[00:00:10.06]
- Soozie, this is where I keep

[00:00:11.08]
the vast amount of chemical
resources that I use

[00:00:15.03]
for one of my businesses,
which is the boating business.

[00:00:20.03]
And in here are waxes, lots of cleaners.

[00:00:26.03]
- Lil' bleach.

[00:00:27.01]
- Acid in there, rubber gloves
so we all don't get ill.

[00:00:33.04]
Brushes.

[00:00:39.08]
- What is that?

[00:00:41.04]
- Turn it around, read the label.

[00:00:43.09]
Tuff-Job Remover.

[00:00:47.01]
- Tuff-Job Remover?

[00:00:48.03]
- Yeah, when you have a tough job,

[00:00:49.06]
you use that to remove it.

[00:00:51.00]
- "May be fatal"?

[00:00:52.03]
- Yep.

[00:00:53.01]
- "Or cause blindness if swallowed."

[00:00:54.05]
"The vapor is harmful."

[00:00:56.00]
- Yeah, it's terrible stuff.

[00:00:58.02]
- It's terrible stuff.

[00:00:59.03]
Where did you get this?

[00:01:00.07]
- At a terrible stuff store.

[00:01:02.04]
- [laughing] Yeah?

[00:01:03.06]
[light piano music]

[00:01:05.06]
My dad.

[00:01:07.00]
He was one of the Midwest's

[00:01:08.04]
largest industrial chemical distributors

[00:01:10.04]
and he practiced his craft liberally.

[00:01:13.09]
It's safe to say he never met a problem

[00:01:15.08]
a spray, solvent, or scrub couldn't fix.

[00:01:19.03]
Embedded in my DNA has been the belief

[00:01:21.05]
that chemicals make us
cleaner, safer, and prettier.

[00:01:25.09]
I was a makeup artist for a decade.

[00:01:28.04]
This is what I put on my
face almost every single day.

[00:01:32.05]
When I nearly got kicked
out of a community garden

[00:01:35.01]
for bringing in weed killer,

[00:01:36.08]
I rolled my eyes and
bought a few alternatives.

[00:01:39.09]
Then, my 30s hit,

[00:01:41.09]
and it was like every best
friend started having kids.

[00:01:45.05]
They began taking a closer
look at what they were buying,

[00:01:48.00]
and it made me consider everything I use.

[00:01:51.00]
I realized I'm surrounded
by a lot of chemicals.

[00:01:55.07]
What has made my life clean

[00:01:57.03]
was now making me feel really dirty.

[00:02:00.02]
Can I hit the reset
button, or is it too late?

[00:02:10.07]
[upbeat banjo music]

[00:02:11.07]
My name is Soozie Eastman and
I'm from Louisville, Kentucky.

[00:02:15.05]
Like most Americans, I love products.

[00:02:18.08]
My purchases are fueled
by an endless quest

[00:02:21.02]
for fast, efficient, and cheap.

[00:02:24.00]
The only thing I ever really consider

[00:02:25.07]
when I'm shopping is the price.

[00:02:29.05]
The desire for cleanliness and glamor

[00:02:31.04]
has been around for generations,

[00:02:33.03]
but the dawn of commercialism
sold us on the fact

[00:02:36.00]
that our lives are best lived with stuff

[00:02:38.04]
and lots of it.

[00:02:41.07]
- [Pitchman] Just a light spray
of Gossamer in the morning

[00:02:43.08]
keeps her hair in lovely shape

[00:02:46.01]
and protects it from drying sun and wind.

[00:02:49.00]
♪ Mr. Clean will clean your whole house ♪

[00:02:51.04]
♪ And everything that's in it ♪

[00:02:53.03]
♪ There's a wonderful world of chemistry ♪

[00:02:56.06]
- [Soozie] The massive influx of chemicals

[00:02:58.01]
into our everyday culture

[00:02:59.04]
began in the postwar consumer boom.

[00:03:01.06]
TVs came into homes, and
the commercial era was born.

[00:03:05.02]
- The chemistry that was invented
during the wartime period,

[00:03:08.01]
the physics that were developed
from making new products,

[00:03:10.08]
the assembly lines that were devised;

[00:03:13.02]
all of that industrial
might became focused

[00:03:16.06]
on the consumer culture that
we enjoyed in peacetime.

[00:03:19.08]
- We are now learning the consequences

[00:03:22.02]
of that ultimate hubris that said,

[00:03:25.03]
"We can make anything and
it's going to be fine."

[00:03:27.09]
And ultimately, what
we're experiencing now

[00:03:30.08]
is the consequence of that
sort of unbridled consumerism.

[00:03:35.00]
- The companies invent chemicals

[00:03:36.06]
with no restrictions whatsoever.

[00:03:38.00]
They put them in a
proliferation of products.

[00:03:41.03]
They have a marketing system
designed to create the demand,

[00:03:44.00]
stimulate demand.

[00:03:45.01]
We buy them and then
belatedly, after the fact,

[00:03:47.06]
we find out that along with these products

[00:03:50.05]
come a lot of chemical
exposures that no one wants.

[00:03:54.04]
- [Soozie] What goes
into the lab as petroleum

[00:03:56.02]
comes out as several chemical families

[00:03:58.02]
with really hard-to-pronounce names.

[00:04:01.03]
These families then create
different types of products

[00:04:03.03]
that you and I come in
contact with every single day.

[00:04:10.05]
- We're all exposed to a
multitude of chemicals every day

[00:04:14.06]
from a multitude of sources,

[00:04:17.02]
and that results in cumulative exposure

[00:04:19.06]
to many different chemicals over time.

[00:04:22.03]
- Body burden really refers
to the full array of chemicals

[00:04:25.08]
or contaminants that are in our bodies.

[00:04:28.05]
You can just be living a normal life

[00:04:30.02]
and you will accumulate, over time,

[00:04:33.01]
hundreds and hundreds of toxic chemicals.

[00:04:38.03]
- [Soozie] During one of my
late-night Google sessions,

[00:04:40.05]
I found a study done by the
Environmental Working Group

[00:04:43.01]
that freaked me out.

[00:04:45.02]
Turns out, all these products I use

[00:04:47.05]
contain chemicals that might
not only impact my health,

[00:04:50.05]
but the health of my
future children as well.

[00:04:52.08]
- Babies coming into the world,

[00:04:55.01]
before they take a breath of air,

[00:04:57.03]
before they take a sip
of their mother's milk

[00:05:00.02]
or eat any food,

[00:05:01.03]
they are basically coming
into the world pre-polluted.

[00:05:06.01]
We tested for more than
400 chemicals and we found,

[00:05:10.03]
on average, about 200 different
chemicals in cord blood.

[00:05:13.05]
- In regard to industrial chemicals,

[00:05:16.04]
the placenta's more like a sieve.

[00:05:18.03]
It basically lets all of
these substances pass--

[00:05:23.05]
some of them to a greater
degree and faster than others,

[00:05:27.02]
but it is not a protective barrier.

[00:05:30.02]
- Even if chemicals are
in the body for hours

[00:05:32.09]
or days at best, they can
reek significant havoc

[00:05:38.00]
insofar as developmental
programming is going on.

[00:05:41.02]
The implications can not
just be for the children,

[00:05:44.01]
but for those children as
they age into adulthood.

[00:05:46.06]
- A major study out tonight

[00:05:48.04]
which finds a possible link
between common pesticides

[00:05:52.02]
and attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder.

[00:05:55.01]
- Attention all mothers and fathers.

[00:05:56.06]
There's a new study by the
Environmental Working Group

[00:05:59.06]
finds that chemicals from makeup

[00:06:01.08]
could be seeping into her bloodstream.

[00:06:04.06]
- For decades, we've all
depended on special chemicals

[00:06:07.07]
to protect us from fire,

[00:06:09.01]
but now there are serious questions

[00:06:10.08]
about the safety of those chemicals.

[00:06:12.08]
- We're seeing neurological diseases.

[00:06:14.03]
We're seeing Parkinson's.

[00:06:15.06]
We're seeing cancers.

[00:06:16.08]
We're seeing autism.

[00:06:18.01]
We're seeing diseases that are
increasing in our population.

[00:06:21.01]
About 80% of our cancers

[00:06:22.07]
are related to environment
in one form or another.

[00:06:25.03]
- Today, one in eight women

[00:06:26.08]
face a lifetime risk of breast cancer.

[00:06:28.07]
In the 1930s, it was one in 40.

[00:06:31.05]
That increase directly
parallels the increased use

[00:06:35.02]
and introduction of chemicals in commerce.

[00:06:38.07]
- One of the kind of most concerning

[00:06:41.00]
of the environmental exposures

[00:06:42.03]
are these endocrine-disrupting chemicals,

[00:06:44.06]
and they can look just
like our regular hormones

[00:06:47.02]
with just some real minor modifications.

[00:06:50.03]
- The glands in the endocrine system

[00:06:51.09]
regulate our development, metabolism,

[00:06:54.01]
sexual function, and reproduction

[00:06:56.00]
by communicating with
each other via hormones.

[00:06:58.09]
Endocrine disrupting chemicals
mimic these natural hormones,

[00:07:02.00]
causing our signaling to go haywire.

[00:07:04.06]
These disruptions can lead to
compromised thyroid function,

[00:07:07.07]
various cancers, birth
defects, and lowered fertility.

[00:07:15.09]
I wanted to come see you
because I've been your patient,

[00:07:18.01]
I guess now, for like 12 years.

[00:07:20.03]
So, you know that me having
a baby is kind of like--

[00:07:24.06]
- It's very important.

[00:07:25.06]
- Yeah, and starting to
swirl around more and more.

[00:07:28.05]
And so, I started churning,

[00:07:30.00]
"How can I make the healthiest baby

[00:07:31.06]
if chemicals get into babies' bodies?"

[00:07:33.07]
If it's in my baby, that means it's in me.

[00:07:36.01]
- First. Exactly.

[00:07:37.03]
- It's in me first.

[00:07:38.07]
So, if it's in me first, is
that going to be a problem

[00:07:42.04]
when it comes to me actually
wanting to have a little one?

[00:07:45.05]
- Unfortunately, many people
don't take the opportunity

[00:07:47.07]
to even think about these things

[00:07:49.01]
before they decide to get pregnant.

[00:07:51.09]
And often they come in
here at their first visit

[00:07:54.02]
when they're already pregnant.

[00:07:55.05]
- When we had an exam last year,

[00:07:57.08]
it came up that there might
not be that many eggs in me,

[00:08:02.08]
so then that started making me wonder,

[00:08:04.00]
"OK, well actually, what can I be doing

[00:08:07.00]
"to not add additional hormones in,

[00:08:09.05]
"like any kind of these chemicals

[00:08:11.07]
"that might pretend
that they're a hormone?"

[00:08:14.01]
- Absolutely, many things
that we can all look at.

[00:08:16.09]
What kinds of products you're
putting onto your body,

[00:08:19.06]
how much travel you're dealing with,

[00:08:21.02]
what kinds of environmental exposures

[00:08:23.03]
do we need to stay away from?

[00:08:24.05]
So, all of that kinda
stuff would be great to do

[00:08:26.05]
before you try to conceive.

[00:08:29.04]
- If the products I'm using
and the food I'm eating

[00:08:31.07]
are probably loaded full of petrochemicals

[00:08:34.01]
and will eventually be passed
on to my future children,

[00:08:37.01]
how much is in me, and is there
anything I can do about it?

[00:08:40.03]
Little did I know the
challenges I would have

[00:08:42.02]
trying to find the answer.

[00:08:43.08]
A little bird told me
that you all might be able

[00:08:46.04]
to test dioxins in human serum?

[00:08:51.00]
- [Man On Phone] Now, this human serum,

[00:08:53.08]
just give me a little explanation of that.

[00:08:55.01]
Is that a biohazard?

[00:08:56.04]
What is that?

[00:08:57.03]
- So, the lab didn't know
that serum is human blood.

[00:09:02.04]
That's...

[00:09:03.03]
That's a great sign.

