Body burden refers to the accumulation of synthetic chemicals that are stored in the human body at detectable levels. Our bodies can carry a burden of chemicals and pollutants (both naturally occurring and man-made) that may remain present for many years after the exposure has been removed.

Chemicals in the environmental enter our bodies in the food we eat, the things we drink, the air we breathe, and everyday products that touch our skin. These chemicals sometimes leave the body very slowly, and they are stored in body tissue, blood, or bones, creating a body burden.

The liver, our body’s natural detox system

The primary role of the liver is to filter blood coming in from the digestive tract before it passes it to the rest of the body. The liver is important in breaking down waste products and toxins by removing them from the blood or neutralising them before expelling. It’s the human’s body’s natural detoxification system.

This process happens naturally, especially whilst we sleep at night, but sometimes that’s just not enough because the natural process can be interrupted by everyday chemicals or pollutants.

Our body’s natural detox system is not designed for the 1000’s of chemicals we’re exposed to in everyday life, and whilst many of them may be completely harmless, some may have a toxic effect.

It’s also difficult to know what our own personal body burden is without testing, and two people with the same level of exposure my react quite differently because of their genetic makeup.

Body burden and bioaccumulation

Many people are unaware that they carry a body burden of synthetic chemicals. Chemicals that the body cannot break down are stored in the fat cells, creating a constant workload for the body’s natural detoxification system as it tries to remove them. The presence of synthetic chemicals in the body’s fat cells slows down the natural detoxification process down, and over time this can lead to the body carrying a toxic load, or body burden.

Chemicals vary widely in the timescales it takes for their potency reduce, this is known as chemical half-life. Substances such as alcohol break down relatively quickly which is dispelled from the bloodstream within 12 hours, but synthetic chemicals take much longer, up to many years in some instances.

Over time, and with repeated exposure to chemicals, the effect of multiple chemicals entering the body can lead to a bioaccumulation of chemicals that can become toxic to our health, contributing to feeling unwell, and a wide range of illnesses and diseases.

It’s very difficult to detect the presence of toxic chemicals in the human body, it needs specialist testing and expert scientific analysis to identify them.

A European study of chemical body burden

In 2005 the World Wildlife Fund (WFF) led a campaign called DetoX to drive public awareness about the harmful effects of chemicals and to influence decision makers about the proven negative effects of some chemicals on human health.

The WWF carried out blood tests and biomonitoring of more than 350 people across Europe, including European politicians and journalists, and in a study known as “Generations X” three generations of families were tested across Europe to detect chemicals in their blood. In all cases they found that blood samples were contaminated chemicals with as yet, unknown health effects.

Tests for synthetic chemicals in the body

At lastinghealth.com we are developing new tests and services to enable anyone worried about their body burden to carry out non-invasive tests to discover discover if any toxic chemicals are present in their body. The results of the tests will be designed to help you make more informed choices about the products you use as part of your lifestyle and help you to improve your health outcomes.

Useful links

People are the ‘dominant source’ of air pollution

CHEMTrust – what is our ‘body burden’?

The evidence

Breast cancer and endocrine disrupting chemicals

The European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) 2017

University of California study of adolescent girls and reductions in EDC’s

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The liver, our body’s natural detox system

A European study of chemical body burden

Tests for synthetic chemicals in the body

Useful links

The evidence

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