The Deindustrialist Newsletter: [Issue 3 - Week of October 23rd, 2023]
Unveiling the Dark Side of Food, Pharma, and Tech — From PFAS in Your Water to Heavy Metals in Halloween Treats
Dear readers,
As the leaves turn golden and autumn fully embraces us, families are gearing up for the joys and spooks of Halloween. Yet, amidst the fall festivities and pumpkin patches lies a sobering undercurrent that we cannot afford to ignore. This week's edition of 'The Deindustrialist' delves into a series of critical stories that shed light on the mounting concerns and hidden dangers stemming from industrial practices, pharmaceutical interventions, and governmental complacency—each of which has far-reaching impacts on family health, individual freedoms, and societal well-being.
We uncover alarming revelations about PFAS chemicals in our waterways linked to thyroid cancer, ask tough ethical questions as pharmaceutical giants push for weight-loss drug trials on children as young as six, and probe international studies suggesting that glyphosate, a key ingredient in weed killers, could be tied to an increase in childhood leukemia rates. In our Halloween Special, we zoom in on harmful additives in your children's treats—additives that industry and regulators have allowed to sneak into our homes disguised as innocent indulgences.
This week's News Rundown In-Brief offers further explorations into the murky territories of parental health choices. Whether it's the manufacturing of toddler formula stewing parental anxiety, the rapid FDA approvals that raise eyebrows, or the tech giants that sway societal norms and jeopardize the well-being of our youngest citizens, what becomes overwhelmingly clear is that corporate and governmental influences often prioritize profit and power over the health and autonomy of families.
Why do these stories matter? Because they are not isolated incidents but rather pieces in a much larger, disconcerting puzzle. They reveal the unspoken partnerships between industry and regulation, the lack of transparency and accountability, and the erosion of trust that jeopardizes the sanctity of family health and well-being. These narratives remind us of our urgent, collective responsibility to stay informed, exercise caution, demand transparency, build communities, and cultivate autonomy. Because when it comes to the well-being of our families—compromise is not an option.
In our in-depth essay this week, I offer a glimpse into my personal journey that led to the creation of 'The Deindustrialist.' I delve into why I believe it's time for us to transition from a 'kid-centric' to a 'family-centric' model of health, grounded in natural wisdom. And in our media find of the week, we explore a new documentary that further underscores the need for vigilance and activism in the face of corporate influence on public health.
As you navigate the complexities of modern life, may this week's edition serve as a guide, a cautionary tale, and ultimately, a call-to-action. For we are not just the guardians of our children’s present; we are the architects of their future.
To health, freedom, and unyielding vigilance,
Greg Cello
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Deindustrialist
➡️ Continue reading for a wealth of critical insights and actionable steps that can better equip you in your role as a conscientious parent, a concerned citizen, and an advocate for change.
Week of October 23rd Highlights
1️⃣ New Study Links PFAS Exposure to Increased Thyroid Cancer Risk - [October 24, 2023]
Summary:
A recent study published on Oct. 24 reveals that exposure to certain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) may increase the risk of thyroid cancer. This is the first study to document such an association, adding to the growing list of health issues linked to PFAS, including kidney cancer and high cholesterol. The study specifically identified a 56% higher risk for thyroid cancer diagnosis with doubly high levels of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in the blood.
Why It Matters:
Thyroid cancer diagnoses have been on the rise, and this research provides a crucial link between the disease and exposure to PFAS chemicals, which are prevalent in consumer goods and industrial processes. With PFAS contamination affecting approximately 83% of U.S. waterways, this issue has wide-reaching implications for public health.
Actionable Insight:
Individuals' Vigilance: Be aware of potential sources of PFAS, such as in your cooking ware, but especially in drinking water, and take precautions accordingly.
Regulatory Bodies' Urgency: Accelerate the establishment of national drinking water standards specifically for PFAS; use ongoing lawsuits as leverage for stronger regulations.
Consumers' Proactive Steps: Invest in water filtration solutions that are proven to effectively remove PFAS from drinking water. Remove all nonstick cookware from your home.
Be proactive in protecting yourself and your family from PFAS exposure by understanding the risks and taking definitive actions.
Additional Context:
This research comes at a time when chemical giants like 3M and DuPont have agreed to settlements for testing and removing toxic chemicals from community water supplies. Moreover, the U.S. EPA recently closed a loophole on PFAS reporting requirements. There are plans to replicate the study with a larger Europe-wide sample and a specific focus on military personnel, who are at elevated risk due to PFAS contamination in more than 700 military sites around the U.S.
