767 --> 01:24:07.767
In her intelligence,
nature also reminds us
01:24:07.800 --> 01:24:10.267
of the unity
of all living things.
01:24:10.300 --> 01:24:12.533
Along with the decline
of amphibians,
01:24:12.567 --> 01:24:15.733
we\'re witnessing the mysterious
disappearance of bees.
01:24:15.767 --> 01:24:19.867
80% of flowering plants
depend on these pollinators.
01:24:19.900 --> 01:24:22.267
But the insects
are dying by the thousands,
01:24:22.300 --> 01:24:23.733
far from their hives,
01:24:23.767 --> 01:24:25.933
victims
of a weakened immune system
01:24:25.967 --> 01:24:27.567
or nervous system.
01:24:33.267 --> 01:24:35.433
At the mouth
of the Saguenay River,
01:24:35.467 --> 01:24:36.967
the St. Lawrence belugas
01:24:37.000 --> 01:24:39.533
are also threatened
with extinction.
01:24:39.567 --> 01:24:41.833
Their toxic load is so heavy
01:24:41.867 --> 01:24:44.567
that their immune systems
can no longer protect them.
01:24:44.600 --> 01:24:46.367
The whales are dying from cancer
01:24:46.400 --> 01:24:48.700
at a rate similar
to that of humans,
01:24:48.733 --> 01:24:52.333
something seen
nowhere else in the world.
01:24:52.367 --> 01:24:54.800
Downstream,
in the depths of the estuary,
01:24:54.833 --> 01:24:59.333
the oxygen level barely reaches
that needed to support life.
01:24:59.367 --> 01:25:01.700
And upstream,
Lake Saint-Pierre,
01:25:01.733 --> 01:25:03.100
where Alex learned to fish,
01:25:03.133 --> 01:25:08.167
is silting up
and slowly disappearing.
01:25:08.200 --> 01:25:10.100
A river is dying.
01:25:10.133 --> 01:25:11.367
And for some men,
01:25:11.400 --> 01:25:14.800
so is their hope for offspring.
01:25:14.833 --> 01:25:18.933
And yet in the same blind race
for instant profit,
01:25:18.967 --> 01:25:22.367
we\'re introducing transgenic
foods and nanoparticles
01:25:22.400 --> 01:25:24.100
into our environment
01:25:24.133 --> 01:25:25.833
without really
studying the effects
01:25:25.867 --> 01:25:28.467
they could have on our health.
01:25:28.500 --> 01:25:31.900
By allowing one acceptable risk
after another,
01:25:31.933 --> 01:25:35.667
we\'re gradually contaminating
all life on this planet.
01:25:39.033 --> 01:25:41.233
And just as with climate change,
01:25:41.267 --> 01:25:44.600
no one knows when we will exceed
the breaking point.
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 88 minutes
Date: 2009
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 10-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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