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- Soozie, this is where I keep

the vast amount of chemical
resources that I use

for one of my businesses,
which is the boating business.

And in here are waxes, lots of cleaners.

- Lil' bleach.

- Acid in there, rubber gloves
so we all don't get ill.

Brushes.

- What is that?

- Turn it around, read the label.

Tuff-Job Remover.

- Tuff-Job Remover?

- Yeah, when you have a tough job,

you use that to remove it.

- "May be fatal"?

- Yep.

- "Or cause blindness if swallowed."

"The vapor is harmful."

- Yeah, it's terrible stuff.

- It's terrible stuff.

Where did you get this?

- At a terrible stuff store.

- Yeah?

My dad.

He was one of the Midwest's

largest industrial chemical distributors

and he practiced his craft liberally.

It's safe to say he never met a problem

a spray, solvent, or scrub couldn't fix.

Embedded in my DNA has been the belief

that chemicals make us
cleaner, safer, and prettier.

I was a makeup artist for a decade.

This is what I put on my
face almost every single day.

When I nearly got kicked
out of a community garden

for bringing in weed killer,

I rolled my eyes and
bought a few alternatives.

Then, my 30s hit,

and it was like every best
friend started having kids.

They began taking a closer
look at what they were buying,

and it made me consider everything I use.

I realized I'm surrounded
by a lot of chemicals.

What has made my life clean

was now making me feel really dirty.

Can I hit the reset
button, or is it too late?

My name is Soozie Eastman and
I'm from Louisville, Kentucky.

Like most Americans, I love products.

My purchases are fueled
by an endless quest

for fast, efficient, and cheap.

The only thing I ever really consider

when I'm shopping is the price.

The desire for cleanliness and glamor

has been around for generations,

but the dawn of commercialism
sold us on the fact

that our lives are best lived with stuff

and lots of it.

- Just a light spray
of Gossamer in the morning

keeps her hair in lovely shape

and protects it from drying sun and wind.

- The massive influx of chemicals

into our everyday culture

began in the postwar consumer boom.

TVs came into homes, and
the commercial era was born.

- The chemistry that was invented
during the wartime period,

the physics that were developed
from making new products,

the assembly lines that were devised;

all of that industrial
might became focused

on the consumer culture that
we enjoyed in peacetime.

- We are now learning the consequences

of that ultimate hubris that said,

"We can make anything and
it's going to be fine."

And ultimately, what
we're experiencing now

is the consequence of that
sort of unbridled consumerism.

- The companies invent chemicals

with no restrictions whatsoever.

They put them in a
proliferation of products.

They have a marketing system
designed to create the demand,

stimulate demand.

We buy them and then
belatedly, after the fact,

we find out that along with these products

come a lot of chemical
exposures that no one wants.

- What goes
into the lab as petroleum

comes out as several chemical families

with really hard-to-pronounce names.

These families then create
different types of products

that you and I come in
contact with every single day.

- We're all exposed to a
multitude of chemicals every day

from a multitude of sources,

and that results in cumulative exposure

to many different chemicals over time.

- Body burden really refers
to the full array of chemicals

or contaminants that are in our bodies.

You can just be living a normal life

and you will accumulate, over time,

hundreds and hundreds of toxic chemicals.

- During one of my
late-night Google sessions,

I found a study done by the
Environmental Working Group

that freaked me out.

Turns out, all these products I use

contain chemicals that might
not only impact my health,

but the health of my
future children as well.

- Babies coming into the world,

before they take a breath of air,

before they take a sip
of their mother's milk

or eat any food,

they are basically coming
into the world pre-polluted.

We tested for more than
400 chemicals and we found,

on average, about 200 different
chemicals in cord blood.

- In regard to industrial chemicals,

the placenta's more like a sieve.

It basically lets all of
these substances pass--

some of them to a greater
degree and faster than others,

but it is not a protective barrier.

- Even if chemicals are
in the body for hours

or days at best, they can
reek significant havoc

insofar as developmental
programming is going on.

The implications can not
just be for the children,

but for those children as
they age into adulthood.

- A major study out tonight

which finds a possible link
between common pesticides

and attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder.

- Attention all mothers and fathers.

There's a new study by the
Environmental Working Group

finds that chemicals from makeup

could be seeping into her bloodstream.

- For decades, we've all
depended on special chemicals

to protect us from fire,

but now there are serious questions

about the safety of those chemicals.

- We're seeing neurological diseases.

We're seeing Parkinson's.

We're seeing cancers.

We're seeing autism.

We're seeing diseases that are
increasing in our population.

About 80% of our cancers

are related to environment
in one form or another.

- Today, one in eight women

face a lifetime risk of breast cancer.

In the 1930s, it was one in 40.

That increase directly
parallels the increased use

and introduction of chemicals in commerce.

- One of the kind of most concerning

of the environmental exposures

are these endocrine-disrupting chemicals,

and they can look just
like our regular hormones

with just some real minor modifications.

- The glands in the endocrine system

regulate our development, metabolism,

sexual function, and reproduction

by communicating with
each other via hormones.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals
mimic these natural hormones,

causing our signaling to go haywire.

These disruptions can lead to
compromised thyroid function,

various cancers, birth
defects, and lowered fertility.

I wanted to come see you
because I've been your patient,

I guess now, for like 12 years.

So, you know that me having
a baby is kind of like--

- It's very important.

- Yeah, and starting to
swirl around more and more.

And so, I started churning,

"How can I make the healthiest baby

if chemicals get into babies' bodies?"

If it's in my baby, that means it's in me.

- First. Exactly.

- It's in me first.

So, if it's in me first, is
that going to be a problem

when it comes to me actually
wanting to have a little one?

- Unfortunately, many people
don't take the opportunity

to even think about these things

before they decide to get pregnant.

