Women's Health

Simple Lifestyle May Limit Exposure to Chemicals

Debate About Chemicals Continues

Yes, members of the OOM community may well lead healthier lifestyles, but the new findings add nothing to the debate about health risks associated with any chemicals, says Gilbert Ross, MD. He is the executive director and medical director of the American Council on Science and Health, a New York City-based consumer education-public health organization.

"The OOM community has population-wide behavioral and lifestyle parameters that result in a lower exposure to certain ubiquitous environmental chemicals and substances. These include fragrances and certain food preparation items, and compounds from motor vehicle emissions," he says in an email.

But "these well-known facts add nothing whatsoever to the controversy fomented by anti-chemical activists and advocates."

The new study does not document any risks associated with exposure, he says. "The insinuation that somehow the lower exposures of this group due to their simple and vigorous lifestyle are somehow responsible for the allegedly lower rates of certain illnesses and conditions, such as diabetes, is not science. It is speculation."