[00:09:04.06]
I was looking more for plastics,

[00:09:07.02]
like bisphenol A or parabens,

[00:09:10.06]
some of the stuff that's in
products we use every day.

[00:09:13.09]
- [Woman On Phone] Methamphetamine?

[00:09:15.06]
I'm not sure.

[00:09:16.06]
- I liked that she asked me

[00:09:17.08]
if I was looking at
measuring methamphetamines.

[00:09:20.01]
I can't just send my blood in

[00:09:22.01]
and order a test to find out--
- No. [phone clicking]

[00:09:24.05]
[growling]

[00:09:26.00]
- [Man On Phone] The big
issue is the affordability.

[00:09:29.03]
- So, that's $1,700 for two
families of chemicals out of 10.

[00:09:36.00]
After days of calls to labs

[00:09:37.07]
all over North America and
Europe, I'm getting tested

[00:09:40.08]
for 119 commonly-used
chemicals for $3,500.

[00:09:47.03]
Think we have probably
like 15 tubes today,

[00:09:50.00]
so that's not too--

[00:09:51.02]
- Did you bring anything to eat?

[00:09:52.06]
- I brought orange juice.

[00:09:54.01]
I'll likely be chugging
it with my left hand

[00:09:56.05]
while you're doing the draw.

[00:09:57.07]
- OK. Well, we'll just
put it back here then.

[00:09:59.04]
- [laughing] So that I
don't black out on you,

[00:10:01.07]
'cause that doesn't sound like
a fun way to start the day.

[00:10:06.02]
So, when we get the results back,

[00:10:08.01]
we're looking at various things

[00:10:09.07]
from pesticides to flame retardants,

[00:10:12.01]
all the various things that
when I have a little one,

[00:10:15.02]
it will go from my body to them.

[00:10:18.02]
- I don't think we realize
how much we put in our bodies

[00:10:20.07]
and how toxic it can be,

[00:10:22.00]
and that we do pass it on to our children.

[00:10:25.06]
I think, if we were more aware,

[00:10:26.06]
we would be a lot more careful.

[00:10:30.02]
- So, I have these, are going to Missouri,

[00:10:34.07]
and that's for pesticide.

[00:10:36.02]
This is going to Canada, I have my serum,

[00:10:39.00]
and this is going to Georgia.

[00:10:41.01]
- [Cicily] Awesome, worldwide.

[00:10:42.07]
- All good places.
- Yes, yes.

[00:10:44.07]
- Awesome, thank you so much.

[00:10:46.01]
- [Cicily] That's no problem.

[00:10:47.08]
- The Centers for Disease
Control does studies,

[00:10:50.08]
they release the results every few years,

[00:10:52.08]
they look at the blood
of the American people.

[00:10:55.03]
And they have found hundreds and hundreds

[00:10:57.05]
of toxic chemicals in our bodies.

[00:10:59.05]
- Report like this size
comes out of the CDC

[00:11:02.08]
about every three years

[00:11:04.04]
profiling the body burdens of chemicals.

[00:11:07.04]
And so what biomonitoring is,
is actual biological blood,

[00:11:12.09]
urine, and other specimen
data from a human being

[00:11:16.06]
that both tells you possibly
what that person's exposed to,

[00:11:20.00]
but also gives you information
about the population.

[00:11:23.06]
- If you look at blood
samples from World War II

[00:11:26.00]
that was to be used for
people injured in combat

[00:11:28.07]
to give them blood transfusions,

[00:11:30.01]
and they looked at the
chemical burden in those blood

[00:11:33.06]
and it was near zero.

[00:11:35.01]
And if you look at anybody's blood

[00:11:38.02]
anywhere in the world right
now, there are chemicals.

[00:11:41.03]
- There's 84,000 chemicals
being used by US companies.

[00:11:45.02]
Almost none of them have
been adequately tested

[00:11:47.07]
for their health impacts.

[00:11:48.07]
- We've got this system

[00:11:50.00]
that looks like it's protecting citizens

[00:11:52.03]
and tricks a lotta people

[00:11:53.06]
into thinking that
they're being protected.

[00:11:55.06]
But frankly, they're not.

[00:11:56.08]
- I think the EPA is a very
ineffectual agency right now.

[00:12:02.06]
First of all, let's look at--

[00:12:05.00]
there are 750 to 1,500, every year,

[00:12:09.03]
new chemicals coming on the market.

[00:12:11.06]
They're unable to do anything.

[00:12:13.02]
- Over 10,000 chemicals are used

[00:12:15.09]
to formulate cosmetics
and personal care products

[00:12:18.05]
and only 11 have ever been banned

[00:12:21.04]
or restricted for use
here in the United States,

[00:12:24.07]
compared to over 1,300
chemicals that are banned

[00:12:28.03]
or restricted in cosmetics
by the European Union.

[00:12:31.05]
Formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen,

[00:12:33.09]
is restricted in the European Union.

[00:12:36.06]
It's been found at levels 10% by weight

[00:12:41.00]
in hair-straightening products
here in the United States.

[00:12:43.09]
That's more formaldehyde
than an embalmer uses

[00:12:48.00]
to embalm a dead person.

[00:12:49.04]
- And we found that of
the 10,000 chemicals

[00:12:51.06]
that are cleared for use
in our food-- in our food--

[00:12:56.09]
the majority of those
don't have toxicity data.

[00:12:59.06]
The majority of them.

[00:13:00.07]
- So, you have a couple
of different problems.

[00:13:02.03]
One, there's a myriad
of cumulative exposures

[00:13:04.09]
that we're exposed to every day,

[00:13:08.09]
and you have a myriad of federal agencies

[00:13:12.00]
that don't necessarily talk to each other.

[00:13:15.04]
- [Soozie] The EPA sets
standards for drinking water

[00:13:17.06]
and pesticides in and on our food.

[00:13:20.01]
They also keep data on household cleaners,

[00:13:22.04]
nonstick surfaces on cookware,

[00:13:24.02]
and flame retardants on furniture.

[00:13:26.00]
The FDA has strict requirements

[00:13:27.07]
for prescription and
over-the-counter medicines

[00:13:29.08]
and bottled water, but
standards for cosmetics,

[00:13:32.05]
personal care products and food additives

[00:13:34.05]
are far less stringent.

[00:13:36.06]
The Consumer Product Safety Commission

[00:13:38.03]
regulates products that
may pose a safety hazard,

[00:13:40.08]
as well as household cleaners

[00:13:42.03]
that contain hazardous substances.

[00:13:44.05]
Seems cut and dry, except
chemicals like phthalates

[00:13:46.07]
are monitored by the EPA

[00:13:48.00]
when they're in flooring
and building materials,

[00:13:49.07]
FDA when they're in our
personal care products,

[00:13:51.02]
and CPSC when those phthalates
are in children's toys.

[00:13:54.02]
EPA covers triclosan
when it's a pesticide,

[00:13:56.04]
FDA when it's in toothpaste,

[00:13:57.07]
CPSC when it's on a product's surface.

[00:13:59.09]
EPA handles formaldehyde when
it's in building materials,

[00:14:02.04]
FDA when it's in beauty products,

[00:14:03.06]
CPSC when it's in wallpaper and paints.

[00:14:05.07]
There can be certain
chemicals in drinking water,

[00:14:07.04]
different ones in bottled water--

[00:14:08.06]
those can pop up in
consumer products, too.

[00:14:10.07]
And none of these regulatory agencies

[00:14:12.03]
sets standards based on these
multiple exposure routes.

[00:14:15.05]
Follow that?

[00:14:16.08]
Instead of creating regulations

[00:14:18.05]
to protect citizens and consumers,

[00:14:20.06]
the US government created the
Toxic Substances Control Act,

[00:14:23.08]
which paved the way for
little to no restriction

[00:14:26.00]
or safety testing on virtually
every chemical in commerce,

[00:14:29.01]
and it's been that way
for nearly 40 years.

[00:14:33.02]
- The Toxic Substances Control Act,

[00:14:35.00]
which was passed in 1976,
has been a dismal failure.

[00:14:38.09]
There really is not a system
to make sure that products

[00:14:42.06]
that are being put into your cosmetics,

[00:14:45.01]
that are being put into your
household cleaning goods,

[00:14:48.03]
and, frankly, even that are
being put into your food

[00:14:50.08]
really are safe.

[00:14:52.00]
- If you look at the rules of
the game in the United States,

[00:14:55.05]
it pretty much says,

[00:14:56.07]
"You can expose anybody
to whatever you want

[00:14:59.07]
"until someone proves
beyond a shadow of a doubt

[00:15:02.03]
"that it's gonna hurt them."

[00:15:03.06]
- [Soozie] In 2016, the
Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act

[00:15:06.04]
was signed into law.

[00:15:07.05]
But the majority of environmental

[00:15:09.01]
and public health advocates
were against the bill

[00:15:11.04]
because it did little to move the needle

[00:15:13.00]
on meaningful regulation.

[00:15:15.02]
- Well, the new law is a real mixed bag.

[00:15:17.09]
The EPA is supposed to take a look

[00:15:19.09]
at a priority list of 10
chemicals to start with.

[00:15:23.09]
But, man, if you think about the fact

[00:15:25.01]
that there are literally tens of thousands

[00:15:27.03]
of chemicals out there that
we're being exposed to,

[00:15:31.04]
and EPA is only gonna be looking at

[00:15:33.08]
a relative handful every year,

[00:15:36.03]
it's going to be centuries
before EPA gets around

[00:15:40.02]
to looking at every chemical
that we're exposed to.

[00:15:43.00]
- [Soozie] And now, with
the current administration,

[00:15:45.01]
it's questionable if the new
law will be enforced at all.

[00:15:48.03]
- We think we can cut
regulations by 75%, maybe more.

[00:15:53.01]
When somebody wants to put up a factory,

[00:15:54.06]
it's gonna be expedited.

[00:15:56.01]
- [Soozie] Since EWG did the
biomonitoring tests on babies

[00:15:59.02]
that started this quest for me,

[00:16:01.00]
I visited them to interpret my results

[00:16:03.01]
and learn how I stack up
against the CDC's measurements

[00:16:05.09]
of the average American.

[00:16:07.07]
- Bisphenol A level was elevated
above the 95% percentile.

[00:16:11.04]
So, that would likely be
through polycarbonate bottles,

[00:16:14.08]
canned food, the receipt paper.

[00:16:17.03]
This is extremely high exposure.

[00:16:19.04]
The PBDEs, these were
flame retardant chemicals.

[00:16:22.06]
Most of the levels look elevated

[00:16:24.04]
above what you'd expect,
general population.

[00:16:27.01]
Flame retardants are
commonly found in couch foam

[00:16:31.02]
and other foam products.

[00:16:33.02]
In terms of the parabens,

[00:16:34.06]
two of the paraben levels were very high.

[00:16:36.08]
We highlighted propylparaben
as a preservative in foods,

[00:16:40.03]
also used as preservatives in cosmetics.

[00:16:43.03]
- Wow, that's kind of worrisome.

[00:16:45.07]
- In terms of the
organophosphate chemicals,

[00:16:48.05]
there was two that were very elevated,

[00:16:51.08]
very unusual, in very high levels.

[00:16:53.07]
I mean, these are levels
that were reasonably high

[00:16:56.03]
above the 95th percentile,

[00:16:57.09]
so this is in the top few
percent of people in America

[00:17:02.06]
would have levels this high.

[00:17:03.09]
My guess is that it'd be pesticide use.

[00:17:06.05]
- If having a child in the next
couple years is on my radar,

[00:17:11.06]
it seems like something that's elevated

[00:17:14.00]
to the levels of the
90s and stays in my body

[00:17:17.07]
for three to five years is
gonna be a pretty giant concern.

[00:17:22.06]
From flame retardants to pesticides,

[00:17:25.00]
plastics to solvents, they're all in me.

[00:17:27.08]
I feel gross, sad, and angry.

[00:17:31.04]
This doesn't necessarily mean
I will end up getting sick,

[00:17:34.02]
but I definitely don't
want them in my body.

[00:17:36.08]
Where exactly are they coming from?