2️⃣ Pharmaceutical Companies Promote Weight-Loss Injections for Children as Young as Six - [October 25, 2023]
Summary
Three major pharmaceutical companies are testing popular weight loss drugs for children as young as 6, despite known physical and mental health risks associated with these medications. While Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have received approval for these drugs for people ages 12 and up, they are now moving into pediatric trials. The move has raised ethical concerns among medical professionals and consumer advocates, particularly in light of the FDA's updated warnings about potential life-threatening side effects.
Why It Matters
Childhood obesity rates have quadrupled since the 1980s, affecting nearly 20% of children aged 2-19 in the U.S. This makes it a pressing public health issue but also a lucrative market for pharmaceutical companies. The push to test these drugs on younger populations is happening despite the myriad of adverse effects and the lack of long-term studies proving their safety for children, which puts a vulnerable demographic at risk.
Actionable Insights
Parents' Caution Needed: Understand the side effects and limitations of weight-loss drugs for children; these should be a last resort, not a quick fix.
Healthcare Providers' Responsibility: Stay current on clinical trials and exercise extreme caution before recommending weight-loss drugs to pediatric patients.
Policymakers' Ethical Duty: Consider the ethical implications and long-term risks of approving such drugs for children, especially when sufficient safety data is lacking.
Approach these drugs with caution and demand rigorous standards to ensure the safety of children.
Additional Context
The cost of these weight loss medications can be prohibitive, often not covered by insurance. Even if effective, these drugs do not guarantee permanent weight loss and have been known to lead to a "rebound effect" where the weight is regained. Medical experts argue that the focus should be on lifestyle changes, like diet and exercise, especially in children whose bodies are still developing. The drugs also present a high risk of gastrointestinal issues, anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts, according to FDA and European regulators. With such high stakes, the rush to push these drugs into pediatric use raises serious ethical and safety questions.
3️⃣ Glyphosate Suspected in Soaring Childhood Leukemia Rates - [October 25, 2023]
Summary:
Childhood leukemia and leukemia in young adults have surged by an estimated 35% since 1975, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noting a 1% annual increase in recent years. A multi-institutional international toxicological study, known as the Global Glyphosate Study, has presented initial data suggesting that glyphosate-based weedkillers like Bayer's Roundup could be a major contributing factor to this alarming trend.
Why It Matters:
Leukemia is currently the most common cancer among children, and its rising incidence is a major public health concern. The study is among the most comprehensive to date on the toxicological effects of glyphosate, providing crucial data that could influence regulatory decisions affecting millions of people.
Actionable Insights:
Urgent Need for Safety Reevaluation: Current safety standards for glyphosate-based herbicides must be urgently reviewed.
Call to Action for Regulatory Bodies & Healthcare Professionals: These preliminary findings should not be ignored; immediate action is required.
Parental Concerns: If you're worried about your child's exposure to glyphosate, act now.
Home Gardens: Avoid using glyphosate-based weedkillers.
Organic Produce: Opt for fruits and vegetables that are free from such chemicals.
Water Filtration: Use systems capable of removing glyphosate from your drinking water.
Community Advocacy: Push for glyphosate-free environments in schools and community spaces to protect all children.
Additional Context:
The study was coordinated by the Ramazzini Institute and involved scientists from multiple countries, strengthening the validity of its results. It looked at various toxicological impacts, including carcinogenicity and endocrine disruption. The research has been primarily funded through crowdfunding and is still ongoing, with peer-reviewed papers set to be published from early 2024 onwards.
🎃 Halloween Week 2023 🎃 - Special Edition on Big Food
As Halloween approaches, startling revelations about harmful ingredients in kids' treats spotlight Big Food's dark priorities. From cancer-linked additives like titanium dioxide and Red 3 to heavy metals in chocolate, these alarming findings are a wake-up call for parents to scrutinize labels and make smarter choices. This holiday, remember that the treats your children collect may carry hidden, health-harming tricks, thanks to an industry more committed to profits than your family's well-being.
