Any chemicals which, through their chemical actions or reaction on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals are termed as toxic chemicals. This includes all such
chemicals, regardless of their origin or their method of production.

Between 1930 and 2000, global production of man-made chemicals increased from 1 million to 400 million tonnes annually.

While some chemicals bring significant benefits to society through their use in healthcare for example, unfortunately some chemicals are damaging wildlife and people, and we still don't know enough about their long-term effects.

Man-made chemicals are in use all around us in pesticides to cosmetics and baby bottles to computers and so on.

During their manufacture and use, chemicals are released into the environment. They can travel vast distances by air or water and are also absorbed by wildlife and humans through the  skin and food or water.

Hazardous man-made chemicals have contaminated the environment and the wildlife.

HARMFUL PROPERTIES
There is particular concern about 3 types of chemicals in use today. These are:

Very persistent and very bioaccumulative chemicals that break down slowly or not at all, and accumulate in the bodies of wildlife and the people
Endochrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which interfere with the hormonal systems of the living beings.

The Chemicals also cause cancer, reproductive  problems or damage DNA.

We must be extremely cautious while using chemicals in even seemingly as harmless products as hair shampoos for protecting our own health and the planet earth.

-  Harshika Bhandari
MBA I C