[00:17:38.05]
And is there anything I
can do to get them out?

[00:17:42.08]
[instrumental hip hop music]

[00:17:51.02]
- Some of these chemicals
that we're exposed to

[00:17:53.04]
leave our body pretty quickly.

[00:17:55.02]
Now some other chemicals,

[00:17:56.04]
they're not only getting into our bodies

[00:17:58.00]
but they're also sticking
around for years.

[00:18:01.00]
Dioxin, which is considered to be

[00:18:03.01]
one of the most toxic
chemicals on the planet,

[00:18:05.02]
it'll take 7 to 12 years

[00:18:06.07]
for just half of that to leave your body.

[00:18:08.09]
And that's one of the
reasons why scientists

[00:18:11.01]
are sounding the alarm that
they're not only sticking there

[00:18:13.09]
but they're also dangerous

[00:18:15.00]
at extremely low levels of exposure.

[00:18:17.04]
- Many of these chemicals, they persist,

[00:18:19.09]
and then they bioaccumulate.

[00:18:21.06]
And what that means is
that plants soak 'em up,

[00:18:24.09]
animals eat the plants,
we eat those animals,

[00:18:27.02]
and so what happens is that

[00:18:28.05]
they become more and more concentrated

[00:18:30.05]
as they move further and
further up the food chain

[00:18:33.02]
until they kinda come back
to us when we eat 'em.

[00:18:35.07]
- But we're also concerned
about a lot of chemicals

[00:18:38.02]
that have a short half life.

[00:18:40.02]
You might eat them in food

[00:18:42.06]
and they're gone from
your body within 12 hours

[00:18:47.01]
and the exposure ends.

[00:18:50.02]
But then you eat the
same food the next day

[00:18:52.02]
and you get a fresh dose of
that exposure all over again.

[00:18:55.05]
So, just because it's only in your body

[00:18:57.03]
for a short period of time
doesn't necessarily mean

[00:19:01.00]
it's not something we
should be worried about.

[00:19:03.05]
- [Soozie] Several nonprofits
have created buying guides

[00:19:05.08]
to help consumers like
me avoid these exposures.

[00:19:09.02]
Today, I'm bringing in public
health expert Nneka Leiba

[00:19:12.03]
to let me know possible sources
of toxins found in my blood.

[00:19:15.08]
- EWG has some really, really good guides,

[00:19:18.07]
and a lot of them are
based on the databases

[00:19:20.07]
that we have on the websites.

[00:19:23.02]
And it's all about empowering the consumer

[00:19:25.08]
to make better choices.

[00:19:27.06]
EWG amasses toxicity
data from governments,

[00:19:30.08]
from academic agencies,
from all scientific papers.

[00:19:34.07]
So, we have our Dirty
Dozen guide for produce

[00:19:37.09]
that tells how much pesticide
residue is on produce.

[00:19:42.01]
We have our Skin Deep guide,

[00:19:43.06]
we have our guide to endocrine disruptors.

[00:19:46.01]
- OK, starting to already be paranoid

[00:19:48.07]
with what I have in here.

[00:19:51.08]
- But I see some canned foods,

[00:19:53.00]
and we'd want to check
that these are BPA-free.

[00:19:57.05]
Unfortunately, the company
doesn't have to put

[00:19:59.07]
that it's BPA-free on the packet.

[00:20:01.09]
The bags that the popcorn is in

[00:20:04.02]
usually is lined with PFC,
perfluorinated chemicals.

[00:20:08.05]
I think some of those were in your blood.

[00:20:10.08]
You don't have to go organic everything.

[00:20:12.04]
You wanna go organic fruits and vegetables

[00:20:14.02]
that are on the Dirty Dozen list,

[00:20:15.07]
and you do wanna go
organic meats and dairy.

[00:20:18.09]
So, try to reduce
bottled water consumption

[00:20:20.07]
as much as possible.

[00:20:22.02]
Nonstick tends to be coated
with perfluorinated chemicals.

[00:20:27.00]
- What about these little guys?

[00:20:29.04]
- I would use glass and stainless
steel wherever possible.

[00:20:32.09]
And if you do use plastic,

[00:20:35.02]
definitely, definitely do
not heat it in the microwave

[00:20:38.05]
or don't put hot food in it,

[00:20:39.07]
because the plastic chemicals
leach out in hot food.

[00:20:44.00]
- So, do you wanna come
look at my skincare products

[00:20:47.05]
and tell me?
- Sure, yeah.

[00:20:48.03]
- That's what I'm really
the most worried about.

[00:20:50.03]
- That's what I'm most excited about.

[00:20:52.04]
- Alright.

[00:20:53.06]
Now, I'm a little worried at
what's gonna happen up here.

[00:20:58.09]
I...

[00:21:00.08]
I don't know if you know
that I was a makeup artist

[00:21:03.02]
for nine years.

[00:21:04.06]
- I did not know that!

[00:21:05.07]
- [laughing] Yeah, so I
have this intense fear

[00:21:08.05]
that you're gonna come in here

[00:21:09.08]
and tell me that
everything has to go away.

[00:21:12.03]
- You wanna know if any of your products

[00:21:14.06]
have ingredients of harm

[00:21:16.05]
or ingredients associated with hazards.

[00:21:18.05]
And the best way to do that

[00:21:19.09]
is to use the Skin Deep database.

[00:21:21.07]
- I knew you were coming today.

[00:21:23.08]
- Mm-hmm?

[00:21:24.08]
- A little bird told me.
- Yeah!

[00:21:26.05]
- So, I have the app right here.

[00:21:29.07]
And when I go in by
entering the product name

[00:21:32.01]
or scanning a barcode, it
will mark them as 1-10?

[00:21:36.08]
Yes, 1 and 2 are green,
which means go for it.

[00:21:40.02]
It's kinda like a stoplight.

[00:21:41.06]
- Alright.

[00:21:42.04]
- 3 to 6 is yellow,

[00:21:44.05]
which means it has some
hazards associated with it

[00:21:46.05]
and you must be cautious.

[00:21:48.01]
And above that is red.

[00:21:49.09]
- This is a thermal protectant,

[00:21:52.08]
and this is [groaning] a red 8.

[00:21:57.07]
- Yeah, and this one has a
few ingredients I can see

[00:22:01.00]
of concern already.

[00:22:02.04]
It has fragrance, which we
know the term 'fragrance'

[00:22:06.02]
is an umbrella term.

[00:22:07.06]
It can hide any number
of 3,000 ingredients.

[00:22:11.07]
The fragrance industry
has 3,000 ingredients

[00:22:14.00]
that you can put into your fragrance.

[00:22:15.03]
Some companies use hundreds,
some companies use thousands,

[00:22:17.09]
it depends on the company.

[00:22:19.01]
But you don't know what's in there.

[00:22:20.06]
- OK, so let's see the hairspray.

[00:22:23.08]
7, red.

[00:22:25.02]
- So, I would think about a new hairspray.

[00:22:27.02]
This is also an aerosol, which,

[00:22:29.06]
in a bathroom like this, has
a lot of inhalation hazards

[00:22:32.06]
'cause you're breathing all of this in.

[00:22:34.06]
- This is just like a
shave cream, so let's see.

[00:22:39.03]
OK, so this comes up as a 6,

[00:22:40.09]
and so that seems kind
of like a waste to me

[00:22:44.03]
to have a shave cream that's a 6

[00:22:46.06]
because I could just use
soap, my number 2 Dove soap.

[00:22:51.00]
- And again, I'm liking how
you're processing the scores,

[00:22:53.09]
and that's what we want to do.

[00:22:54.09]
We want to provide you the information

[00:22:56.09]
and you process these things.

[00:22:58.06]
What means more to me,
what means less to me?

[00:23:00.07]
I would agree with you, but
you have to make that choice.

[00:23:02.07]
- Yeah, I mean, honestly,

[00:23:03.06]
my legs do not need to
smell like raspberry rain.

[00:23:06.04]
- And what is in the
raspberry rain fragrance?

[00:23:08.08]
I'm sure we don't know.

[00:23:10.04]
- The tears of children.

[00:23:11.07]
[Nneka laughing]

[00:23:12.07]
[laughing] No, I'm teasing, sorry.

[00:23:14.01]
OK, I've got some chemicals for you.

[00:23:16.00]
- That's a lotta cleaning products, lady.

[00:23:18.02]
- OK, well, you know what?

[00:23:19.08]
It's all about, this
is the starting point.

[00:23:23.00]
- The first thing is, do we
need all of these products?

[00:23:28.01]
That's the very first thing.

[00:23:30.04]
Vinegar and baking soda
will go a long way.

[00:23:34.01]
- Yeah?

[00:23:35.00]
It kind of makes it smell
like salad dressing, though,

[00:23:38.07]
in the house sometimes
with the vinegar, no?

[00:23:42.04]
I go into a friend's house and she's like,

[00:23:43.07]
"I just cleaned with
vinegar," and I'm like, "Mmm."

[00:23:46.03]
- Salad dressing versus
chemicals in your body.

[00:23:49.00]
- OK, yeah. I guess it's
all about a balance, right?

[00:23:51.02]
- It's relative. Yeah, it's relative.

[00:23:52.09]
- [Soozie] So, I just go on to EWG

[00:23:54.09]
and there is a guide to healthy cleaning?

[00:23:57.01]
- [Nneka] Yes.

[00:23:57.09]
- Let's try my Cascade with Clorox.

[00:24:00.06]
Oh!

[00:24:01.05]
So, yeah, that's an F.

[00:24:03.04]
So, developmental and reproductive
toxicity of high concern.

[00:24:07.02]
- When they say 'stabilizer'
or 'buffer' or 'color,'

[00:24:11.01]
you have no idea what
they're using in there,

[00:24:13.03]
and some of those chemicals

[00:24:15.05]
have been linked to health harms,

[00:24:18.00]
which is why they get an F.

[00:24:19.01]
So, if you go and you search--

[00:24:22.02]
- Dishwashing detergents?
- Dishwashing detergents--

[00:24:24.03]
- OK.

[00:24:25.02]
- [Nneka] And look for
products that are As.

[00:24:26.09]
- [Soozie] Oh, that's super easy!

[00:24:29.06]
- [Nneka] And so, you can
choose from any of these.

[00:24:32.02]
- [Soozie] And that is
available right at Target.

[00:24:35.06]
- In cleaning products, the
regulation does not require

[00:24:38.08]
the companies to list any
ingredients on their packaging.

[00:24:42.03]
They can list absolutely zero ingredients,

[00:24:44.07]
and many do list zero ingredients.

[00:24:47.02]
- I started buying
Method because "nontoxic,

[00:24:51.09]
"plant-based, powergreen technology."

[00:24:55.00]
So let's check these guys

[00:24:56.04]
because I try to err more
on the side of using these.

[00:25:00.07]
Oh, wow.

[00:25:03.00]
There's my...

[00:25:05.01]
This has a D.

[00:25:06.07]
This has a flippin' D.

[00:25:09.05]
I can't...

[00:25:12.09]
That makes me...

[00:25:14.04]
'Cause I've been buying that, thinking,

[00:25:15.09]
you see "nontoxic" on the front.

[00:25:18.03]
- When you look at these claims,
they don't necessarily mean

[00:25:21.05]
that the product is better or safe.

[00:25:24.09]
- After Nneka left, it was
obvious I needed to change out

[00:25:27.09]
the majority of what I was using

[00:25:29.06]
for personal care and cleaning my home.

[00:25:33.03]
For 30 days, I'm going
to make some very simple,

[00:25:36.00]
basic changes that anyone can make.

[00:25:39.03]
I'm going to avoid
receipts and canned foods,

[00:25:42.05]
use ceramic pots and pans,

[00:25:44.06]
avoid styrofoam and plastic
food storage containers

[00:25:47.06]
and bottled water,

[00:25:48.07]
buy organic versions of the Dirty Dozen,

[00:25:51.00]
use personal care products
rated four and under

[00:25:54.07]
and cleaners rated C or above.

[00:25:57.03]
Of course, I can only
control what's in my home.

[00:26:00.01]
I don't live in a bubble.

