“Tell me what kinds of toxins are in your body, and I’ll tell you how much you’re worth,” could be the new motto of doctors everywhere. In a finding that surprised even the researchers conducting the study, it turns out that both rich and poor Americans are walking toxic waste dumps for chemicals like mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium and bisphenol A, which could be a cause of infertility. And while a buildup of environmental toxins in the body afflicts rich and poor alike, the type of toxin varies by wealth.
America’s rich are harboring chemicals associated with what are normally considered healthy lifestyles
People who can afford sushi and other sources of aquatic lean protein appear to be paying the price with a buildup of heavy metals in their bodies, found Jessica Tyrrell and colleagues from the University of Exeter. Using data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Tyrrell et al. found that compared to poorer people, the rich had higher levels of mercury, arsenic, caesium and thallium, all of which tend to accumulate in fish and shellfish.
The rich also had higher levels of benzophenone-3, aka oxybenzone, the active ingredient in most sunscreens, which is under investigation by the EU and, argue some experts, may actually encourage skin cancer.
America’s poor have toxins associated with exposure to plastics and cigarette smoke
Previous research has established that rich Americans are more likely to eat their fruits and vegetables and less likely to eat “energy-dense” fast food and snacks, but this work establishes that in some ways, in moving up the economic ladder Americans are simply trading one set of environmental toxins for another.
There is a theory that at least a partial explanation of the decline of Ancient Rome can be found in the heavy use of lead in Roman society. Lead was used in pipes (our word for plumbing comes from the word for lead in Latin, Plumbum), and of course, the wealthier one was in Rome, the more plumbing one could afford in one's house. The Romans also cherished powered lead for its smooth creamy look, and used it in cosmetics. Romans had a taste for wine with a touch of lead flavoring. One of the earliest effects of lead poisoning is a reduced fertility in young adults, and children born of persons who are suffering from lead poisoning are less healthy, and robust. Another effect of lead poisoning is a reduced intelligence. Whether these effects were sufficient to "dumb down" the wealthier classes of Rome, and lead to a social decline, is an interesting speculation.
It therefore not unprecedented that the wealthier classes in our own society, may be suffering from this curious effect of the higher consumption of products contaminated by heavy metals.
Some societies, such as India, have a high consumption of foods spiced with curry, which contains turmeric. A component of turmeric, curcumin, can assist the human body in removing heavy metals, and turmeric also acts as a natural agent that resists spoilage, i.e. it acts as a preservative in foods, important in an area where refrigeration is problematical.
