According to an investigative panel presented earlier this week, as much as 80% of Japan's food supply may contain Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), a suspected endocrine disrupter.
DEHP is used to make plastics flexible and it's a big component of vinyl and some food packaging. In low levels, it's not likely to harm you too much, because the body can break it down pretty quickly. But high level, long term exposure in rat studies did nasty thing to the poor rats, like kidney damage and reproduction problems.
Of course, rats aren't human. Should we worry? Maybe not about this specific problem, but the combined chemicals and manmade things in our environment have got to have an affect on us.
I've always had a suppressed urge to run away to the countryside and live more in harmony with nature,eating grains I grew, using energy from renewable sources, raising animals for food and clothing but I'm not sure I could give up my computer. Articles and reports like this make me think about it more seriously.
I couldn't agree more. Only I am not so sure I could survive in the countryside and I would be very lonely and would have to travel miles and miles to earn money, thus further polluting the pristine country environment. Backyard garden? Do it yourself chicken farming? What to do?
Lonely I can manage. I just need a computer and high-speed Internet access...
If I could have those, I could live just about anywhere that had decent weather. Maybe a nice tropical island. :-)
*wonders how you plant chickens*
Hawaii. Hawaii. Hawaii. :)
Plant chickens feet first.
Sheep!
I lived in a big city then moved to a carebbean island (which is what most people dream of doing when they retire)first on the seaside, then in the countryside, and let me tell you, no matter what people say, the modern man CAN'T live in the past, if you think "you like piña coladas and get cought in the rain" think again, you don't.
After 6 years there I spoke to dozens of people living there for a while (5 to 12 years) all of which would have killed to get back in the civilized world, only that the latter goes on FAST and after a while you are cut out, your skills expired and you don't have nothing to offer in the big city, hence you are trapped in the past.
If anyone is thinking of leaving the big city to go in the countryside I would think about it 6 to 100 times before doing it...
As for me I would rather eat plastic in Tokyo than eat healthy foods in "Los Pollos"...