And often they come in
here at their first visit

when they're already pregnant.

- When we had an exam last year,

it came up that there might
not be that many eggs in me,

so then that started making me wonder,

"OK, well actually, what can I be doing

"to not add additional hormones in,

"like any kind of these chemicals

"that might pretend
that they're a hormone?"

- Absolutely, many things
that we can all look at.

What kinds of products you're
putting onto your body,

how much travel you're dealing with,

what kinds of environmental exposures

do we need to stay away from?

So, all of that kinda
stuff would be great to do

before you try to conceive.

- If the products I'm using
and the food I'm eating

are probably loaded full of petrochemicals

and will eventually be passed
on to my future children,

how much is in me, and is there
anything I can do about it?

Little did I know the
challenges I would have

trying to find the answer.

A little bird told me
that you all might be able

to test dioxins in human serum?

- Now, this human serum,

just give me a little explanation of that.

Is that a biohazard?

What is that?

- So, the lab didn't know
that serum is human blood.

That's...

That's a great sign.

I was looking more for plastics,

like bisphenol A or parabens,

some of the stuff that's in
products we use every day.

- Methamphetamine?

I'm not sure.

- I liked that she asked me

if I was looking at
measuring methamphetamines.

I can't just send my blood in

and order a test to find out--
- No.

- The big
issue is the affordability.

- So, that's $1,700 for two
families of chemicals out of 10.

After days of calls to labs

all over North America and
Europe, I'm getting tested

for 119 commonly-used
chemicals for $3,500.

Think we have probably
like 15 tubes today,

so that's not too--

- Did you bring anything to eat?

- I brought orange juice.

I'll likely be chugging
it with my left hand

while you're doing the draw.

- OK. Well, we'll just
put it back here then.

- So that I
don't black out on you,

'cause that doesn't sound like
a fun way to start the day.

So, when we get the results back,

we're looking at various things

from pesticides to flame retardants,

all the various things that
when I have a little one,

it will go from my body to them.

- I don't think we realize
how much we put in our bodies

and how toxic it can be,

and that we do pass it on to our children.

I think, if we were more aware,

we would be a lot more careful.

- So, I have these, are going to Missouri,

and that's for pesticide.

This is going to Canada, I have my serum,

and this is going to Georgia.

- Awesome, worldwide.

- All good places.
- Yes, yes.

- Awesome, thank you so much.

- That's no problem.

- The Centers for Disease
Control does studies,

they release the results every few years,

they look at the blood
of the American people.

And they have found hundreds and hundreds

of toxic chemicals in our bodies.

- Report like this size
comes out of the CDC

about every three years

profiling the body burdens of chemicals.

And so what biomonitoring is,
is actual biological blood,

urine, and other specimen
data from a human being

that both tells you possibly
what that person's exposed to,

but also gives you information
about the population.

- If you look at blood
samples from World War II

that was to be used for
people injured in combat

to give them blood transfusions,

and they looked at the
chemical burden in those blood

and it was near zero.

And if you look at anybody's blood

anywhere in the world right
now, there are chemicals.

- There's 84,000 chemicals
being used by US companies.

Almost none of them have
been adequately tested

for their health impacts.

- We've got this system

that looks like it's protecting citizens

and tricks a lotta people

into thinking that
they're being protected.

But frankly, they're not.

- I think the EPA is a very
ineffectual agency right now.

First of all, let's look at--

there are 750 to 1,500, every year,

new chemicals coming on the market.

They're unable to do anything.

- Over 10,000 chemicals are used

to formulate cosmetics
and personal care products

and only 11 have ever been banned

or restricted for use
here in the United States,

compared to over 1,300
chemicals that are banned

or restricted in cosmetics
by the European Union.

Formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen,

is restricted in the European Union.

It's been found at levels 10% by weight

in hair-straightening products
here in the United States.

That's more formaldehyde
than an embalmer uses

to embalm a dead person.

- And we found that of
the 10,000 chemicals

that are cleared for use
in our food-- in our food--

the majority of those
don't have toxicity data.

The majority of them.

- So, you have a couple
of different problems.

One, there's a myriad
of cumulative exposures

that we're exposed to every day,

and you have a myriad of federal agencies

that don't necessarily talk to each other.

- The EPA sets
standards for drinking water

and pesticides in and on our food.

They also keep data on household cleaners,

nonstick surfaces on cookware,

and flame retardants on furniture.

The FDA has strict requirements

for prescription and
over-the-counter medicines

and bottled water, but
standards for cosmetics,

personal care products and food additives

are far less stringent.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission

regulates products that
may pose a safety hazard,

as well as household cleaners

that contain hazardous substances.

Seems cut and dry, except
chemicals like phthalates

are monitored by the EPA

when they're in flooring
and building materials,

FDA when they're in our
personal care products,

and CPSC when those phthalates
are in children's toys.

EPA covers triclosan
when it's a pesticide,

FDA when it's in toothpaste,

CPSC when it's on a product's surface.

EPA handles formaldehyde when
it's in building materials,

FDA when it's in beauty products,

CPSC when it's in wallpaper and paints.

There can be certain
chemicals in drinking water,

different ones in bottled water--

those can pop up in
consumer products, too.

And none of these regulatory agencies

sets standards based on these
multiple exposure routes.

Follow that?

Instead of creating regulations

to protect citizens and consumers,

the US government created the
Toxic Substances Control Act,

which paved the way for
little to no restriction

or safety testing on virtually
every chemical in commerce,

and it's been that way
for nearly 40 years.

- The Toxic Substances Control Act,

which was passed in 1976,
has been a dismal failure.

There really is not a system
to make sure that products

that are being put into your cosmetics,

that are being put into your
household cleaning goods,

and, frankly, even that are
being put into your food

really are safe.

