DiluzjFilmAnnotation3

Joseph DiLuzio Film Annotation #3: Homo Toxicus //Homo Toxicus //, by Carole Poliquin, 2008

 The film focuses on raising awareness of the incredible amount of toxins in the food we eat, our plastics, and in practically every product we use. The film provides non-stop scientific case studies of the multitude of health risks that arise from the very common toxins in our environment. The presentation of the scientific studies that have shown that the various negative effects, such as breast cancer and thyroid cancer caused by biphenyl A, the cancer in cattle caused by hormones being added to the beef, the various biological studies that show a negative change in reproductive systems of various fish and frogs. The use of case studies of intuits and Indians in reservations is very effective in bringing the subject close to home by magnifying the effect these toxins have on human populations.

Largely, the film focuses on the ecological aspects of the sustainability problem; however there is some secondary focus on the Canadian organizational system. The film discusses the risks of cancer, genital mutation, low sperm count, hermaphrodites, mental disorders, asthma, and allergies. Additionally, //Homo Toxicus// discusses the flaws in the political and organizational system that Health Canada utilizes, which the author believes is broken and corrupt.

The case studies on the Inuit people and the Indian people on the Aamjiwnaang Reservation were very moving and persuasive studies to bring up for the purpose of the argument. They successfully counteract the supplied counter argument of their not being documented case of human side effects from these chemicals being in the environment. The decrease in male population, increase in male genital mutation, and increase in the overall health of the population, appear to be glaring evidence that these chemicals have adverse effects on humans. Additionally the factoid that was given that Biphenyl A is regulated based on 1980’s regulations, which were picked very loosely, are still being used despite 150+ studies that would show that it is having negative effects, greatly compelled me to seek out how to fix the regulations, and gave me a strong desire to enact better rules and regulations to fix it. The story involving the 3 scientists from Health Canada that were fired for not approving a drug they deemed to be hazardous to the cattle, and that could be tied directly to cancer, was a very startling case of evidence on the level of corruption in the Canadian federal regulations.

The film was hard to take seriously due to the almost childish narrative, and the various cheesy effects that were used. The sarcastic remarks from the narrator concerning Health Canada makes the whole video seem bitter and opinionated. Instead of focusing on just the facts, the documentary adds a few too many off-color remarks, and detracts from the arguments given in the video.

The main focus of the film would be the Canadian people; however the film still addresses issues that are present in many industrialized nations, including the United States, and can therefore be effectively shown in these industrialized nations and have the desired effect of getting the people to ask questions and enforce regulations on the chemicals in their products. The film could have used a few more graphs or figures that represented the various statistics that were cited, because it is hard to keep it all straight. There was a large number of scientific studies that were cited and explained, however they did not seem to be explained fully. The narrative style of the film did most of the scientific explanation, and ended up sounding more like someone reading a medical journal then trying to explain a complex biological situation to an average joe. Perhaps more explanations directly from university professors, head scientists, and other professionals, would have added to the film’s educational value. Buying local, knowing your farmer, and talking to your producer are all good ways of combating toxins in our foods and products. The greatest corrective action that could be taken is to simply start inquiring, and keep inquiring, to pressure companies to shape up or pack up. The film did not explicitly state any additional resources to find follow up or additional information, however research into the corruption of Heath Canada, revealed many websites and organizations that are based on revealing corruption and flaw in the Canadian Health system, including [|www.healthcanadaexposed.com], and a memoir by one of the scientists, Shiv Chopra, who was fired over the beef hormone, entitled //Corrupt to the Core: Memoirs of a Health Canada Whistleblower//.