This Thursday, the United States will be hit with a report from the President’s Cancer Panel that is an eye-opener.

In an unprecedented move, the panel sides with the nation’s organic food initiative — suggesting that preference be given to such food. The report also stresses the need for more stringent regulation of what exactly goes into or treats (i.e., pesticides) the nation’s food supply — namely, chemicals and antibiotics. And it’s those who have yet to enter this world who seem to be most affected by these possible carcinogens. As Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times writes:

In particular, the report warns about exposures to chemicals during pregnancy, when risk of damage seems to be greatest. Noting that 300 contaminants have been detected in umbilical cord blood of newborn babies, the study warns that: “to a disturbing extent, babies are born ‘pre-polluted.’ ”

The report places blame on an unstructured regulatory body, weak laws, even weaker enforcement and a mindset amongst regulators that chemicals are safe unless proven harmful. A first step towards real regulation was unveiled in April when Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced a bill termed the “Safe Chemicals Act,” which greatly expands the antiquated Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. The Cancer Panel’s report states that “only a few hundred of the more than 80,000 chemicals in use in the United States have been tested for safety. Many known or suspected carcinogens are untested.”

Among the numerous suggestions from the Panel are:

• Particularly when pregnant and when children are small, choose foods, toys and garden products with fewer endocrine disruptors or other toxins. (Information about products is at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com or www.healthystuff.org.)
• For those whose jobs may expose them to chemicals, remove shoes when entering the house and wash work clothes separately from the rest of the laundry.
• Filter drinking water.
• Store water in glass or stainless steel containers, or in plastics that don’t contain BPA or phthalates (chemicals used to soften plastics). Microwave food in ceramic or glass containers.
• Give preference to food grown without pesticides, chemical fertilizers and growth hormones. Avoid meats that are cooked well-done.
• Check radon levels in your home. Radon is a natural source of radiation linked to cancer.

An estimated 562,000 deaths were blamed on cancer in 2009. It is the second deadliest killer, after heart disease, and cancer cases in children are on the rise. Let’s hope the report from Obama’s Cancer Panel brings awareness to the food we eat and regulation towards how it’s made.