Monday
March 16, 2009

The earth dries up and withers,
the world languishes and withers;
the heavens languish together with the earth.
The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth dwindled,
and few people are left...
the gladness of the earth is banished.
-Isaiah 24:4-6, 11b

Human Health, Pollution and Toxics:  Part 1
We know God has given us the privilege of acting as stewards of God’s good creation—we hold a privileged place within creation, but our role requires of us difficult work, and we often fail. 

Human activities have contaminated our water, air and land, resulting in pollution that threatens the integrity of ecosystems, the diversity of wildlife, and human health.  But our exposure to toxic chemicals comes not only by way of pollution.  Synthetic chemicals are all around us in our daily lives—sometimes in chemical products we knowingly purchase like cleaning supplies, and other times in products we expect to be safe and free of harmful chemicals, like baby bottles, shampoo, and food.  Product recalls of children’s toys and even baby formula manufactured using toxic chemicals have made news over the past several years, and have raised awareness about harmful chemicals in personal and household items we use daily.  These chemicals present a threat to us, our children, those involved in the manufacture of these products, and our environment.