- If you look at the rules of
the game in the United States,

it pretty much says,

"You can expose anybody
to whatever you want

"until someone proves
beyond a shadow of a doubt

"that it's gonna hurt them."

- In 2016, the
Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act

was signed into law.

But the majority of environmental

and public health advocates
were against the bill

because it did little to move the needle

on meaningful regulation.

- Well, the new law is a real mixed bag.

The EPA is supposed to take a look

at a priority list of 10
chemicals to start with.

But, man, if you think about the fact

that there are literally tens of thousands

of chemicals out there that
we're being exposed to,

and EPA is only gonna be looking at

a relative handful every year,

it's going to be centuries
before EPA gets around

to looking at every chemical
that we're exposed to.

- And now, with
the current administration,

it's questionable if the new
law will be enforced at all.

- We think we can cut
regulations by 75%, maybe more.

When somebody wants to put up a factory,

it's gonna be expedited.

- Since EWG did the
biomonitoring tests on babies

that started this quest for me,

I visited them to interpret my results

and learn how I stack up
against the CDC's measurements

of the average American.

- Bisphenol A level was elevated
above the 95% percentile.

So, that would likely be
through polycarbonate bottles,

canned food, the receipt paper.

This is extremely high exposure.

The PBDEs, these were
flame retardant chemicals.

Most of the levels look elevated

above what you'd expect,
general population.

Flame retardants are
commonly found in couch foam

and other foam products.

In terms of the parabens,

two of the paraben levels were very high.

We highlighted propylparaben
as a preservative in foods,

also used as preservatives in cosmetics.

- Wow, that's kind of worrisome.

- In terms of the
organophosphate chemicals,

there was two that were very elevated,

very unusual, in very high levels.

I mean, these are levels
that were reasonably high

above the 95th percentile,

so this is in the top few
percent of people in America

would have levels this high.

My guess is that it'd be pesticide use.

- If having a child in the next
couple years is on my radar,

it seems like something that's elevated

to the levels of the
90s and stays in my body

for three to five years is
gonna be a pretty giant concern.

From flame retardants to pesticides,

plastics to solvents, they're all in me.

I feel gross, sad, and angry.

This doesn't necessarily mean
I will end up getting sick,

but I definitely don't
want them in my body.

Where exactly are they coming from?

And is there anything I
can do to get them out?

- Some of these chemicals
that we're exposed to

leave our body pretty quickly.

Now some other chemicals,

they're not only getting into our bodies

but they're also sticking
around for years.

Dioxin, which is considered to be

one of the most toxic
chemicals on the planet,

it'll take 7 to 12 years

for just half of that to leave your body.

And that's one of the
reasons why scientists

are sounding the alarm that
they're not only sticking there

but they're also dangerous

at extremely low levels of exposure.

- Many of these chemicals, they persist,

and then they bioaccumulate.

And what that means is
that plants soak 'em up,

animals eat the plants,
we eat those animals,

and so what happens is that

they become more and more concentrated

as they move further and
further up the food chain

until they kinda come back
to us when we eat 'em.

- But we're also concerned
about a lot of chemicals

that have a short half life.

You might eat them in food

and they're gone from
your body within 12 hours

and the exposure ends.

But then you eat the
same food the next day

and you get a fresh dose of
that exposure all over again.

So, just because it's only in your body

for a short period of time
doesn't necessarily mean

it's not something we
should be worried about.

- Several nonprofits
have created buying guides

to help consumers like
me avoid these exposures.

Today, I'm bringing in public
health expert Nneka Leiba

to let me know possible sources
of toxins found in my blood.

- EWG has some really, really good guides,

and a lot of them are
based on the databases

that we have on the websites.

And it's all about empowering the consumer

to make better choices.

EWG amasses toxicity
data from governments,

from academic agencies,
from all scientific papers.

So, we have our Dirty
Dozen guide for produce

that tells how much pesticide
residue is on produce.

We have our Skin Deep guide,

we have our guide to endocrine disruptors.

- OK, starting to already be paranoid

with what I have in here.

- But I see some canned foods,

and we'd want to check
that these are BPA-free.

Unfortunately, the company
doesn't have to put

that it's BPA-free on the packet.

The bags that the popcorn is in

usually is lined with PFC,
perfluorinated chemicals.

I think some of those were in your blood.

You don't have to go organic everything.

You wanna go organic fruits and vegetables

that are on the Dirty Dozen list,

and you do wanna go
organic meats and dairy.

So, try to reduce
bottled water consumption

as much as possible.

Nonstick tends to be coated
with perfluorinated chemicals.

- What about these little guys?

- I would use glass and stainless
steel wherever possible.

And if you do use plastic,

definitely, definitely do
not heat it in the microwave

or don't put hot food in it,

because the plastic chemicals
leach out in hot food.

- So, do you wanna come
look at my skincare products

and tell me?
- Sure, yeah.

- That's what I'm really
the most worried about.

- That's what I'm most excited about.

- Alright.

Now, I'm a little worried at
what's gonna happen up here.

I...

I don't know if you know
that I was a makeup artist

for nine years.

- I did not know that!

- Yeah, so I
have this intense fear

that you're gonna come in here

and tell me that
everything has to go away.

- You wanna know if any of your products

have ingredients of harm

or ingredients associated with hazards.

And the best way to do that

is to use the Skin Deep database.

- I knew you were coming today.

- Mm-hmm?

- A little bird told me.
- Yeah!

- So, I have the app right here.

And when I go in by
entering the product name

or scanning a barcode, it
will mark them as 1-10?

Yes, 1 and 2 are green,
which means go for it.

It's kinda like a stoplight.

- Alright.