[00:26:02.03]
With the Healthy Living app
and my best friend in tow,

[00:26:04.09]
it was time to see if I could swap out

[00:26:06.06]
some of my favorite products.

[00:26:10.05]
OK, so this one's coming up a D,

[00:26:12.02]
but it's coming up a D
because of disclosure issues.

[00:26:15.04]
So, that's frustrating because
this could actually be good

[00:26:19.05]
and not be a D if All would
just tell us every ingredient.

[00:26:26.08]
This is my hairspray
that I know I can't have.

[00:26:29.04]
OK, so that is a 6,

[00:26:32.08]
which I'm trying to not do.

[00:26:34.02]
Ugh, that is an 8.

[00:26:38.06]
Crud.

[00:26:39.06]
That is a 6?

[00:26:42.08]
- OK.

[00:26:43.08]
- So, we're striking
out on hairspray so far.

[00:26:47.02]
- That's frustrating.

[00:26:48.01]
Despite the easy-to-use app,
it was definitely a challenge

[00:26:51.02]
to find out what I
should and shouldn't use.

[00:26:53.09]
Sometimes there wasn't a rating,

[00:26:55.03]
and other times there were
no easy-to-find alternatives,

[00:26:58.05]
like hairspray and heat protectant.

[00:27:02.00]
So, this guy is an 8 and this guy is a 6,

[00:27:04.05]
and they're right next to each other

[00:27:05.09]
under the same exact
brand, same exact colors.

[00:27:10.04]
It's like, how are you supposed
to figure out which is which

[00:27:14.03]
if they're right next to each other?

[00:27:16.06]
After several hours of
scanning and googling products

[00:27:19.02]
and help from Marcie, I felt pretty good

[00:27:21.05]
about what I found at Target for my home.

[00:27:23.06]
[doorbell ringing]

[00:27:28.07]
Hello!

[00:27:30.07]
Hi, girlie!

[00:27:31.06]
- Hey!

[00:27:33.03]
- [Soozie] After using the same cosmetics

[00:27:34.07]
and skincare for so long

[00:27:36.01]
it's a little more daunting
to find alternatives,

[00:27:38.07]
so I enlisted some friends to
try out new products with me.

[00:27:41.07]
- I brought the vodka.

[00:27:42.09]
- A little-- [laughing]

[00:27:45.02]
♪ Makeup and vodka ♪

[00:27:47.08]
We're gonna try some of these
different brands tonight

[00:27:50.04]
and see what you all think,

[00:27:51.09]
'cause you all like products
like I like products.

[00:27:55.07]
Rick is going to take your
look that you came in with

[00:28:01.06]
and then, like, zhuzh it up

[00:28:05.00]
using all-natural products.

[00:28:08.06]
- You want me to go first?

[00:28:09.04]
Alright.
- Do it!

[00:28:10.03]
- Let's see the transformation.

[00:28:13.00]
[cheery instrumental music]

[00:28:26.03]
- [Soozie] Do you guys pay
attention to the ingredients

[00:28:29.02]
that are in the products that you all use?

[00:28:31.04]
- Try to.
- Yeah?

[00:28:33.00]
- I'm guilty of a "No, I don't."

[00:28:35.05]
- Not my beauty products.
- No.

[00:28:37.06]
- I don't think about my
skin being my biggest organ

[00:28:40.07]
and, like, what's going into that,

[00:28:43.00]
but I'm really conscious
about what I'm eating

[00:28:47.08]
and what's going into my body,

[00:28:49.02]
not thinking, actually, all the
stuff I'm putting on my face

[00:28:52.04]
and on my body is going
into my bloodstream.

[00:28:55.00]
I don't even think about that.

[00:28:56.03]
- [Soozie] Probably the craziest thing

[00:28:57.03]
after having my blood
results come back was, OK,

[00:29:01.00]
I actually see the cosmetic
products I use in my blood.

[00:29:04.02]
- [Woman] In your blood, that's--

[00:29:05.06]
- At like the highest part of the scale.

[00:29:08.07]
- I never thought [laughing]
they could even sell a product

[00:29:12.08]
that would have those
type of repercussions.

[00:29:15.02]
I didn't even think it would be possible.

[00:29:17.01]
- And what do you think, do you like it?

[00:29:18.01]
- I love it!

[00:29:19.00]
I mean, honestly, Rick and I were talking,

[00:29:20.03]
I feel like it actually
matches my skin tone better.

[00:29:23.03]
It just feels better,
doesn't feel as chalky.

[00:29:26.05]
- No, it feels so light.

[00:29:28.01]
Doesn't even feel like I'm wearing makeup.

[00:29:29.05]
- I can't believe this is all-natural!

[00:29:32.04]
- I just never thought
that the alternatives

[00:29:34.01]
would've been this nice.

[00:29:35.04]
- I wasn't sure what to expect.

[00:29:37.02]
I wasn't sure if we were
gonna muddle the blueberries

[00:29:39.04]
and then put it on our lips,

[00:29:40.08]
or bake some beets and put
the beets, the beet juice--

[00:29:47.05]
- I'm really appreciative

[00:29:48.05]
that you guys came over
and did this with me.

[00:29:50.02]
I know that--

[00:29:51.00]
- Sooz, I love this.

[00:29:52.01]
I wish more people were
having this conversation.

[00:29:54.08]
- [Woman] I know, nobody's aware of this!

[00:29:57.02]
- I wish there was more people

[00:29:58.08]
sitting around having this conversation,

[00:30:00.05]
because I think it would
really enlighten some people

[00:30:03.06]
to hear about this.

[00:30:04.06]
- I feel happy and made-up

[00:30:06.09]
and I think all of you guys look gorgeous.

[00:30:09.04]
- [Woman] I love it.

[00:30:10.02]
- So, thank you for coming to play.

[00:30:11.06]
- Thanks for having us!
- Thanks for having us.

[00:30:13.02]
- [Woman] And letting
us play with this stuff.

[00:30:15.03]
- And you have to take some home.

[00:30:16.01]
- Thank you, Rick, for real.
- Yes, thank you.

[00:30:18.00]
- [Woman] Thank you!
[applauding]

[00:30:19.01]
- I loved it.

[00:30:20.00]
- The most knowledgeable
boy in the business.

[00:30:21.08]
For skincare and makeup,

[00:30:23.01]
I was excited about the new options.

[00:30:25.04]
I was worried it wouldn't
have enough color or coverage,

[00:30:27.08]
and I was totally wrong.

[00:30:30.03]
Unfortunately, the best I could do

[00:30:31.08]
for heat protectant is a 6.

[00:30:33.07]
But according to Nneka, that was OK

[00:30:35.05]
since I am more than making
up for it in other areas.

[00:30:40.00]
Almost all of my cleaning products

[00:30:41.06]
had to be replaced by alternatives

[00:30:43.05]
that have little to no toxicity.

[00:30:47.09]
My food was simple and
surprisingly affordable to replace.

[00:30:51.02]
It wasn't the overhaul I had expected.

[00:30:53.05]
When I compared the prices of my cleaners,

[00:30:55.05]
skincare and food before and after,

[00:30:57.08]
I actually ended up saving $35.

[00:31:00.07]
Just one last thing to switch out

[00:31:02.05]
and I was set for 30
days of cleaner living.

[00:31:05.07]
Obviously, I don't want to
be cooking on these anymore,

[00:31:09.01]
but I really wanna stick with Calphalon

[00:31:11.03]
because I know it's such a great product

[00:31:13.01]
and I know that you now
have alternatives out there.

[00:31:15.07]
- [Customer Service] Typically,
we can't replace them

[00:31:17.00]
just because of the chemical preference.

[00:31:20.01]
It's just not under the warranty

[00:31:21.07]
or the warranty replacement.

[00:31:24.02]
- [Soozie] Eventually,
despite their insistence

[00:31:26.01]
that the toxins in my blood
were not from their products,

[00:31:28.09]
Calphalon allowed an exception

[00:31:30.05]
and my perfluorinated pans got swapped out

[00:31:32.07]
for new ceramic versions.

[00:31:34.07]
- There you are, there you go.
- Thank you.

[00:31:36.04]
- [Waiter] And here's this
whenever you're ready.

[00:31:37.02]
- Do you actually, I'm
trying not to use styrofoam.

[00:31:39.02]
Do you have any foil by any chance?

[00:31:42.03]
- [Waiter] Uh, yeah.

[00:31:43.01]
- It would be much easier

[00:31:44.00]
if it wasn't up to regular
citizens to figure all this out,

[00:31:47.01]
but the close relationship

[00:31:48.03]
between the government
and chemical industry

[00:31:50.04]
makes any meaningful change challenging.

[00:31:53.00]
Just as good, and it won't go in my blood.

[00:31:56.08]
- The big problem in the United States

[00:31:58.08]
is that there is a huge
amount of influence

[00:32:01.06]
by the regulated industry

[00:32:03.02]
over the regulation of their products.

[00:32:05.01]
They have come in the front door.

[00:32:06.05]
They have come in the back door.

[00:32:07.07]
They have friends in Congress.

[00:32:09.04]
They have congresspeople
doing their bidding for them.

[00:32:12.02]
They have taken the
federal agencies to task

[00:32:15.03]
when those federal agencies
have tried to regulate.

[00:32:17.09]
- You've got very high-paid,

[00:32:19.03]
often former members of
Congress who are lobbyists

[00:32:22.05]
for very financially
well-to-do organizations

[00:32:26.01]
like the chemical industry,

[00:32:27.02]
and they will be paid
millions of dollars per year.

[00:32:29.08]
A lot of them make political contributions

[00:32:31.07]
either directly themselves

[00:32:33.04]
or through the organizations
that they work for,

[00:32:35.08]
and that's going to that
reelection campaign.

[00:32:38.09]
Members of the House have to
be reelected every two years,

[00:32:41.08]
so they have to raise about $10,000 a day.

[00:32:44.07]
That's not coming from the PTA.

[00:32:46.08]
That's not coming from Ma and Pa.

[00:32:49.02]
That's coming from big companies.

[00:32:50.06]
- The new legislation

[00:32:51.07]
is more smoke and
mirrors than real action.

[00:32:54.00]
The lobby for 10 companies
spent $125 million

[00:32:58.09]
in the last two years
to get their law passed,

[00:33:02.00]
and more or less, they got it passed.

[00:33:04.03]
The corporate contributions
have so poisoned

[00:33:07.01]
the decision-making process in Washington

[00:33:09.00]
that it's very difficult
to get anything done

[00:33:11.04]
that is not stamped of approval
by the corporate executives.

[00:33:20.04]
- Hi, Miss Cicily.

[00:33:21.06]
- [Cicily] Well hello,
Miss Soozie, how are you?

[00:33:24.01]
- I'm good, how are you?

[00:33:25.00]
- [Cicily] Awesome.

[00:33:25.09]
- This time, there are only probably

[00:33:28.00]
a certain amount of things

[00:33:28.09]
that could've even moved
out of my body in 30 days,

[00:33:32.01]
so we're gonna check those guys.

[00:33:33.05]
- Alrighty.

[00:33:34.05]
- I've switched out,

[00:33:35.03]
my makeup is all nontoxic that I have on,

[00:33:38.02]
my household cleaners I switched out

[00:33:40.02]
to be less toxic alternatives.
- Mm-hmm.

[00:33:42.05]
- So, this is just a check to see,

[00:33:44.04]
could I buy my way out of exposures?

[00:33:47.00]
- [Cicily] Oh.

[00:33:48.01]
- [Soozie] Finding hair products--

[00:33:49.09]
- Is a difficult thing?
- Yeah.

[00:33:51.02]
- Yeah, I could see that.

[00:33:52.04]
- Like the hairsprays
and the heat protectants.

[00:33:55.02]
I cried.

[00:33:56.02]
- Did you?
- I did.

[00:33:57.00]
I just cried once.

[00:33:57.09]
It was just one time, over hairspray.

[00:34:00.08]
As I learn more about
the chemical industry,

[00:34:02.09]
I wonder exactly why someone
would choose to work for them.