1️⃣ The Global Divide Over Controversial Food Additive Titanium Dioxide - [October 23rd,2023]
Parents must exercise extreme caution about the food additives present in many popular candies, particularly titanium dioxide. This additive is prevalent in U.S. sweets and has been linked to a range of health risks, including genotoxicity, intestinal inflammation, and even potential cancer. As Halloween approaches, it's especially crucial to scrutinize food labels for this 'possibly carcinogenic' substance, which remains unregulated in the U.S. despite its ban in the European Union. The risks go beyond immediate health concerns, affecting even vitamin D absorption and posing dangers to unborn and breastfeeding children. In light of the upcoming Halloween festivities, avoid candies with titanium dioxide and advocate for more stringent food safety regulations. Article link for further information.
2️⃣ Urgent Alert: Scrutinize Halloween Candy for Red 3 and Other Harmful Additives Now - [October 10, 2023]
With Halloween just around the corner, parents face an urgent call to scrutinize the candy that may end up in their children's buckets, particularly those containing the food dye Red 3—a known carcinogen. Despite its official recognition as a harmful substance, Red 3 remains startlingly prevalent in a variety of popular candies due to regulatory lapses. As concerns about public health grow, it's crucial for parents to be proactive: always read ingredient labels, consult reliable databases like the Environmental Working Group’s FoodScores, and advocate for stricter food safety laws. While California has taken a step forward by passing legislation to ban Red 3 from foods starting in 2027, the dye and other potentially hazardous additives are still present in many candies today. Exercise caution not just against Red 3, but also other synthetic dyes and additives, as they too pose risks to health. Read more here.
3️⃣ The Heavy Metal Truth About Your Holiday Chocolate Indulgence - [October 25, 2023]
As we approach the holiday season, a new Consumer Reports study has updated its information on the levels of heavy metals like lead and cadmium in various chocolate products. It turns out that all 48 products tested, from cocoa powder to milk chocolate, had detectable levels of these metals. The findings have serious health implications, especially for children and pregnant individuals, who are at greater risk for developmental and other health issues from heavy metal exposure. While many may find it amusing that every chocolate brand tested is offering a side of heavy metals with their treats, the report suggests you can still make safer choices by selecting products with lower detected levels. Despite reassurances from industry groups and the FDA, the report indicates that more could be done to lower these levels in chocolate products. So this holiday season, remember, indulging in that chocolate treat comes with more than just added calories; there's also a dash of heavy metals to consider.
📰 Week of October 23rd, News Rundown In-Brief:
[10/20/23] Big Food is exploiting parental concern by peddling unregulated and unnecessary toddler formulas, misleading families into believing these products are essential for their child's health when a balanced diet is more than sufficient. See the full report by the AAP here.
[10/24/23] In the face of mounting evidence linking aluminum adjuvants in vaccines like Gardasil to adverse health outcomes, Big Pharma continues to jeopardize public trust, dodging ethical accountability and transparency while pushing products that demand immediate and rigorous safety reevaluation.
[10/17/23] In the haste to vaccinate young populations, a recent FDA study linking seizures in children aged 2-5 to Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines has been alarmingly brushed aside, underscoring the urgent need for parental caution, deeper investigation, and transparent public discourse.
[10/20/23] Amidst dwindling demand for its COVID-19 products, Pfizer's swift FDA approval for its new meningococcal vaccine Penbraya raises eyebrows, especially when the vaccine's long-term effects on teenagers and young adults are yet unknown and the disease itself is rare—prompting families to weigh the actual necessity against the unknown risks.
[10/24/23] In a sweeping lawsuit filed by over 40 U.S. states, Meta Platforms Inc. stands accused of deliberately compromising the well-being of young users and violating consumer protection laws, challenging the tech giant's claims of safety and igniting urgent debates about corporate responsibility, government oversight, and the far-reaching societal impact of platforms whose influence rivals that of nations.
[10/23/23] Amid glowing Australian research promoting iron-fortified infant cereals for brain development, a closer look reveals the study is funded by Nestlé Nutrition Institute, the same entity that profits from selling these cereals, raising questions about scientific integrity and urging parents to exercise caution before embracing these conveniently beneficial findings.
[10/24/23] A study in JAMA Pediatrics finds that children infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 are infectious for a median of three days, with no difference in infectivity duration based on vaccination status, challenging current school isolation policies.
[10/17/23] An analysis in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research claims that Pfizer-BioNTech delayed reporting vaccine-associated deaths and failed to account for a significant number of dropouts in their clinical trial, obscuring a 3.7-fold increase in cardiac deaths among vaccine recipients and raising ethical and legal questions about their Emergency Use Authorization application to the FDA.
