Holguin-VerasLuisAnnotation5

Homotoxicus (2007) by Carole Poliquin

The central issue that the movie is about is the fact that have produced over 100,000 chemicals and that nature is not able to break them apart. In addition to releasing these chemicals into the environment, most of which are entering the bodies of animals, which in turn humans eat some of these animals who are infected with these chemicals that cause several severe issues.
 * · __**Political**__ – 3 scientists were fired from their company, Health Canada because the scientists spoke up against and had issues with what the the company added to their meat supply. The company was adding hormones in increase the weight of the meat that was intended to be eaten by humans. The company did not realize or may have not cared whether humans would be affected by the hormones that they used.
 * · __**Legal**__ **–** Both the United States and Canada allow the usage of various chemicals that are hazardous to both are health and our environment. Thankfully for the time being however, the European Union does not allow the same chemicals or at least does not allow the same amounts of the chemicals to use even used. The US and Canada seem to have a reactionary approach to various things as compared to the EU who seems to take a proactive approach.
 * · __**Technological**__ – Like the central issue indicated above, we have so much technology that we create more than 1,500 new chemicals in addition to the 100,000 chemicals that are already on the market.
 * · __**Ecological**__ – We dump tons of chemicals and other hazardous wastes into our environment. In time, we ourselves will get affected by these chemicals in the fact that we interact and eat animals that come in contact with these chemicals. A basic example that illustrates this best is how the natural chain works. The fact that small fish get contaminated with chemicals, medium sized fish eat the smaller ones and this continues the higher you go up in the chain. At which point once at the very top of the chain, humans eat the largest contaminated fish, which increases the degree of danger and chemical concentration.
 * · In addition, the film showed an Indian reservation that was located close to some type of chemical producing factory. As a result of their close proximity to the factory, they inhabitants have had high amounts of miscarriages. Also since, 1993, there have been twice as many girls born than boys. Normally there would be more boys than girls in any given population.
 * · __**Behavioral**__ – The women at the beginning of the movie got a blood test so that she could find out how many chemicals were present in her blood. The test showed that she had a wide range of different chemicals within her system. Her response to this conclusion was something like having these chemicals within her body is not really a problem because she has not noticed or has had any issues with her body and has concluded that she has no problem with having these chemicals.
 * · __**Educational**__ – As a result of the various chemicals shown in the film, students have had various health related issues. A school principle stated that in his 16 years in the education sector, the most common issue that he has noticed with his students is with ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder. Another issue that is shown is that some of the given chemicals are eroding the ear drums of many children. As a result, some of the schools are having to spend more on technologies, one being hearing devices, that will allow the children to listen in class.
 * · Toxicologists have for the most part have only done studies with chemicals in large amounts can do to a body. Generally they do not do any research in what could and can happen in cases of small amounts of chemicals are exposed to various populations.

The part of the film that I found most persuasive and compelling was when the scientist stated what small amounts of certain chemicals can do. After which, a women showed all of the products in the house that contained these very chemicals. I was just amazed, be it in a bad way, at just the sear amount of products that have these chemicals.

The film is very compelling to me in that it makes me want to look for “green” products. All I currently know about “green” products are their names like Seventh Generation and a brand under Martha Stewart. Another scene was when a group of people had a buffet of food which showed all the chemicals that are within the foods shown. I am unable to recall any points of intervention that is suggested by the film in that mostly all it did was indicate that the chemicals shown in the movie are bad. To enhance the film, the film should have given alternatives that people can use if they do not want to use the products with dangerous chemicals in them.

The film does a decent job at conveying different perspectives in that you get to see the various views of some scientists, the consumer and a very minimal view from the companies. I do not think that it was overly balanced in that the movie mainly showed the consequences of using materials in products that we quite often use on a daily basis.

I think the most compelling image shown in the movie that will most likely stick with the viewers was shown towards the end of the movie. The scene shown was that a group of people had made a buffet of foods that showed what various types of chemicals that would be found in those foods that we eat.