[00:34:05.09]
I thought this would be the perfect time

[00:34:07.04]
to pay a visit to my old
man and ask him a bit

[00:34:09.08]
about his time repping
industrial chemicals.

[00:34:12.05]
- I studied chemistry in college,

[00:34:14.08]
so I had a good background in all of that.

[00:34:17.07]
I saw an ad in the newspaper
in Louisville, Kentucky.

[00:34:21.07]
They were looking for a outdoor salesman.

[00:34:25.02]
And I thought, "Well, I'm reasonably good

[00:34:27.07]
"and I'm so modest about it anyway

[00:34:30.01]
"that I get along well
with people face-to-face,

[00:34:33.01]
"so why not?"

[00:34:34.02]
Here's a product that is one
of the best spot removers,

[00:34:40.06]
and I use it all over the
place and all over in the boat.

[00:34:43.08]
- Kaboom!

[00:34:45.02]
- That's it.
- "I'm goin' in your blood!"

[00:34:47.04]
- I was trained to sell chemicals

[00:34:50.01]
and I was calling on maintenance people,

[00:34:51.08]
they were maintenance chemicals--
things like drain opener

[00:34:55.02]
and 1,1-trichloroethane
to the United States Navy.

[00:34:59.02]
I sold railroad cars of
parts cleaner to the US Navy.

[00:35:04.06]
- Water, film formers,

[00:35:07.04]
carrier, corrosion inhibitor,
propellant, emulsifiers,

[00:35:13.02]
fragrance, thickener, and preservative.

[00:35:16.01]
Those are about the vaguest-- [laughing]

[00:35:18.03]
- Let's use the word 'generic.'

[00:35:19.07]
You'd go in with a sample,
give a little sales pitch

[00:35:22.05]
and say, "Look, it absolutely
will clean your drain

[00:35:26.01]
"and we guarantee that, but it
also won't hurt you to use."

[00:35:31.02]
So, what we'd do is we
would, as sales reps,

[00:35:34.04]
we would unscrew the top

[00:35:35.06]
and we would pour into
our hand the drain opener.

[00:35:40.08]
Now, everybody, you'd watch
the guy you were talking to

[00:35:43.09]
and his eyes would go crazy watching this.

[00:35:46.08]
Well, the secret was we'd take Vaseline

[00:35:50.01]
and rub it into our hand.

[00:35:51.09]
Then we were protecting ourselves.

[00:35:53.06]
But the person that was
buying the drain opener

[00:35:56.02]
was just excited about,
"Hey, here's something

[00:35:59.00]
"that's not gonna kill
me and it's gonna work."

[00:36:02.00]
People use this and buy this

[00:36:02.08]
and put it on their furniture at home.

[00:36:04.08]
That's what it's for.

[00:36:06.06]
- "Keep out of reach
of children and pets."

[00:36:08.05]
Did you ever think about
the impact of human health

[00:36:11.06]
of the chemicals that you sold?

[00:36:13.05]
- Never.

[00:36:16.07]
- Never?

[00:36:18.04]
- No.

[00:36:20.00]
I'm assuming that if it's on the shelf,

[00:36:24.07]
it's not gonna harm me.

[00:36:27.00]
The reason the chemical was
invented to do X was verified.

[00:36:32.02]
It was enough for the logic in my brain.

[00:36:35.04]
Primarily uses this in a
dry cleaner's business.

[00:36:39.00]
- How often do you use this?

[00:36:40.04]
- Rarely as possible.

[00:36:42.03]
- Yeah?

[00:36:43.02]
- Yeah.

[00:36:44.06]
- You try to stay away
from these solvents?

[00:36:46.05]
- Oh, this stuff I don't like to use.

[00:36:47.03]
I know what it is.

[00:36:48.01]
I don't wanna use that stuff.

[00:36:49.04]
If you start thinking of all the things

[00:36:51.02]
that my body has gone through,

[00:36:53.09]
all the cancers that I've had,
all the surgeries I've had

[00:36:58.05]
and all the chemicals I've been around,

[00:37:00.08]
they very well indeed
could've been propagated

[00:37:05.02]
by the fact that I indeed
was inhaling the odors

[00:37:09.07]
and had them in my skin and
had basically the cancers

[00:37:15.00]
or the ill things that have happened to me

[00:37:17.07]
coulda been provoked or otherwise been fed

[00:37:21.04]
by the things that I've been around.

[00:37:25.02]
That's the magic stuff.

[00:37:27.02]
And a whiff of that is just absolutely--

[00:37:29.05]
will put you to sleep.

[00:37:30.06]
It's soothing, beautiful smell.

[00:37:34.07]
That's a great smell.

[00:37:35.09]
Here, I'll open a bottle for you.

[00:37:36.08]
- [Soozie] No, I'm not smelling that.

[00:37:39.05]
Daddy, I'm not gonna smell that.

[00:37:41.05]
- It has a nice fragrance.

[00:37:43.09]
- No, no, no!
- That's the idea.

[00:37:45.03]
- That's not the idea!

[00:37:46.04]
- Aah.

[00:37:47.07]
Roses.

[00:37:49.03]
Aah.

[00:37:50.06]
- You're crazy, you're crazy.

[00:37:52.04]
- And then--
- You think that's real?

[00:37:53.09]
[laughing] Nice.

[00:37:56.03]
[phone ringing]

[00:37:59.00]
I am eagerly anticipating
our phone call to find out

[00:38:02.00]
if my last 30 days did
anything at all [laughing]

[00:38:05.07]
in terms of those-- not
scary results I had,

[00:38:09.03]
but y'know I guess I would
call 'em somewhat shocking

[00:38:11.07]
when we first met.

[00:38:13.01]
- [David] Yes, absolutely.

[00:38:14.02]
So, in the initial testing

[00:38:16.09]
the phthalates were approximately

[00:38:19.03]
in the 50th percentile range,

[00:38:21.03]
average for what you'd
expect for the population.

[00:38:23.05]
You levels were, by and
large, relatively unchanged.

[00:38:26.05]
That's not necessarily unexpected.

[00:38:28.02]
Obviously, there's still some exposure.

[00:38:30.05]
- OK.

[00:38:31.04]
- [David] In terms of the parabens,

[00:38:32.08]
you were extremely high
the first time around,

[00:38:35.09]
and this time around at or
near the detection limit,

[00:38:39.04]
actually way below the 50th percentile.

[00:38:42.01]
- I have to say, [laughing]
that feels pretty good.

[00:38:45.00]
- [David] Bisphenol A or BPA,

[00:38:47.02]
your level was a significant change

[00:38:49.08]
from a very highly elevated level

[00:38:52.03]
to actually just slightly
above the average level

[00:38:56.07]
in the US population.

[00:38:57.08]
And the question is, can
that be reduced further?

[00:39:01.00]
Volatile solvents, on your initial testing

[00:39:04.00]
the ethylbenzene, styrene,
toluene levels were elevated

[00:39:08.05]
over the 95th percentile.

[00:39:10.02]
And then this new round of test reports,

[00:39:12.06]
the levels of the xylene and the toluene

[00:39:14.06]
and the ethylbenzene were
below the detection limit

[00:39:17.06]
and the level for styrene, benzene,

[00:39:20.01]
was still over the 95th percentile.

[00:39:22.04]
So, extremely high.

[00:39:24.03]
That indicates a continued
source of exposure.

[00:39:27.04]
In the organophosphates,
you had elevated levels

[00:39:31.00]
and all of those levels have decreased

[00:39:33.08]
to below detection limit,
so no longer found at all.

[00:39:36.07]
And then triclosan was also
reasonably elevated last time,

[00:39:40.03]
and there's a significant reduction

[00:39:42.04]
below the 50th percentile,

[00:39:44.02]
below average exposure
across the United States.

[00:39:47.05]
- Huge.

[00:39:48.03]
- [David] Yeah, so the levels dropped

[00:39:49.07]
a factor of 50, essentially.

[00:39:51.04]
- It's like, I know you're
saying that they're still there,

[00:39:53.07]
but there is this side of me

[00:39:54.09]
that's like, "They're still
here, but they're so few,

[00:39:57.07]
"so much fewer" that it
feels, like, awesome.

[00:40:02.06]
It was empowering to see
that making small changes

[00:40:05.00]
could impact the level of
these toxins in my body.

[00:40:08.02]
To find out if I could minimize

[00:40:09.07]
the chemicals that were
still sticking around,

[00:40:11.09]
including some that have
much longer half lives,

[00:40:14.06]
I went to visit Dr. Hanaway
at the Cleveland Clinic.

[00:40:19.00]
- You, like many Americans,

[00:40:20.09]
find that you have toxins in your body.

[00:40:23.07]
How can we help to optimize

[00:40:26.02]
your ability to get rid of those?

[00:40:27.08]
And that really is, I think,
what you're here about today.

[00:40:30.09]
- Absolutely.

[00:40:31.09]
- So, the first thing that you have to do

[00:40:34.04]
when you're moving through
detoxification at any level

[00:40:37.07]
is you have to make sure the
gut microbiome is in balance.

[00:40:41.06]
The minerals as well as the amino acids

[00:40:44.06]
and antioxidants, things
like alpha-lipoic acid

[00:40:47.04]
and various kinds of
algae, are all necessary

[00:40:51.04]
for helping the body to detoxify.

[00:40:54.02]
And now, you're gonna be eating foods

[00:40:55.08]
that are gonna help with
the detoxification process.

[00:40:58.05]
We call it the Renew Diet.

[00:41:00.03]
It's gonna be dairy-free, gluten-free,

[00:41:02.09]
eliminate processed foods.

[00:41:04.03]
It's gonna be low glycemic
index, reduces inflammation.

[00:41:08.05]
The biggest thing is eating
vegetables, lots of vegetables.

[00:41:12.04]
Broccoli and especially the things

[00:41:14.05]
in the Brassica vegetable family

[00:41:16.09]
are some of the best
foods that help to promote

[00:41:20.05]
that detoxification process.

[00:41:23.06]
One way that is also
effective is to sweat it out.

[00:41:29.00]
And so--

[00:41:29.09]
- [laughing] So, exercise.

[00:41:33.06]
- Exercise or sauna-- a regular wood sauna

[00:41:36.06]
or the infrared sauna--
for about 10 to 20 minutes.

[00:41:40.07]
- Now that I know that this
isn't going to be colonics

[00:41:44.00]
and foot baths and pooping
all day while I shoot a film,

[00:41:47.09]
then that's-- I'm on board for this.

[00:41:50.07]
When Dr. Hanaway was explaining the detox,

[00:41:53.01]
I felt like I had a lot more options

[00:41:55.01]
than when I got home and started
creating my shopping list.

[00:41:58.07]
Whoa, what am I gonna do?

[00:42:00.05]
No vegetables that are starchy.

[00:42:03.09]
No root vegetables.

[00:42:04.09]
OK, can I just see where I'm
gonna have something to eat?

[00:42:08.05]
Cauliflower

[00:42:11.06]
and brussels sprouts.

[00:42:14.03]
I can do that if it'll make
me feel good, feel successful.

[00:42:20.08]
It's crazy when carrots
make you that excited

[00:42:24.08]
'cause I normally hate them.

[00:42:31.06]
Let's go with fancy mixed nuts.

[00:42:34.02]
Roasted and unsalted fancy mixed nuts.

[00:42:39.02]
I'm gonna eat the hell outta this.

[00:42:42.01]
If I could eat a frickin' plantain--

[00:42:47.03]
It's not on here, of course.

[00:42:48.07]
Of course it's not on here.

[00:42:50.01]
Thank you guys so much.

[00:42:51.01]
Have a nice day.

[00:42:57.00]
My bible.

[00:42:58.01]
For the next 30 days,

[00:42:59.03]
I'm gonna continue all the
same protocol as before,

[00:43:02.00]
except now I'm adding
in the detox component.

[00:43:05.02]
Gut-supporting supplements,

[00:43:06.06]
organic lean meats, eggs,
veggies and berries,

[00:43:10.00]
weekly sauna visits,

[00:43:11.09]
and six servings of
cruciferous veggies per day.

