A man undergoes a procedure based on Ayurvedic medicine in hopes of cleansing his body of PCB's.
Photograph by Peter Essick

As many as 2,000 new chemical compounds are produced each year by the American chemical industry, 90 percent of which are approved by the EPA without further testing. Many of these chemicals, such as the flame retardants used in children’s clothing, have valuable, even life-saving applications. But how many of the chemicals swirling around us are absorbed by our bodies, and at what risk to our health?

For an article in the October 2006 National Geographic, author David Ewing Duncan had himself tested for 320 man-made chemicals. Considered a healthy individual, Duncan nevertheless had higher than average amounts of some chemical toxins, such as flame-retardants known as PDBEs, and phthalates, used in numerous plastic products including baby toys and intravenous feeding tubes.

Duncan will share the story of his “toxic odyssey” and offer his thoughts on the trade-off between the known benefits offered by synthetic chemicals and the unknown risks they may pose.

The Grosvenor Auditorium National Geographic Society Headquarters 1600 M Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20036 +1 202 857 7700

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