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//Homo Toxicus// by Carole Poliquin was released in 2008. This film centers on how many different chemicals a person comes in contact with over a lifetime and the affects of those toxins. It discusses different standards of the amount of chemicals allowed in products and how the industries have a lot of power over the government standards.

There were a lot of numbers thrown at the viewer. Carole has a blood test and finds there are 110 contaminants in her blood. The film does then explore some of the issues caused by these toxins. There is a link between PCBs and thyroid problems. This is hard to find in individuals, but can been seen in a larger population. Inuit populations have a high incidence of ear infections, causing ear drum deterioration. There are more infections in children exposed to chemicals. The local schools are outfitted with microphones to help students with hearing disabilities. In the classroom shown three of the eighteen children had serious allergies. There is testing of these chemicals done on rats. Rats exposed to PBDE are hyperactive. Low levels of contamination can alter the way genes behave. I was not compelled by the link drawn between exposure to PBDE and the number of children with ADD or ADHD. These disorders have only recently become actually diagnoses. Years ago the child would just be considered hyper active, or given some other diagnosis. The fact that ADD and ADHD are being diagnosed at higher incidence does not show a link between this disorder and exposure to chemicals. This part of the film left me wondering how many children’s allergies or hearing issues were hereditary, and not due to exposure to chemicals.

In an Indian Reservation there are twice as many female births as male as of 1993. More male fetuses are lost to miscarriages, due to how fragile they are. There is no way to know what triggered this change. This is mimicked in the fish population where there are issues with the males’ sperm. In rural Missouri men exposed to more pesticides have lower sperm counts as well.

Viewers then see scientists that were fired for opposing a hormone used in beef. This leaves people hopeless. If scientists who do the research are fired, what can an everyday person do? The populations seen above are aware of these issues, but “if we don’t eat that, what do we eat?” There are some industries that participate in voluntary measures as risk management.

This film does a great job of breaking down these issues, but really doesn’t give the viewer a lot they can do. Eating organic foods and using organic products may lower the amount of chemicals one is exposed to everyday. However, toxins are in our air and water, and there is nothing a person can do to avoid breathing them in on a daily basis.