[00:43:15.07]
I like broccoli as much as
the next person, but damn.

[00:43:19.09]
When I started thinking
about doing this film,

[00:43:24.03]
never did I think, "Oh, by the way,

[00:43:27.02]
"you are going to be freaking out

[00:43:30.02]
"over finding hairspray
and straightening products.

[00:43:33.05]
"You're going to be in a
towel fit for a toddler

[00:43:37.02]
"inside of a sauna with your best friend."

[00:43:40.05]
[laughing]

[00:43:43.05]
So, thank you for doing this with me.

[00:43:45.06]
- You're welcome.

[00:43:46.04]
- This next 30 days is
gonna be what's interesting

[00:43:49.06]
because I need to see,

[00:43:53.03]
by ramping it up,

[00:43:55.02]
will I be able to get
some of those things out

[00:43:57.03]
that don't come out for 7 to 10 years?

[00:43:59.03]
Is there anything that I can do

[00:44:01.03]
that's above and beyond just buying stuff?

[00:44:03.08]
But those things that are gonna stay in me

[00:44:05.04]
for 7 to 10 years, can I
move those out any faster?

[00:44:08.09]
And that would be awesome
if that could happen.

[00:44:12.00]
The next 30 days, I'm gonna
be a hassle for myself

[00:44:14.05]
and everybody I'm around,

[00:44:16.00]
but that is really a much grander scale.

[00:44:19.00]
That's not the "average American" test.

[00:44:21.05]
That's the, can we put it into
fifth gear and get this out?

[00:44:26.09]
Yeah, so, [panting] we'll see.

[00:44:31.04]
But for now, we sit and sweat.

[00:44:35.08]
Sweat it out and then
eat a lotta broccoli.

[00:44:40.09]
I was excited about this phase.

[00:44:43.02]
I knew I would go to the sauna sometimes,

[00:44:45.04]
but I wanted one in-house to
keep it cheaper and accessible.

[00:44:48.08]
I will totally embarrass
myself to save money.

[00:44:53.00]
Eating berries all day,
every day, was the highlight,

[00:44:56.00]
despite the irony of how
much plastic they came in.

[00:44:59.08]
I was eating daily omelets
full of yummy organic veggies

[00:45:03.00]
and really loving the sauna.

[00:45:08.00]
I love the feeling of
coming out of the sauna

[00:45:13.00]
and knowing that as soon as I'm done,

[00:45:15.02]
I get to feast on two cups of broccoli.

[00:45:18.07]
It doesn't seem incredibly refreshing,

[00:45:21.02]
but, strangely, it really is. [laughing]

[00:45:24.07]
I must be hitting the point of delirium.

[00:45:33.05]
Broccoli all day, every day,
was pretty tolerable at first.

[00:45:37.06]
But then came the sickness.

[00:45:40.07]
- How many times are you having
a bowel movement per day?

[00:45:45.01]
- Four.

[00:45:46.00]
Four or six?

[00:45:48.01]
- OK.

[00:45:49.00]
And does it smell?

[00:45:51.00]
- Not particularly.

[00:45:52.08]
- OK, OK.

[00:45:54.01]
Is it loose or is it watery?

[00:45:57.04]
- It is watery.

[00:46:00.01]
- OK.

[00:46:00.09]
Like a faucet?

[00:46:03.04]
- Like sludge, like unformed sludge.

[00:46:07.08]
There's not much formation to it.

[00:46:11.00]
- You know, our focus
with you was on detox.

[00:46:14.02]
There wasn't previous bowel issues,

[00:46:16.02]
so I believe that you're having a change

[00:46:18.04]
in your microbiome that's
going on, which is fine.

[00:46:21.03]
I just don't want you to be in a place

[00:46:23.08]
where it creates an absorption problem.

[00:46:27.04]
- Thank you so much for this.

[00:46:29.03]
I just wanted to make sure it
was normal more than anything.

[00:46:32.07]
Bye.

[00:46:35.02]
Ugh!

[00:46:36.07]
Despite the setback,

[00:46:37.09]
since Dr. Hanaway told me
this was somewhat expected,

[00:46:41.00]
I just carried on with the
protocol of sauna visits

[00:46:43.08]
and eating what felt like a
never-ending supply of broccoli.

[00:46:47.06]
Even Lily became a fan.

[00:46:50.02]
Come on.

[00:46:52.09]
Good girl!

[00:46:55.03]
Can you tell how disgusted
I am by broccoli now?

[00:47:00.09]
And my algae pills?

[00:47:03.09]
I'm gonna chase my
broccoli with some algae.

[00:47:07.02]
I'm trying to be healthier,

[00:47:08.04]
but is this 30-day detox
going to be worth it?

[00:47:11.06]
Maybe I wouldn't be existing
off of nuts, berries, and algae

[00:47:14.07]
if there was greater transparency

[00:47:16.04]
and the government just listened

[00:47:17.08]
when scientists say something
on the market isn't healthy.

[00:47:20.09]
- The industry lets loose with
their barrage of lobbyists,

[00:47:24.04]
their pressure on Capitol Hill,

[00:47:26.00]
their attacks on regulatory agencies.

[00:47:29.02]
And it is also very much the
standard operating procedure

[00:47:32.05]
for these industries to
attack the scientists.

[00:47:35.06]
They go after them in
whatever way they need to.

[00:47:38.02]
Herb Needleman was savagely attacked

[00:47:41.00]
when he suggested that
lead was causing problems

[00:47:43.09]
for children's intelligence.

[00:47:46.03]
Tyrone Hayes, attacked when he suggested

[00:47:48.08]
that atrazine was a risk
based on the studies he did

[00:47:52.02]
of frogs in wild populations
and in the laboratory.

[00:47:56.00]
- About 15 years ago I was
approached by the manufacturer

[00:47:59.01]
of the weed killer atrazine,

[00:48:01.05]
and asked to examine how
atrazine might impact hormones

[00:48:04.09]
that might then affect
amphibian development.

[00:48:07.04]
And, of course, they were also interested

[00:48:09.01]
in the implications for
effects on human development.

[00:48:11.08]
The manufacturer, Syngenta,

[00:48:13.02]
they were the largest
chemical company in the world.

[00:48:15.06]
Atrazine was their
number-one selling product,

[00:48:17.08]
so I think the strategy was
to capture a young scientist

[00:48:21.04]
to provide a lotta support
and a lotta funding,

[00:48:24.03]
and then that way they
have control over the data

[00:48:26.05]
and how it's presented and
when it comes out, et cetera.

[00:48:29.02]
I would guess that they hoped
that we didn't show anything

[00:48:32.08]
that was significant.

[00:48:34.01]
But we found that atrazine
indeed interferes with hormones.

[00:48:37.06]
It demasculinizes exposed male amphibians,

[00:48:40.04]
so we get genetic males that grow ovaries

[00:48:44.01]
when they grow up, behave like females.

[00:48:46.03]
Those effects occur
across vertebrate animals.

[00:48:49.03]
Atrazine affects hormone levels in fish

[00:48:52.01]
and amphibians and reptiles
and birds and mammals.

[00:48:55.00]
It's associated with birth defects.

[00:48:57.00]
Choanal atresia, where
there's actually a hole

[00:48:58.06]
in the baby's face.

[00:48:59.07]
Gastroschisis, where the baby's born

[00:49:01.04]
with the intestines on the outside.

[00:49:03.01]
Genital malformation.

[00:49:04.01]
Breast cancer.

[00:49:05.00]
Reproductive cancers.

[00:49:06.01]
Prostate cancer.

[00:49:07.00]
The only studies that I know of

[00:49:09.05]
that claim that atrazine
doesn't do anything

[00:49:11.05]
were all designed and/or funded by

[00:49:14.06]
the manufacturer, Syngenta.

[00:49:16.08]
And so they really set off
on a campaign to attack me,

[00:49:19.07]
and you can see this in
Syngenta's own handwritten notes

[00:49:22.00]
that were just made public,

[00:49:23.03]
that their main goal was
to "discredit Hayes."

[00:49:26.02]
And when I first got involved,

[00:49:27.04]
I thought it was just about the science,

[00:49:29.00]
that you show that a
chemical is problematic

[00:49:30.08]
and then the EPA would ban it.

[00:49:31.08]
But they take many, many other
things into consideration.

[00:49:36.03]
- [Soozie] So, I'm at my
freaking house right now

[00:49:39.07]
in the middle of a detox,

[00:49:42.02]
and this guy is spraying everywhere.

[00:49:48.04]
Hey!

[00:49:50.07]
Hey, are you going back
behind these places back here?

[00:49:54.04]
- [Man] I already have, yeah.

[00:49:55.07]
- That's why my house
smells like chemicals?

[00:49:59.08]
- Yeah.

[00:50:01.01]
- OK, what kind of products are you using?

[00:50:04.01]
- Weed control and pre-emergent.

[00:50:05.07]
- Do you know which chemical?

[00:50:08.05]
- Three-Way.

[00:50:09.04]
- Three-Way?

[00:50:10.05]
- Yes ma'am.

[00:50:11.03]
- OK, thank you.

[00:50:12.07]
- And I've been doing this for a decade.

[00:50:15.03]
- So right now I'm at my home, inside,

[00:50:18.06]
I'm sitting here on my couch
working and all of a sudden

[00:50:22.03]
I'm taken over by this smell of chemicals.

[00:50:26.05]
And it turns out that they are
fumigating my community here.

[00:50:31.08]
Nobody warned me.

[00:50:33.00]
I had no signs or posters
or anything letting me know

[00:50:37.07]
that they're getting ready to spray.

[00:50:39.09]
I feel really frustrated right
now and really grossed out,

[00:50:44.06]
because it smells like
chemicals inside of my home.

[00:50:46.07]
And then I open the window

[00:50:47.06]
and it only smells worse out there.

[00:50:50.02]
So, that's really freakin' frustrating.

[00:50:52.09]
There is no escaping some things.

[00:50:55.01]
And I thought it was gonna be like,

[00:50:57.01]
"Oh, when I go somewhere,

[00:50:58.02]
"I have to use soap that I don't like."

[00:51:00.02]
But instead, it's, "Oh, when
I'm living in my own home,

[00:51:03.07]
"it's gonna be fumigated on the outside

[00:51:05.08]
"and then smell like shit on the inside

[00:51:07.06]
"and there is nothing I can
do, and nowhere I can hide."

[00:51:10.06]
And that really, really
makes me pissed off.

[00:51:14.09]
I was really mad my
neighborhood got sprayed,

[00:51:17.04]
but I've been so focused on

[00:51:18.08]
what I've directly been
putting into my body,

[00:51:21.01]
I didn't even realize that across America

[00:51:23.06]
there are hundreds of toxic waste sites

[00:51:25.07]
that make us trying to limit our exposure

[00:51:27.06]
to chemicals incredibly challenging.

[00:51:32.01]
[boat horn blaring]

[00:51:33.07]
- Greenpoint is a neighborhood in Brooklyn

[00:51:35.09]
that is at the border
of Brooklyn and Queens.

[00:51:38.01]
And historically, Greenpoint was

[00:51:39.07]
one of the most industrial
parts of New York City,

[00:51:43.02]
is adjacent to Newtown Creek,

[00:51:44.09]
which is a federal Superfund site

[00:51:46.06]
and is considered to be one
of the most toxic water bodies

[00:51:49.04]
in the entire country.

[00:51:51.06]
A Superfund site is basically
a hazardous waste site

[00:51:54.03]
or a toxic waste site.

[00:51:55.05]
Most Superfund sites, the soil
underneath a former facility

[00:51:59.01]
is contaminated with harmful chemicals,

[00:52:01.08]
the groundwater may be contaminated,

[00:52:03.09]
chemicals may be present
inside the building.

[00:52:06.04]
In more extreme cases,

[00:52:07.07]
Superfund sites will literally have dozens

[00:52:10.04]
or hundreds of barrels of
toxic waste sitting in it.

[00:52:13.04]
There are hundreds of
federal Superfund sites

[00:52:16.03]
all across the country.

