The Columbine High School killers were 10 and 11 years old when this decision was made, and since that time we have routinely dumped heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, household chemicals, industrial chemicals, pesticides and disease-causing microbes into agricultural soil. The dumping of sludge is just one example of the continuing degradation of our food supply. The use of pesticides has increased 33 fold since 1942. Recent studies show that trace levels of multiple pesticides cause increased aggression. Trace pesticide mixtures have induced abnormal thyroid hormone levels, which are associated with irritability, aggression and multiple chemical sensitivity.
Children are the most vulnerable to pollutants.
Because they are growing rapidly and they are smaller, they absorb 40 to 50 percent more toxic leads than adults. Babies fed infant formula rather than breast milk absorb more heavy metals such as manganese. And calcium deficiency in childhood also increases uptake of lead and manganese. An article in a February 1996 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, titled 'Bone Lead Levels and Delinquent Behavior,' outlines the association between heavy metals in the body and behavior problems such as attention deficit disorder, aggression, and delinquency. Added to sludge and pesticides is the underlying problem of the transformation of our eating habits and food supply.