Homo+Toxicus+-+JRH

Jacob Houser, Annotation #4 Homo Toxicus

Homo Toxicus, directed by Carole Poliquin, was released in 2008 and discusses all of the toxins that have built up in the body of an average modern day human. It also deals with how corporations and governments deal with such toxins and the studies that try to determine how they affect the human body.

The chemicals that are used in the production of our food and in other aspects of our modern lifestyles are a major sustainability problem from a health standpoint. The body can handle these toxins, such as mercury and PCBs in small amounts, but over the years, these toxins have built up in humans to levels where effects may be becoming evident. Inuit children with poor hearing and farmers with poor sperm count are only a couple of the problems presented. The film also describes the cause of this problem as irresponsible regulation of chemicals by both corporations and governments. Chemicals are frequently given the OK before adequate testing is done, and when researchers find negative effects, getting a chemical banned can prove nearly impossible due to government and corporate cover-ups and sometimes even cost a scientist their job.

The movie was very compelling due to it’s off the cusp nature and combination of personal testimonies as well as scientific studies and data. This allows for the film to appeal to every aspect of the viewer’s psyche. The story of individuals affected by this problem, as well as statistics on the effects and the overriding story of Poliquin’s quest to find out more about this issue and to spread awareness about the consequences of these chemicals were all allow the viewer to see the problem from many different angles. The way the film touches upon many different geographical regions and showed how this problem touches everyone almost everywhere.

This is a very well made film and there are not many aspects of it that I consider not persuasive. The only real negative aspect of this film was that it could get jumpy at times, leaving one person’s story to discuss something else, and then coming back to them. It made the film a little tough to follow, but was overall not a huge issue.

The target audience for this movie is educated people predominantly. It is very scientific and deals with a variety of chemicals and scientific research and technical issues. It does do a good job explaining these things to the audience, but it is still most likely aimed at an educated consumer class.

Homo Toxicus does a very good job showing the process of discovering a sustainability problem. By beginning with Poliquin’s quest to find out what is in her blood, it allows the viewer to learn along with the film and packs a lot of information into a small, but understandable, package. It then shows how raising awareness can make people think twice and also outlines how consumers can try to avoid products with such toxins. The movie suggests that consumers be more aware of what is in their products and begin demanding more organic products. It also calls for stricter regulation of toxins and better research to be done into the effects of these chemicals before they are given a seal of approval.

The most intriguing part of this film for me was the revelation of how many chemicals are so prevalent in the products we use. I decided to seek out a list of products that contained known toxins that have an effect on human health. I also found a list of products that are healthy and toxin free. The former I was able to locate on The US Department of Health and Human Services website. The latter was found on the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia’s website. Learning that everything from auto products to office supplies contain trace amounts of various toxins was quite a shock, but I was equally surprised at how many product were out there that were nontoxic alternatives to those that I use every day.

"Guide to Less Toxic Products." //Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov 2010. .

"Household Products Database." //US Department of Health and Human Services//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov 2010. .