- 3 to 6 is yellow,

which means it has some
hazards associated with it

and you must be cautious.

And above that is red.

- This is a thermal protectant,

and this is a red 8.

- Yeah, and this one has a
few ingredients I can see

of concern already.

It has fragrance, which we
know the term 'fragrance'

is an umbrella term.

It can hide any number
of 3,000 ingredients.

The fragrance industry
has 3,000 ingredients

that you can put into your fragrance.

Some companies use hundreds,
some companies use thousands,

it depends on the company.

But you don't know what's in there.

- OK, so let's see the hairspray.

7, red.

- So, I would think about a new hairspray.

This is also an aerosol, which,

in a bathroom like this, has
a lot of inhalation hazards

'cause you're breathing all of this in.

- This is just like a
shave cream, so let's see.

OK, so this comes up as a 6,

and so that seems kind
of like a waste to me

to have a shave cream that's a 6

because I could just use
soap, my number 2 Dove soap.

- And again, I'm liking how
you're processing the scores,

and that's what we want to do.

We want to provide you the information

and you process these things.

What means more to me,
what means less to me?

I would agree with you, but
you have to make that choice.

- Yeah, I mean, honestly,

my legs do not need to
smell like raspberry rain.

- And what is in the
raspberry rain fragrance?

I'm sure we don't know.

- The tears of children.

No, I'm teasing, sorry.

OK, I've got some chemicals for you.

- That's a lotta cleaning products, lady.

- OK, well, you know what?

It's all about, this
is the starting point.

- The first thing is, do we
need all of these products?

That's the very first thing.

Vinegar and baking soda
will go a long way.

- Yeah?

It kind of makes it smell
like salad dressing, though,

in the house sometimes
with the vinegar, no?

I go into a friend's house and she's like,

"I just cleaned with
vinegar," and I'm like, "Mmm."

- Salad dressing versus
chemicals in your body.

- OK, yeah. I guess it's
all about a balance, right?

- It's relative. Yeah, it's relative.

- So, I just go on to EWG

and there is a guide to healthy cleaning?

- Yes.

- Let's try my Cascade with Clorox.

Oh!

So, yeah, that's an F.

So, developmental and reproductive
toxicity of high concern.

- When they say 'stabilizer'
or 'buffer' or 'color,'

you have no idea what
they're using in there,

and some of those chemicals

have been linked to health harms,

which is why they get an F.

So, if you go and you search--

- Dishwashing detergents?
- Dishwashing detergents--

- OK.

- And look for
products that are As.

- Oh, that's super easy!

- And so, you can
choose from any of these.

- And that is
available right at Target.

- In cleaning products, the
regulation does not require

the companies to list any
ingredients on their packaging.

They can list absolutely zero ingredients,

and many do list zero ingredients.

- I started buying
Method because "nontoxic,

"plant-based, powergreen technology."

So let's check these guys

because I try to err more
on the side of using these.

Oh, wow.

There's my...

This has a D.

This has a flippin' D.

I can't...

That makes me...

'Cause I've been buying that, thinking,

you see "nontoxic" on the front.

- When you look at these claims,
they don't necessarily mean

that the product is better or safe.

- After Nneka left, it was
obvious I needed to change out

the majority of what I was using

for personal care and cleaning my home.

For 30 days, I'm going
to make some very simple,

basic changes that anyone can make.

I'm going to avoid
receipts and canned foods,

use ceramic pots and pans,

avoid styrofoam and plastic
food storage containers

and bottled water,

buy organic versions of the Dirty Dozen,

use personal care products
rated four and under

and cleaners rated C or above.

Of course, I can only
control what's in my home.

I don't live in a bubble.

With the Healthy Living app
and my best friend in tow,

it was time to see if I could swap out

some of my favorite products.

OK, so this one's coming up a D,

but it's coming up a D
because of disclosure issues.

So, that's frustrating because
this could actually be good

and not be a D if All would
just tell us every ingredient.

This is my hairspray
that I know I can't have.

OK, so that is a 6,

which I'm trying to not do.

Ugh, that is an 8.

Crud.

That is a 6?

- OK.

- So, we're striking
out on hairspray so far.

- That's frustrating.

Despite the easy-to-use app,
it was definitely a challenge

to find out what I
should and shouldn't use.

Sometimes there wasn't a rating,

and other times there were
no easy-to-find alternatives,

like hairspray and heat protectant.

So, this guy is an 8 and this guy is a 6,

and they're right next to each other

under the same exact
brand, same exact colors.

It's like, how are you supposed
to figure out which is which

if they're right next to each other?

After several hours of
scanning and googling products

and help from Marcie, I felt pretty good

about what I found at Target for my home.

Hello!

Hi, girlie!

- Hey!

- After using the same cosmetics

and skincare for so long

it's a little more daunting
to find alternatives,

so I enlisted some friends to
try out new products with me.

- I brought the vodka.

- A little--

We're gonna try some of these
different brands tonight

and see what you all think,

'cause you all like products
like I like products.

Rick is going to take your
look that you came in with

and then, like, zhuzh it up

using all-natural products.

- You want me to go first?

Alright.
- Do it!

- Let's see the transformation.

- Do you guys pay
attention to the ingredients

that are in the products that you all use?

- Try to.
- Yeah?

- I'm guilty of a "No, I don't."

- Not my beauty products.
- No.

- I don't think about my
skin being my biggest organ

and, like, what's going into that,

but I'm really conscious
about what I'm eating

and what's going into my body,

not thinking, actually, all the
stuff I'm putting on my face

and on my body is going
into my bloodstream.

I don't even think about that.

- Probably the craziest thing

after having my blood
results come back was, OK,

I actually see the cosmetic
products I use in my blood.

- In your blood, that's--

- At like the highest part of the scale.

