This week's show looks at the health impacts of chemical pollution. At home, profit maximisation is steadily toxifying the environment of North America as corporations hide behind deceitful and outdated legal guidelines. In Nigeria, we see how $hell are blatantly dumping whatever is expedient, using a mixture of lawyers and violence to try to stifle objections. We conclude with a 2005 recording about the damage of pre-natal exposure to environmental toxins.
Thanks to Radio Ecoshock for the Frederica Perera speech
Not a cheery show this week, I'm afraid. We start with a radio adaptation of the film Homo Toxicus about chemical pollution in the developed world. The writer, Carole Poliquin, has her blood tested and finds it contains 110 chemical contaminants. She notes that safety standards are laxer in North America than in Europe. Safety limits do not reflect the scientific evidence that the body is acutely sensitive to endocrine disrupters such as Bisphenol-A. Is increasing pollution connected to decreasing fertility and increasing rates of illness worldwide?
Our second piece is a radio adaptation of the film 'Poison Fire', about the ecocidal and genocidal practices of $hell in Nigeria. The film focuses on the protracted legal battle with $hell to prevent the long standing practice of 'gas flaring'. $hell burn billions of dollars worth of gas every year in the Niger Delta, since this allows them to pump the oil faster. Not only does this contribute to global warming (about 18,000,000 cars worth) it releases hundreds of toxic chemicals into the environment. While the inhabitants of the Niger Delta have seen little of its profits, they have seen far too much of the oil - over 1,500,000 tons have been discharged into the Niger Delta since drilling began in 1956. For reference, that is the equivalent of one Exxon Valdeez per year.
We conclude with a 2005 recording of Frederica Perera speaking about her team's findings about the effects of pre-natal exposure to environmental toxins in North America.
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