Our Chemical Body Burden 335
How toxics move through the environment
Many toxic chemicals travel far from their sources through
air, water, and food, and in products we use every day,
such as plastics, cleaners, and pesticides. Some of these
chemicals remain in the environment for a long time. Every
person on earth carries toxic chemicals in their bodies.
Toxic chemicals
turn the web of
life into a web
of death.
Toxic chemicals collect in the fat of people and animals, and in
some plants. When people or large animals (such as bears, owls,
hawks, or large fish) eat smaller animals, fish, or plants, toxic
chemicals in them are passed along through the food chain or
food web and accumulate in the bodies of those eating them.
Toxic chemicals travel many
pathways into our bodies.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012