- I never thought
they could even sell a product

that would have those
type of repercussions.

I didn't even think it would be possible.

- And what do you think, do you like it?

- I love it!

I mean, honestly, Rick and I were talking,

I feel like it actually
matches my skin tone better.

It just feels better,
doesn't feel as chalky.

- No, it feels so light.

Doesn't even feel like I'm wearing makeup.

- I can't believe this is all-natural!

- I just never thought
that the alternatives

would've been this nice.

- I wasn't sure what to expect.

I wasn't sure if we were
gonna muddle the blueberries

and then put it on our lips,

or bake some beets and put
the beets, the beet juice--

- I'm really appreciative

that you guys came over
and did this with me.

I know that--

- Sooz, I love this.

I wish more people were
having this conversation.

- I know, nobody's aware of this!

- I wish there was more people

sitting around having this conversation,

because I think it would
really enlighten some people

to hear about this.

- I feel happy and made-up

and I think all of you guys look gorgeous.

- I love it.

- So, thank you for coming to play.

- Thanks for having us!
- Thanks for having us.

- And letting
us play with this stuff.

- And you have to take some home.

- Thank you, Rick, for real.
- Yes, thank you.

- Thank you!

- I loved it.

- The most knowledgeable
boy in the business.

For skincare and makeup,

I was excited about the new options.

I was worried it wouldn't
have enough color or coverage,

and I was totally wrong.

Unfortunately, the best I could do

for heat protectant is a 6.

But according to Nneka, that was OK

since I am more than making
up for it in other areas.

Almost all of my cleaning products

had to be replaced by alternatives

that have little to no toxicity.

My food was simple and
surprisingly affordable to replace.

It wasn't the overhaul I had expected.

When I compared the prices of my cleaners,

skincare and food before and after,

I actually ended up saving $35.

Just one last thing to switch out

and I was set for 30
days of cleaner living.

Obviously, I don't want to
be cooking on these anymore,

but I really wanna stick with Calphalon

because I know it's such a great product

and I know that you now
have alternatives out there.

- Typically,
we can't replace them

just because of the chemical preference.

It's just not under the warranty

or the warranty replacement.

- Eventually,
despite their insistence

that the toxins in my blood
were not from their products,

Calphalon allowed an exception

and my perfluorinated pans got swapped out

for new ceramic versions.

- There you are, there you go.
- Thank you.

- And here's this
whenever you're ready.

- Do you actually, I'm
trying not to use styrofoam.

Do you have any foil by any chance?

- Uh, yeah.

- It would be much easier

if it wasn't up to regular
citizens to figure all this out,

but the close relationship

between the government
and chemical industry

makes any meaningful change challenging.

Just as good, and it won't go in my blood.

- The big problem in the United States

is that there is a huge
amount of influence

by the regulated industry

over the regulation of their products.

They have come in the front door.

They have come in the back door.

They have friends in Congress.

They have congresspeople
doing their bidding for them.

They have taken the
federal agencies to task

when those federal agencies
have tried to regulate.

- You've got very high-paid,

often former members of
Congress who are lobbyists

for very financially
well-to-do organizations

like the chemical industry,

and they will be paid
millions of dollars per year.

A lot of them make political contributions

either directly themselves

or through the organizations
that they work for,

and that's going to that
reelection campaign.

Members of the House have to
be reelected every two years,

so they have to raise about $10,000 a day.

That's not coming from the PTA.

That's not coming from Ma and Pa.

That's coming from big companies.

- The new legislation

is more smoke and
mirrors than real action.

The lobby for 10 companies
spent $125 million

in the last two years
to get their law passed,

and more or less, they got it passed.

The corporate contributions
have so poisoned

the decision-making process in Washington

that it's very difficult
to get anything done

that is not stamped of approval
by the corporate executives.

- Hi, Miss Cicily.

- Well hello,
Miss Soozie, how are you?

- I'm good, how are you?

- Awesome.

- This time, there are only probably

a certain amount of things

that could've even moved
out of my body in 30 days,

so we're gonna check those guys.

- Alrighty.

- I've switched out,

my makeup is all nontoxic that I have on,

my household cleaners I switched out

to be less toxic alternatives.
- Mm-hmm.

- So, this is just a check to see,

could I buy my way out of exposures?

- Oh.

- Finding hair products--

- Is a difficult thing?
- Yeah.

- Yeah, I could see that.

- Like the hairsprays
and the heat protectants.

I cried.

- Did you?
- I did.

I just cried once.

It was just one time, over hairspray.

As I learn more about
the chemical industry,

I wonder exactly why someone
would choose to work for them.

I thought this would be the perfect time

to pay a visit to my old
man and ask him a bit

about his time repping
industrial chemicals.

- I studied chemistry in college,

so I had a good background in all of that.

I saw an ad in the newspaper
in Louisville, Kentucky.

They were looking for a outdoor salesman.

And I thought, "Well, I'm reasonably good

"and I'm so modest about it anyway

"that I get along well
with people face-to-face,

"so why not?"

Here's a product that is one
of the best spot removers,

and I use it all over the
place and all over in the boat.

- Kaboom!

- That's it.
- "I'm goin' in your blood!"

- I was trained to sell chemicals

and I was calling on maintenance people,

they were maintenance chemicals--
things like drain opener

and 1,1-trichloroethane
to the United States Navy.

I sold railroad cars of
parts cleaner to the US Navy.

- Water, film formers,

carrier, corrosion inhibitor,
propellant, emulsifiers,

fragrance, thickener, and preservative.

Those are about the vaguest--

- Let's use the word 'generic.'

You'd go in with a sample,
give a little sales pitch

and say, "Look, it absolutely
will clean your drain

"and we guarantee that, but it
also won't hurt you to use."

