Tonkel+Homo+Toxicus

1. Homo Toxicus directed by Carole Poliquin and released in 2007. 2. The main argument of this film is that our world is immersed in manmade chemicals, most of which are considered hazardous to a person’s health and still many more that have not even been tested. Adding to this problem is the fact that many of the people in power ignore the signs and results of the dangers of these chemicals in order to keep the money flowing into their bank accounts. 3. The film addresses many issues that prevent sustainability. I would have to say the most costly and important would be the problem of how companies can develop and use chemicals before testing for health risks. Secondly, the way research is done, it takes years to know how a chemical reacts with the body and often the most harmful chemicals are being pumped into our water supply, placed in our homes or on our food, all while the research is still pending. By the time results are available, ten years worth of chemical sludge have been released into our environment. This really addresses the problems of our legal and politic system when lobbyists and corporate officials can keep our politicians from even addressing these issues. What really makes me upset is that even if a new law was to be placed before congress to try and fix the issue, companies are allowed to keep up everything they are doing while the people sit around and argue about the logistics. Lastly, there is also our laziness issue. Because people don’t want to have to do any more work there are laws that allow chemicals to go untested as long as someone doesn’t suspect them of causing problems. This is really a behavioral and cultural issue where our country values technological progress and miracle drugs over the safety of our bodies and our future generations. 4. I would have to say the most compelling part of this film for me would be how all these chemicals are just sitting in our bodies with few real signs of harm. It is really going to be our kid’s generation that will have the major issues. It really got to me because it reminded me of the how protective parents can be and how even at this stage in my life I want to do everything I can to make sure my kids will be healthier and better off than me. It scares me to think that if issues like these don’t get fixed, the world of the next generation could be a total disaster and filled with problems. 5. If I had to try and poke a hole in any of this it would be the facts about ADD and other problems being on the rise. Personally I do believe that these chemicals can cause these problems, I just know that many would argue that the diagnosis of these problems has been improved and more widely taken, causing more cases to arise. 6. After watching this film I want to know what chemicals are in my body and which are considered dangerous. I feel perfectly healthy and so knowing how I am harboring dormant problems, or what would happen if I was exposed to any of these chemicals would be very interesting. Secondly, I want to go find out if there are any ways to clear your system of many of these chemicals. I know there are lots of ways to detox and many types of foods that are meant to cleanse the body but do those types of things address the types of chemicals and toxins that are addressed in this film. I also think it would be good to research into the differences of safety deemed by countries like the European Union and the United States. It is amazing to think about how people cannot believe that because all of Europe believes chemicals to be bad that they are still fine for Americans. 7. I believe the film best addresses anyone that eats or drinks. It’s crazy to hear everything that gets into our bodies. I think it addresses all the right problems to make people start to think “Why are we letting people do this to us?” which is really the most important question. In order for anyone to push for change they need to believe something is wrong. However, I don’t know if has the ability to change how people act daily because the film didn’t offer much alternative, everyone has to eat. 8. As I started to mention in the previous question, the film didn’t really mention what we can do to change these problems. It did let you know that we need to change policy and stop the big chemical companies from deciding our fate. But as for changes an individual can make, the film kind of left the viewer empty handed. 9. I think this film had great educational value. It’s always hard to get such conclusive research on health issues like these because of the time that the chemicals take to affect the body. I thought the film did an exceptional job showing who has been and will be affected by all these toxins. It showed both small communities like the Inuit and how chemicals could cause other health problems all across America. I also thought it was good how the film showed it attempts to get interviews with the owners and operators of many of these companies and chemical plants. Many people try to argue that these types of films are very one sided but if the other side doesn’t offer its views we must assume that they really don’t have anything powerful to say.