[00:52:17.07]
And most Americans don't realize it,

[00:52:19.03]
but most live within a mile

[00:52:21.00]
or a couple miles of state
or federal Superfund site.

[00:52:24.09]
Greenpoint is a neighborhood

[00:52:26.02]
that is undergoing rapid development.

[00:52:28.04]
And it's ironic that they're spending

[00:52:30.09]
tens of millions of dollars to build

[00:52:32.02]
these giant fancy condos,
directly across the street

[00:52:35.07]
one of the most toxic sites
in the state of New York.

[00:52:38.08]
There's a lotta people that
are extremely concerned

[00:52:41.05]
about the new Harte Plastics site.

[00:52:43.04]
The site is located across
the street from a public park

[00:52:47.06]
and also across the street from a school.

[00:52:50.03]
And there's a lot of concern

[00:52:51.04]
that as they're building
these large condos,

[00:52:53.06]
all of the pile-driving
and other construction

[00:52:56.01]
could potentially disturb the plume

[00:52:58.06]
of 40,000 to 60,000
gallons of toxic chemicals

[00:53:01.04]
that have migrated underneath the plant

[00:53:03.09]
and towards the community.

[00:53:07.06]
Unfortunately, many Superfund sites

[00:53:09.07]
are often located in
low-income communities

[00:53:12.01]
and communities of color,

[00:53:13.08]
and it represents an issue
of environmental justice

[00:53:17.05]
that those that are most
vulnerable to chemical pollution,

[00:53:20.04]
that those that historically

[00:53:22.04]
have been politically most powerless

[00:53:24.08]
are at the front lines
of chemical exposure.

[00:53:29.01]
- I planted 'em too early.

[00:53:31.01]
This was a row, this was a row,

[00:53:33.06]
and I musta planted 'em too early

[00:53:36.00]
while the frost was still
around, what I mean to say.

[00:53:38.01]
- Oh, yes, it did frost late this year.

[00:53:39.06]
- Yeah.
- Is that kale?

[00:53:41.03]
- Yeah, that's kale.
- Yeah?

[00:53:43.00]
- There was a chemical company

[00:53:46.01]
in the building behind me

[00:53:49.03]
and they handled dangerous
chemicals that's banned now.

[00:53:54.01]
Well, actually, I reacted
like, "Come in and clean it up,

[00:53:57.04]
"or compensate, move us out
or whatever you gotta do.

[00:54:00.02]
"Just come in and take
care of the business

[00:54:01.09]
"that need to be done."

[00:54:03.07]
And they been draggin' they feet,

[00:54:06.09]
and so nothin' has happened.

[00:54:08.09]
- We had these 12 plants
in West Louisville

[00:54:11.00]
and we had very high rates of cancer,

[00:54:14.09]
asthma, respiratory problems.

[00:54:17.05]
They didn't have anybody

[00:54:19.00]
dedicated to environmental regulations.

[00:54:22.01]
I was really, really shocked to see it,

[00:54:24.04]
the high numbers of arsenic
and pesticides on their site.

[00:54:28.01]
The Environmental Protection
banned DDT back in the '50s

[00:54:31.07]
and there's plenty of it
on this site, plenty of it.

[00:54:34.08]
The runoff, it's gonna
kill these folks over here.

[00:54:38.05]
- I got some kale, kale
greens, and some turnip greens.

[00:54:43.06]
That whole little patch there
was just full of everything.

[00:54:46.04]
Some watermelons over
there and tomato plants.

[00:54:50.02]
For 20-something years, I've
been eating outta that garden.

[00:54:54.02]
Right here.

[00:54:56.04]
- If they knew that this
facility used pesticides,

[00:55:00.09]
they didn't do anything!

[00:55:02.00]
And that's what these companies do.

[00:55:03.01]
They go in the low-income
areas of these cities.

[00:55:06.07]
And these folks, they
don't have the resources

[00:55:09.02]
to go and fight these companies.

[00:55:11.05]
So, that's why I feel

[00:55:12.06]
that at least we're trying
to keep these people abreast

[00:55:15.06]
of what's going on.

[00:55:16.09]
- [Soozie] Since one in three Americans

[00:55:18.03]
live near a site just like
the one next to Marvin,

[00:55:20.09]
avoiding exposure isn't always up to us.

[00:55:24.03]
With this in mind,

[00:55:25.06]
I was anxious to see if my detox paid off.

[00:55:30.00]
Cic, I'm a little scared about today

[00:55:33.00]
'cause we're gonna have to go double.

[00:55:36.01]
- Oh.

[00:55:37.01]
- And the reason for
that is we're gonna redo

[00:55:39.08]
the ones that we did on day one.

[00:55:41.06]
You know how we did a much
larger test on day one

[00:55:43.07]
'cause those are the guys that
are supposed to stay in me

[00:55:45.08]
for 7 to 10 years?

[00:55:47.05]
Now, we're checking this time

[00:55:49.00]
to see if they came out
in the last 30 days.

[00:55:51.01]
- You're getting all these

[00:55:52.05]
plus 18 of these and 4 of these?

[00:55:57.04]
- Am I gonna be okay?

[00:55:58.06]
- Yeah, you just might have
to drink a whole lotta water.

[00:56:01.09]
- So, these go off to
three different labs.

[00:56:04.02]
One of the labs has to be in Canada

[00:56:05.09]
'cause nobody in the United States

[00:56:07.05]
will measure for some
of these petrochemicals.

[00:56:10.03]
- I wonder why not?

[00:56:11.07]
They're scared they're gonna get sued?

[00:56:14.00]
- It's been said something like that.

[00:56:15.09]
- Hmm.
- Mm-hmm.

[00:56:17.05]
- I've started my

[00:56:21.04]
less toxic life.

[00:56:23.01]
- Have you?

[00:56:23.09]
- Mm-hmm.
- Since when?

[00:56:25.07]
- Last week.

[00:56:27.00]
- And what made you decide to do that?

[00:56:29.02]
- You did, of course!

[00:56:32.08]
Yeah, you made me really think about that.

[00:56:34.05]
I wanna protect my family.

[00:56:37.05]
- Is this really just all
from me being in here and--

[00:56:39.08]
- Mm-hmm.

[00:56:41.04]
- Creeping into your life?

[00:56:42.05]
- Yes, ma'am, it is.

[00:56:44.04]
- That makes me really excited.

[00:56:46.05]
It's not too hard, right?

[00:56:47.04]
And it wasn't super expensive.

[00:56:48.09]
- No, it's not, that's the thing.

[00:56:50.07]
And I'm just like--
when I went to the store

[00:56:53.01]
I was afraid that it was gonna be, like,

[00:56:54.04]
$15 for some household
cleaner and I'm like,

[00:56:56.07]
"You know what, I'll
stick to this Pine-Sol."

[00:56:59.06]
But no.

[00:57:01.02]
You did great, awesome.

[00:57:03.00]
We only took half your blood supply.

[00:57:07.08]
- Think this is the most blood

[00:57:08.09]
I've ever drawn in my life.

[00:57:10.01]
In 17 years,

[00:57:11.03]
this is the most blood I've
ever drawn on one person.

[00:57:15.09]
Can you imagine?

[00:57:18.05]
- [Soozie] I spent 60
days using new products

[00:57:20.06]
and 30 days on a sauna
and omelet-filled detox,

[00:57:23.05]
lost over 20 pounds,

[00:57:24.09]
and felt better than I
had in my entire life.

[00:57:29.00]
Though Dr. Hanaway suggested

[00:57:30.05]
a slow transition back to normal food,

[00:57:32.06]
I chose to jump as far
off the wagon as possible,

[00:57:35.04]
right into a vat of
Kentucky Fried Chicken.

[00:57:38.08]
Yummers!

[00:57:40.09]
I'm so excited.

[00:57:43.02]
[upbeat banjo music]

[00:57:46.07]
Thank you so much!

[00:57:55.09]
- Now, what are we
hoping is gonna come back

[00:57:57.07]
with the blood results?

[00:57:59.01]
What's the best-case scenario,

[00:58:00.09]
it's coming back that you
have no toxins at all?

[00:58:03.01]
- I don't think anybody

[00:58:04.06]
would ever be able to have
zero toxins in their body.

[00:58:07.02]
- It would be impossible

[00:58:08.06]
unless you live literally
in the woods, with--

[00:58:10.09]
- Not even then.

[00:58:12.00]
- No, not even.

[00:58:13.02]
- [Woman] Yeah, probably not.

[00:58:14.01]
- 'Cause of the air, the pollution?

[00:58:15.02]
- Mm-hmm.

[00:58:16.03]
It's in the water, it's in the air.

[00:58:18.08]
A person can make an effort
if it matters to them.

[00:58:21.05]
And I've been able to
show, if you do X-Y-Z,

[00:58:25.03]
you will have a response in your body.

[00:58:27.08]
You can carry less.

[00:58:29.04]
This is gonna be my new life, right?

[00:58:31.01]
So, it's like, you can eat fried chicken,

[00:58:33.02]
but then you're gonna use glassware

[00:58:35.04]
for your take-home stuff. [laughing]

[00:58:38.01]
I've decided that everything's

[00:58:40.02]
just gonna be about a balance.

[00:58:41.07]
I know they use styrofoam here.

[00:58:44.04]
Cue the styrofoam.

[00:58:45.03]
- Here you go.
- Oh, cue the styrofoam.

[00:58:47.01]
[laughing]

[00:58:48.07]
- Mama, come on.

[00:58:50.01]
You can have Pyrex.

[00:58:51.06]
- May I?

[00:58:52.04]
- Of course!

[00:58:54.01]
Our 60 days is over. [laughing]

[00:58:56.00]
So, I'm anxious to find out
if the detox that I went on

[00:59:01.01]
actually did anything above and beyond

[00:59:03.08]
what trying to buy my
way out of exposures did.

[00:59:06.07]
- Right.

[00:59:07.06]
It turns out, for most chemicals,

[00:59:09.00]
the best way to get 'em outta your body

[00:59:10.03]
is never get 'em in in the first place.

[00:59:11.08]
And then, even for the chemicals

[00:59:13.05]
that are already in your body,

[00:59:15.01]
the real key is not to
continually be exposed.

[00:59:18.06]
So, in terms of the
phthalates, the parabens,

[00:59:21.07]
the organophosphates,
the BPA, and triclosan,

[00:59:25.02]
there's an incredible
decrease in your levels.

[00:59:28.02]
So, in terms of volatile solvents,

[00:59:30.01]
they were really quite
high on the initial test

[00:59:32.01]
and there was levels
above the 95th percentile.

[00:59:35.02]
In this final round, volatile
solvents came back down.

[00:59:38.00]
They're now closer to what you'd expect,

[00:59:41.02]
just slightly elevated for the population

[00:59:43.05]
but within the normal range.

[00:59:45.03]
In the initial round of
testing, definitely detected

[00:59:48.04]
a number of these
perfluorinated chemicals.

[00:59:50.04]
I'd say, overall, the
results were somewhat mixed.

[00:59:53.02]
We saw slight decreases for some of them,

[00:59:55.06]
slight increases for other ones.

[00:59:57.06]
Most of these at this point
are legacy pollutants.

[01:00:01.00]
- Calphalon said, "Oh, no, don't worry.

[01:00:02.04]
"We're using a different
perfluorinated compound now."

[01:00:05.06]
And I'm like, "Oh, [laughing] OK, thanks."

[01:00:08.01]
- Yeah, so these companies

[01:00:09.02]
have tweaked the chemistry a little bit,

[01:00:11.02]
but they're still as persistent

[01:00:12.08]
and many of 'em raise some of
the same toxicity concerns.

[01:00:16.05]
And then, a few of the
other longer-term chemicals,

[01:00:19.03]
some of the PBDEs, flame
retardant chemicals,

[01:00:22.08]
many of these you can't entirely avoid

[01:00:24.09]
because they were used to make

[01:00:26.08]
our previous generation of furniture.

[01:00:29.01]
A few of the levels increased,

[01:00:31.02]
so likely being exposed to 'em.

[01:00:33.03]
It's nearly impossible
to avoid all of these.