So, what we'd do is we
would, as sales reps,

we would unscrew the top

and we would pour into
our hand the drain opener.

Now, everybody, you'd watch
the guy you were talking to

and his eyes would go crazy watching this.

Well, the secret was we'd take Vaseline

and rub it into our hand.

Then we were protecting ourselves.

But the person that was
buying the drain opener

was just excited about,
"Hey, here's something

"that's not gonna kill
me and it's gonna work."

People use this and buy this

and put it on their furniture at home.

That's what it's for.

- "Keep out of reach
of children and pets."

Did you ever think about
the impact of human health

of the chemicals that you sold?

- Never.

- Never?

- No.

I'm assuming that if it's on the shelf,

it's not gonna harm me.

The reason the chemical was
invented to do X was verified.

It was enough for the logic in my brain.

Primarily uses this in a
dry cleaner's business.

- How often do you use this?

- Rarely as possible.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- You try to stay away
from these solvents?

- Oh, this stuff I don't like to use.

I know what it is.

I don't wanna use that stuff.

If you start thinking of all the things

that my body has gone through,

all the cancers that I've had,
all the surgeries I've had

and all the chemicals I've been around,

they very well indeed
could've been propagated

by the fact that I indeed
was inhaling the odors

and had them in my skin and
had basically the cancers

or the ill things that have happened to me

coulda been provoked or otherwise been fed

by the things that I've been around.

That's the magic stuff.

And a whiff of that is just absolutely--

will put you to sleep.

It's soothing, beautiful smell.

That's a great smell.

Here, I'll open a bottle for you.

- No, I'm not smelling that.

Daddy, I'm not gonna smell that.

- It has a nice fragrance.

- No, no, no!
- That's the idea.

- That's not the idea!

- Aah.

Roses.

Aah.

- You're crazy, you're crazy.

- And then--
- You think that's real?

Nice.

I am eagerly anticipating
our phone call to find out

if my last 30 days did
anything at all

in terms of those-- not
scary results I had,

but y'know I guess I would
call 'em somewhat shocking

when we first met.

- Yes, absolutely.

So, in the initial testing

the phthalates were approximately

in the 50th percentile range,

average for what you'd
expect for the population.

You levels were, by and
large, relatively unchanged.

That's not necessarily unexpected.

Obviously, there's still some exposure.

- OK.

- In terms of the parabens,

you were extremely high
the first time around,

and this time around at or
near the detection limit,

actually way below the 50th percentile.

- I have to say,
that feels pretty good.

- Bisphenol A or BPA,

your level was a significant change

from a very highly elevated level

to actually just slightly
above the average level

in the US population.

And the question is, can
that be reduced further?

Volatile solvents, on your initial testing

the ethylbenzene, styrene,
toluene levels were elevated

over the 95th percentile.

And then this new round of test reports,

the levels of the xylene and the toluene

and the ethylbenzene were
below the detection limit

and the level for styrene, benzene,

was still over the 95th percentile.

So, extremely high.

That indicates a continued
source of exposure.

In the organophosphates,
you had elevated levels

and all of those levels have decreased

to below detection limit,
so no longer found at all.

And then triclosan was also
reasonably elevated last time,

and there's a significant reduction

below the 50th percentile,

below average exposure
across the United States.

- Huge.

- Yeah, so the levels dropped

a factor of 50, essentially.

- It's like, I know you're
saying that they're still there,

but there is this side of me

that's like, "They're still
here, but they're so few,

"so much fewer" that it
feels, like, awesome.

It was empowering to see
that making small changes

could impact the level of
these toxins in my body.

To find out if I could minimize

the chemicals that were
still sticking around,

including some that have
much longer half lives,

I went to visit Dr. Hanaway
at the Cleveland Clinic.

- You, like many Americans,

find that you have toxins in your body.

How can we help to optimize

your ability to get rid of those?

And that really is, I think,
what you're here about today.

- Absolutely.

- So, the first thing that you have to do

when you're moving through
detoxification at any level

is you have to make sure the
gut microbiome is in balance.

The minerals as well as the amino acids

and antioxidants, things
like alpha-lipoic acid

and various kinds of
algae, are all necessary

for helping the body to detoxify.

And now, you're gonna be eating foods

that are gonna help with
the detoxification process.

We call it the Renew Diet.

It's gonna be dairy-free, gluten-free,

eliminate processed foods.

It's gonna be low glycemic
index, reduces inflammation.

The biggest thing is eating
vegetables, lots of vegetables.

Broccoli and especially the things

in the Brassica vegetable family

are some of the best
foods that help to promote

that detoxification process.

One way that is also
effective is to sweat it out.

And so--

- So, exercise.

- Exercise or sauna-- a regular wood sauna

or the infrared sauna--
for about 10 to 20 minutes.

- Now that I know that this
isn't going to be colonics

and foot baths and pooping
all day while I shoot a film,

then that's-- I'm on board for this.

When Dr. Hanaway was explaining the detox,

I felt like I had a lot more options

than when I got home and started
creating my shopping list.

Whoa, what am I gonna do?

No vegetables that are starchy.

No root vegetables.

OK, can I just see where I'm
gonna have something to eat?

Cauliflower

and brussels sprouts.

I can do that if it'll make
me feel good, feel successful.

It's crazy when carrots
make you that excited

'cause I normally hate them.

Let's go with fancy mixed nuts.

Roasted and unsalted fancy mixed nuts.

I'm gonna eat the hell outta this.

If I could eat a frickin' plantain--

It's not on here, of course.

Of course it's not on here.

Thank you guys so much.

Have a nice day.

My bible.

For the next 30 days,

I'm gonna continue all the
same protocol as before,

except now I'm adding
in the detox component.

