The Hindu Business Line : Free radicals are rebel molecules

Only 5 per cent of pesticides reach target weeds; the rest runs off into water or mixes with air. Roughly half a billion tonnes of chemicals are used annually, worldwide.

Here are more fast facts that Paul Kramer mentions in Fighting Body Pollution, from Manjul Books (www.manjulindia.com): "The average person consumes over fourteen pounds of food chemicals and additives each year... Out of 2,700 chemicals that are marketed in quantities above 1,000 tonnes per year, there is insufficient or no basic toxicity data on 86 per cent of them... One billion people, mostly women and children, are exposed to levels of indoor air pollution exceeding WHO (World Health Organisation) guidelines by up to 100 times."

As a result of many pollutants entering and getting stored in our bodies, what happens is `body pollution', says Kramer. He explains how, despite the detoxification performed by liver, kidneys, lungs, skin and intestines, we are still left with a damaging residue, because "our bodies simply can't detoxify and eliminate all the chemicals we ingest."

Free radicals are one of the most destructive by-products of body pollution, informs the author. "Think of free radicals as your body's rebel molecules — they're highly reactive and have only one electron instead of the usual pair. In a battle for survival, they search out healthy cells in your body and steal the extra electron they need. These little thieves end up permanently damaging healthy cells... Just as a car rusts from oxidation, your body `rusts' from the oxidising effects of free radicals."

Kramer cautions that free radicals contribute to many diseases and also accelerate the ageing process. Another consequence of pollution is the reduction in immune capacity.

Dangerous if unread!

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