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Harm from Toxic Chemicals
With the growth of industry and industrial farming over the past century, toxic
chemicals have become a part of our daily lives. Most of these chemicals came
into use with little understanding of the harm they cause to people and the
environment.
We may be aware of these chemicals because we work with them, or
because we can see and smell the pollution they cause around us. Factories,
oil refineries, mines, and vehicles produce smoke and fumes that make people
cough and choke. Waterways near industrial areas and large farms are often
full of ugly, smelly waste. Petroleum production, chemical spills, and dumping
sites contaminate water, soil, and air, often in ways that we can see and smell.
Other times, pollution cannot be seen or smelled. Some chemicals travel far
from where they are used. They move through the air and water, in the foods
we eat, and in the bodies of people, animals, and fish. Many chemicals used in
ordinary products such as plastic bottles or motor vehicles, are so much a part
of everyday life we do not even think about the ways they are dangerous.