Gut-supporting supplements,

organic lean meats, eggs,
veggies and berries,

weekly sauna visits,

and six servings of
cruciferous veggies per day.

I like broccoli as much as
the next person, but damn.

When I started thinking
about doing this film,

never did I think, "Oh, by the way,

"you are going to be freaking out

"over finding hairspray
and straightening products.

"You're going to be in a
towel fit for a toddler

"inside of a sauna with your best friend."

So, thank you for doing this with me.

- You're welcome.

- This next 30 days is
gonna be what's interesting

because I need to see,

by ramping it up,

will I be able to get
some of those things out

that don't come out for 7 to 10 years?

Is there anything that I can do

that's above and beyond just buying stuff?

But those things that are gonna stay in me

for 7 to 10 years, can I
move those out any faster?

And that would be awesome
if that could happen.

The next 30 days, I'm gonna
be a hassle for myself

and everybody I'm around,

but that is really a much grander scale.

That's not the "average American" test.

That's the, can we put it into
fifth gear and get this out?

Yeah, so, we'll see.

But for now, we sit and sweat.

Sweat it out and then
eat a lotta broccoli.

I was excited about this phase.

I knew I would go to the sauna sometimes,

but I wanted one in-house to
keep it cheaper and accessible.

I will totally embarrass
myself to save money.

Eating berries all day,
every day, was the highlight,

despite the irony of how
much plastic they came in.

I was eating daily omelets
full of yummy organic veggies

and really loving the sauna.

I love the feeling of
coming out of the sauna

and knowing that as soon as I'm done,

I get to feast on two cups of broccoli.

It doesn't seem incredibly refreshing,

but, strangely, it really is.

I must be hitting the point of delirium.

Broccoli all day, every day,
was pretty tolerable at first.

But then came the sickness.

- How many times are you having
a bowel movement per day?

- Four.

Four or six?

- OK.

And does it smell?

- Not particularly.

- OK, OK.

Is it loose or is it watery?

- It is watery.

- OK.

Like a faucet?

- Like sludge, like unformed sludge.

There's not much formation to it.

- You know, our focus
with you was on detox.

There wasn't previous bowel issues,

so I believe that you're having a change

in your microbiome that's
going on, which is fine.

I just don't want you to be in a place

where it creates an absorption problem.

- Thank you so much for this.

I just wanted to make sure it
was normal more than anything.

Bye.

Ugh!

Despite the setback,

since Dr. Hanaway told me
this was somewhat expected,

I just carried on with the
protocol of sauna visits

and eating what felt like a
never-ending supply of broccoli.

Even Lily became a fan.

Come on.

Good girl!

Can you tell how disgusted
I am by broccoli now?

And my algae pills?

I'm gonna chase my
broccoli with some algae.

I'm trying to be healthier,

but is this 30-day detox
going to be worth it?

Maybe I wouldn't be existing
off of nuts, berries, and algae

if there was greater transparency

and the government just listened

when scientists say something
on the market isn't healthy.

- The industry lets loose with
their barrage of lobbyists,

their pressure on Capitol Hill,

their attacks on regulatory agencies.

And it is also very much the
standard operating procedure

for these industries to
attack the scientists.

They go after them in
whatever way they need to.

Herb Needleman was savagely attacked

when he suggested that
lead was causing problems

for children's intelligence.

Tyrone Hayes, attacked when he suggested

that atrazine was a risk
based on the studies he did

of frogs in wild populations
and in the laboratory.

- About 15 years ago I was
approached by the manufacturer

of the weed killer atrazine,

and asked to examine how
atrazine might impact hormones

that might then affect
amphibian development.

And, of course, they were also interested

in the implications for
effects on human development.

The manufacturer, Syngenta,

they were the largest
chemical company in the world.

Atrazine was their
number-one selling product,

so I think the strategy was
to capture a young scientist

to provide a lotta support
and a lotta funding,

and then that way they
have control over the data

and how it's presented and
when it comes out, et cetera.

I would guess that they hoped
that we didn't show anything

that was significant.

But we found that atrazine
indeed interferes with hormones.

It demasculinizes exposed male amphibians,

so we get genetic males that grow ovaries

when they grow up, behave like females.

Those effects occur
across vertebrate animals.

Atrazine affects hormone levels in fish

and amphibians and reptiles
and birds and mammals.

It's associated with birth defects.

Choanal atresia, where
there's actually a hole

in the baby's face.

Gastroschisis, where the baby's born

with the intestines on the outside.

Genital malformation.

Breast cancer.

Reproductive cancers.

Prostate cancer.

The only studies that I know of

that claim that atrazine
doesn't do anything

were all designed and/or funded by

the manufacturer, Syngenta.

And so they really set off
on a campaign to attack me,

and you can see this in
Syngenta's own handwritten notes

that were just made public,

that their main goal was
to "discredit Hayes."

And when I first got involved,

I thought it was just about the science,

that you show that a
chemical is problematic

and then the EPA would ban it.

But they take many, many other
things into consideration.

- So, I'm at my
freaking house right now

in the middle of a detox,

and this guy is spraying everywhere.

Hey!

Hey, are you going back
behind these places back here?

- I already have, yeah.

- That's why my house
smells like chemicals?

- Yeah.

- OK, what kind of products are you using?

- Weed control and pre-emergent.

- Do you know which chemical?

- Three-Way.

- Three-Way?

- Yes ma'am.

- OK, thank you.

- And I've been doing this for a decade.

- So right now I'm at my home, inside,

I'm sitting here on my couch
working and all of a sudden

I'm taken over by this smell of chemicals.

And it turns out that they are
fumigating my community here.

Nobody warned me.

I had no signs or posters
or anything letting me know

that they're getting ready to spray.