[01:00:35.06]
One of the other much more
persistent chemical is the PCBs.

[01:00:38.07]
These are really a legacy pollutant.

[01:00:41.01]
In your original testing,

[01:00:42.02]
you had "not detect" for
a number of the PCBs.

[01:00:45.07]
And this time, they were
over the 95th percentile.

[01:00:48.06]
So, a little bit surprising
in some ways, for sure.

[01:00:51.07]
- I'm excited and happy
about some of the things,

[01:00:55.00]
and then, at the same
time I'm feeling like,

[01:00:57.09]
I'm a little sad.

[01:00:59.06]
I'm not even thinking about

[01:01:00.08]
the 30 days so much of the detox

[01:01:03.03]
because that's neither here nor there,

[01:01:04.07]
and I felt really good on it.

[01:01:06.09]
But it's more the big picture of,

[01:01:09.06]
hmm, I really tried my hardest
and some things did come out

[01:01:13.09]
and that's great, but these
other things that didn't,

[01:01:16.05]
it does feel a little helpless.

[01:01:19.04]
It feels like I want somebody
else to watch out for me

[01:01:21.06]
since I can't do everything,
even if I tried my best.

[01:01:25.09]
The detox was able to get my levels

[01:01:27.07]
for many of these chemicals
down ever further.

[01:01:30.05]
But to find out why some went up,

[01:01:32.08]
I headed back to the Cleveland Clinic

[01:01:34.04]
to ask Dr. Hanaway how this could happen.

[01:01:38.00]
- Let's talk about the
results a little bit.

[01:01:40.00]
When I saw them,

[01:01:41.05]
the first thing that
flashed through my mind was,

[01:01:45.04]
"Oh, there's some things

[01:01:46.03]
"that are going up that are lipophilic."

[01:01:49.08]
So, that means those are compounds

[01:01:51.04]
that tend to be in the fat tissue.

[01:01:53.08]
So, I thought, "Gosh, I hope
Soozie's lost some weight,"

[01:01:57.08]
because that would totally
explain what's happening here.

[01:02:01.04]
With lipophilic agents that
have been used as pesticides

[01:02:05.02]
and those things that have
been used as flame retardants,

[01:02:07.06]
they stay in the fat tissues.

[01:02:09.01]
And when we release the fat,

[01:02:10.09]
they're releasing that
into your bloodstream.

[01:02:13.03]
So, it's circulating.

[01:02:15.02]
And now, slowly, if I keep
eating the phytonutrients,

[01:02:18.07]
sauna, and just living more
of a moderate, normal life,

[01:02:22.05]
I should pass those?
- Yes.

[01:02:23.07]
It's so important for
women preconceptually

[01:02:27.01]
to do a detox.

[01:02:28.07]
So, what you've done in
optimizing your health

[01:02:31.07]
and wellbeing before pregnancy
is exactly what we want.

[01:02:35.05]
- This is like the reverse
of my younger days, right?

[01:02:38.04]
You don't wanna get pregnant
until a certain point.

[01:02:40.07]
And then, when you wanna
get pregnant, you're like,

[01:02:42.09]
"OK, now I need to know
how to make this happen."

[01:02:45.01]
- Your vigilance is important.

[01:02:47.03]
Having the consciousness and awareness

[01:02:49.03]
will reduce your exposure
by anywhere from 50% to 90%.

[01:02:54.01]
- What I've really realized
through all of this

[01:02:56.06]
is that while I can
control some exposures,

[01:02:59.06]
I can't control others.

[01:03:00.08]
And so, if my day-to-day is
really just spent obsessing,

[01:03:04.04]
then I'm not really living.

[01:03:05.09]
So, it's about that middle ground.

[01:03:08.00]
- Be mindful, with heart
awareness, and go from there.

[01:03:12.09]
[light acoustic guitar music]

[01:03:14.01]
- [Soozie] I was well on my way

[01:03:15.02]
to getting long-lasting
chemicals out of my body.

[01:03:17.07]
And after I got back
from seeing Dr. Hanaway,

[01:03:19.09]
I learned I would be keeping them

[01:03:21.02]
out of my neighborhood, too.

[01:03:23.05]
The pesticide spraying had stopped

[01:03:25.02]
and I was asked to put up a bat house

[01:03:27.00]
for natural mosquito control.

[01:03:29.01]
- We have to make the change.

[01:03:30.04]
I also have a three and a
half year old son that--

[01:03:33.02]
Y'know, I wanna give him a better world.

[01:03:35.02]
It may be that the rules
were stacked against us.

[01:03:38.01]
But at some point,

[01:03:40.06]
we have to believe in the
mantra of "people power."

[01:03:44.00]
- I feel a real responsibility

[01:03:46.02]
to demand corporate accountability

[01:03:48.08]
and to say to the corporations

[01:03:50.02]
that are making the toxic
product, "You can do better.

[01:03:52.09]
"You have kids."

[01:03:54.04]
But retailers aren't
gonna make these changes

[01:03:56.07]
until consumers demand them.

[01:03:58.05]
- There have been consumer campaigns

[01:03:59.09]
that have really gotten rid
of some dangerous chemicals.

[01:04:02.03]
I mean, one good example is BPA,

[01:04:04.07]
where it used to be routinely
added to baby bottles

[01:04:07.09]
and sippy cups and some
other kid's products.

[01:04:10.09]
And consumers were in an
uproar when it became clear

[01:04:14.09]
that they were posing risks to the kids,

[01:04:17.03]
and they pushed back against
some of the big companies

[01:04:20.00]
and companies like Target and Walmart

[01:04:21.08]
decided to pull those products
and no longer sell them.

[01:04:25.03]
And that backed up into real improvements

[01:04:28.02]
at the national levels.

[01:04:29.08]
- [Soozie] Americans spend
more than a trillion dollars

[01:04:31.08]
on food, personal care, and
cleaning products every year.

[01:04:34.09]
If we focus more of our
spending on less toxic products,

[01:04:38.00]
big corporations will see the dollar signs

[01:04:40.03]
and meet our demands.

[01:04:41.09]
- The trend is to move toward
safer, healthier chemicals,

[01:04:45.07]
and the people who are leading that trend

[01:04:47.07]
are not our politicians,
not our regulators,

[01:04:50.04]
not our bureaucratic
scientists in Washington,

[01:04:53.05]
and certainly not the companies.

[01:04:55.01]
The people who are leading
that trend are consumers

[01:04:57.07]
who are saying, "I've had enough.

[01:04:59.06]
"I don't want this stuff in my blood

[01:05:01.07]
"and I definitely don't
want this stuff in my baby."

[01:05:05.08]
- Long before this journey began,

[01:05:07.04]
I knew I could have reproductive
challenges ahead of me.

[01:05:10.05]
I went back to my OB/GYN to
see if anything had changed.

[01:05:14.04]
[knocking]

[01:05:15.02]
Come in!

[01:05:16.05]
- [Dr. Bayati] Hi there!

[01:05:17.04]
How are you doing?

[01:05:18.03]
- Really well, how are you?

[01:05:19.01]
- I'm good, I'm excited
to take a look today.

[01:05:20.08]
- Me too!

[01:05:22.02]
- We're gonna do another ultrasound

[01:05:24.02]
and take a look at your ovaries

[01:05:25.04]
and see how they look in comparison

[01:05:27.02]
to the last time we did this.

[01:05:28.06]
OK, you ready?
- That's awesome, yes.

[01:05:30.00]
- OK, great. Come on down for me.

[01:05:31.00]
- I mean, as ready as a person can be

[01:05:32.05]
to have an ultrasound on camera.

[01:05:37.07]
- Alright.

[01:05:41.05]
So, let's take a look over here.

[01:05:44.08]
- Alright, so this is like the culmination

[01:05:46.06]
of everything, right?

[01:05:47.06]
- That's right.

[01:05:48.08]
- Most toxins are out, feeling good.

[01:05:52.00]
- Exactly.

[01:05:53.06]
- Now--
- Now, let's see how it all--

[01:05:55.00]
- Now, let's see.

[01:05:57.03]
- Looks.

[01:05:58.01]
- If thers's some payoff.

[01:06:00.07]
- Excellent.

[01:06:02.04]
- Yes?
- Very awake ovaries.

[01:06:05.02]
Lots of follicles.

[01:06:07.06]
- That's awesome.

[01:06:08.04]
- And it looks beautiful,
looks very awake.

[01:06:10.05]
And at this point in
time, fertility is yours.

[01:06:13.07]
So, you've gotta decide when you're ready.

[01:06:15.07]
- In the very beginning,

[01:06:17.00]
I came into this just thinking about

[01:06:19.05]
how I wanted to have the
healthiest baby possible.

[01:06:22.07]
And then, when I started learning more

[01:06:24.04]
and I realized that--

[01:06:25.08]
- "I just wanna have a baby."

[01:06:26.09]
- I just wanna be able to have a baby,

[01:06:28.07]
and you learn more and more.

[01:06:29.08]
I have so many friends that
can't get pregnant right now.

[01:06:32.08]
And so, it might not just be the toxins,

[01:06:36.05]
it might not just be the birth control,

[01:06:38.01]
it might not just be the food,

[01:06:39.02]
but when you put everything together,

[01:06:41.03]
I realize now, especially
over the past few months,

[01:06:44.00]
that I do have some kind
of control over my health

[01:06:48.00]
and my future.
- Absolutely, absolutely.

[01:06:49.08]
- Thank you so much, I'm so excited.

[01:06:51.03]
- Absolutely, it was
great to see you again.

[01:06:52.01]
- I'd hug you, but I have no pants on.

[01:06:56.04]
For the most part, my
social experiment worked.

[01:06:59.01]
And all the people I've
met while making this film

[01:07:01.05]
have made my love story
with everyday chemicals

[01:07:04.00]
a little less toxic.

[01:07:06.08]
What started as a
question of whether or not

[01:07:08.09]
I can impact my own exposure

[01:07:10.07]
has ignited a personal fight

[01:07:12.02]
against the barrage of petrochemicals

[01:07:14.00]
polluting our bodies and environment.

[01:07:16.06]
The reality is that we
can't rely on our government

[01:07:19.00]
and corporations to put
people before profits.

[01:07:22.03]
It's going to be up to us as individuals

[01:07:24.03]
making little changes within our lives,

[01:07:26.06]
homes and communities.

[01:07:29.00]
Enjoying a less toxic life
isn't as hard as I imagined,

[01:07:32.01]
which is a great thing,

[01:07:33.07]
because while we can't change the past,

[01:07:35.08]
it's up to us to make healthier
choices for ourselves,

[01:07:38.08]
our planet, and future generations.

[01:07:50.00]
["Whole Lot to Give" by Ben Sollee]

[01:08:00.03]
♪ Just please yourself ♪

[01:08:06.04]
♪ Feel the friction in your mind ♪

[01:08:11.06]
♪ Consider this opportunity ♪

[01:08:18.03]
♪ To move against the tides ♪

[01:08:22.08]
♪ Such thoughtful maps ♪

[01:08:28.08]
♪ Of an ever-changing coast ♪

[01:08:33.08]
♪ Draw lines where they never were ♪

[01:08:40.05]
♪ Just to see if they might belong ♪

[01:08:46.03]
♪ But you got a whole lot to give ♪

[01:08:52.00]
♪ Yes, you get a whole lot to give ♪

[01:08:57.06]
♪ But you got a whole lot to give ♪

[01:09:03.03]
♪ Yes, you got a whole lot to give ♪

[01:09:07.07]
♪ Just quit chasing your tail ♪

[01:09:13.08]
♪ You're tracking mud all over the place ♪

[01:09:19.06]
♪ Don't you remember the voice you used ♪

[01:09:25.08]
♪ When you spoke of precious things, yes ♪

[01:09:31.06]
♪ But you got a whole lot to give ♪

[01:09:37.02]
♪ Yes, you got a whole lot to give ♪

[01:09:42.08]
♪ But you got a whole lot to give ♪

[01:09:48.04]
♪ Yes, you got a whole lot to give ♪

[01:09:52.07]