💡 Why These Stories Matter
The stories I highlight and share this week are more than isolated incidents; they form a disquieting narrative that highlights the myriad ways in which industrial systems—be it Big Food, Big Pharma, or Big Tech—are infiltrating the sanctity of family health and well-being. From the manufacturing of parental anxieties for profit to obscuring crucial safety data, these entities are continuously compromising public trust. The confluence of these stories reveals a disturbing trend: The big players in food, healthcare, and technology are increasingly putting their bottom lines ahead of the health and safety of our children and families. As the information landscape gets more complicated and obscured by vested interests, the stakes for parents in making informed choices for their families have never been higher.
What Can We Do About It?
Stay Informed: Don't rely solely on mainstream narratives or industry-funded studies. Seek out independent sources of information and scrutinize data critically.
Exercise Caution: Whether it’s what we feed our kids or the vaccines we allow them to receive, it's crucial to exercise prudence, especially in the face of new products or research that hasn’t stood the test of time.
Demand Transparency and Accountability: Support policies and initiatives that demand greater transparency from corporations and governmental organizations. Back lawsuits and public actions that hold these entities accountable.
Community Building: Lean into your local and online communities to share information and resources. Knowledge is power, and it becomes more potent when shared among a community of concerned parents and citizens.
Cultivate Autonomy: Make strides to reduce your dependency on these industrial systems. From growing your own food to investigating natural health alternatives, reclaiming agency over what goes into our bodies is the ultimate form of empowerment.
Contact Representatives: Let your voice be heard by those who make policies. Engage in grassroot campaigns to demand reforms in industries affecting your family's health.
Educate Our Kids: Teach our children critical thinking and media literacy skills. Encourage them to question the status quo and make informed decisions.
Keep the Conversation Alive: Whether it's by sharing articles like these in your social circles or by sparking discussion among friends and family, the first step to combating this insidious influence is to bring these issues into the daylight.
In the end, our collective mission is not merely to navigate a system rigged against us, but to reform it at its core. As parents, we are not merely the custodians of our children’s present, but the architects of their future. It's time to take that role seriously.
This Week’s In-Depth Essay:
The Deindustrialist: An Origin Story
In this week's essay, I open up about my transformative journey—from my years in the military and the halls of biotech companies and healthcare institutions to my most rewarding roles as a husband and father. These experiences have fueled my drive to create "The Deindustrialist," a platform aimed at exposing how our health systems are compromised by corporate and political interests. This is more than just a news publication; it's a call-to-action for all of us to shift from a 'kid-centric' to a 'family-centric' model of health and well-being, anchored in the wisdom and sustenance that nature provides. Don't miss out on this pivotal discussion about reclaiming our health sovereignty for the betterment of our families and communities.
Check it out here.
📺 Media Find of the Week
New Documentary ‘Into The Weeds’ Exposes the Dark Side of Pesticide Regulation and Its Impact on Public Health
The new documentary "Into the Weeds" exposes the story of Dewayne "Lee" Johnson's legal battle against Bayer-Monsanto over his terminal cancer diagnosis due to exposure to RoundUp, while also shedding light on how Monsanto manipulated scientific studies to downplay the risks of its product. The film comes at a critical time as Congress considers the Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act, a bill that could hamper local regulation of toxic pesticides and derail lawsuits like Johnson's by aligning state and local policies solely with EPA standards. This legislation is an attempt by big agribusiness and pesticide companies to override local authority and avoid accountability, revealing the depth of corporate influence in regulatory agencies.
🏡 Community Corner
I have no company to spotlight this week. Instead, I have a simple request: Go introduce yourself to that neighbor you haven’t met yet. Regardless of any excuses you may have had, find the time to walk over there and say hi. Get to know them; find out where they're from, how long they've lived there, and what they think about the area you both live in, among other things. Life is too short to live in isolation.
This is especially poignant if you have young children. You should be eager to know who your neighbors are, not just for safety purposes but also for community building. You have no idea what they may offer in terms of raising your children or simply enriching your life.
Conclusion
As we wrap up this week's sobering insights into the industrial mechanisms shaping our lives, let it serve as a wake-up call, not a farewell note. The stories are disturbing, yes, but ignorance is not bliss—it's complicity. Each of us has the power to disrupt this industrial narrative, demanding transparency and advocating for our families' health and freedom. Your choices today shape the world our children inherit tomorrow. Remember: the fight for a healthier, freer future starts with you.
And as always,
Stay Aware. Stay Empowered. Stay Free.
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