I feel really frustrated right
now and really grossed out,

because it smells like
chemicals inside of my home.

And then I open the window

and it only smells worse out there.

So, that's really freakin' frustrating.

There is no escaping some things.

And I thought it was gonna be like,

"Oh, when I go somewhere,

"I have to use soap that I don't like."

But instead, it's, "Oh, when
I'm living in my own home,

"it's gonna be fumigated on the outside

"and then smell like shit on the inside

"and there is nothing I can
do, and nowhere I can hide."

And that really, really
makes me pissed off.

I was really mad my
neighborhood got sprayed,

but I've been so focused on

what I've directly been
putting into my body,

I didn't even realize that across America

there are hundreds of toxic waste sites

that make us trying to limit our exposure

to chemicals incredibly challenging.

- Greenpoint is a neighborhood in Brooklyn

that is at the border
of Brooklyn and Queens.

And historically, Greenpoint was

one of the most industrial
parts of New York City,

is adjacent to Newtown Creek,

which is a federal Superfund site

and is considered to be one
of the most toxic water bodies

in the entire country.

A Superfund site is basically
a hazardous waste site

or a toxic waste site.

Most Superfund sites, the soil
underneath a former facility

is contaminated with harmful chemicals,

the groundwater may be contaminated,

chemicals may be present
inside the building.

In more extreme cases,

Superfund sites will literally have dozens

or hundreds of barrels of
toxic waste sitting in it.

There are hundreds of
federal Superfund sites

all across the country.

And most Americans don't realize it,

but most live within a mile

or a couple miles of state
or federal Superfund site.

Greenpoint is a neighborhood

that is undergoing rapid development.

And it's ironic that they're spending

tens of millions of dollars to build

these giant fancy condos,
directly across the street

one of the most toxic sites
in the state of New York.

There's a lotta people that
are extremely concerned

about the new Harte Plastics site.

The site is located across
the street from a public park

and also across the street from a school.

And there's a lot of concern

that as they're building
these large condos,

all of the pile-driving
and other construction

could potentially disturb the plume

of 40,000 to 60,000
gallons of toxic chemicals

that have migrated underneath the plant

and towards the community.

Unfortunately, many Superfund sites

are often located in
low-income communities

and communities of color,

and it represents an issue
of environmental justice

that those that are most
vulnerable to chemical pollution,

that those that historically

have been politically most powerless

are at the front lines
of chemical exposure.

- I planted 'em too early.

This was a row, this was a row,

and I musta planted 'em too early

while the frost was still
around, what I mean to say.

- Oh, yes, it did frost late this year.

- Yeah.
- Is that kale?

- Yeah, that's kale.
- Yeah?

- There was a chemical company

in the building behind me

and they handled dangerous
chemicals that's banned now.

Well, actually, I reacted
like, "Come in and clean it up,

"or compensate, move us out
or whatever you gotta do.

"Just come in and take
care of the business

"that need to be done."

And they been draggin' they feet,

and so nothin' has happened.

- We had these 12 plants
in West Louisville

and we had very high rates of cancer,

asthma, respiratory problems.

They didn't have anybody

dedicated to environmental regulations.

I was really, really shocked to see it,

the high numbers of arsenic
and pesticides on their site.

The Environmental Protection
banned DDT back in the '50s

and there's plenty of it
on this site, plenty of it.

The runoff, it's gonna
kill these folks over here.

- I got some kale, kale
greens, and some turnip greens.

That whole little patch there
was just full of everything.

Some watermelons over
there and tomato plants.

For 20-something years, I've
been eating outta that garden.

Right here.

- If they knew that this
facility used pesticides,

they didn't do anything!

And that's what these companies do.

They go in the low-income
areas of these cities.

And these folks, they
don't have the resources

to go and fight these companies.

So, that's why I feel

that at least we're trying
to keep these people abreast

of what's going on.

- Since one in three Americans

live near a site just like
the one next to Marvin,

avoiding exposure isn't always up to us.

With this in mind,

I was anxious to see if my detox paid off.

Cic, I'm a little scared about today

'cause we're gonna have to go double.

- Oh.

- And the reason for
that is we're gonna redo

the ones that we did on day one.

You know how we did a much
larger test on day one

'cause those are the guys that
are supposed to stay in me

for 7 to 10 years?

Now, we're checking this time

to see if they came out
in the last 30 days.

- You're getting all these

plus 18 of these and 4 of these?

- Am I gonna be okay?

- Yeah, you just might have
to drink a whole lotta water.

- So, these go off to
three different labs.

One of the labs has to be in Canada

'cause nobody in the United States

will measure for some
of these petrochemicals.

- I wonder why not?

They're scared they're gonna get sued?

- It's been said something like that.

- Hmm.
- Mm-hmm.

- I've started my

less toxic life.

- Have you?

- Mm-hmm.
- Since when?

- Last week.

- And what made you decide to do that?

- You did, of course!

Yeah, you made me really think about that.

I wanna protect my family.

- Is this really just all
from me being in here and--

- Mm-hmm.

- Creeping into your life?

- Yes, ma'am, it is.

- That makes me really excited.

It's not too hard, right?

And it wasn't super expensive.

- No, it's not, that's the thing.

And I'm just like--
when I went to the store

I was afraid that it was gonna be, like,

$15 for some household
cleaner and I'm like,

"You know what, I'll
stick to this Pine-Sol."

But no.

You did great, awesome.

We only took half your blood supply.

- Think this is the most blood

I've ever drawn in my life.

In 17 years,

this is the most blood I've
ever drawn on one person.

Can you imagine?

- I spent 60
days using new products

and 30 days on a sauna
and omelet-filled detox,

lost over 20 pounds,

and felt better than I
had in my entire life.

Though Dr. Hanaway suggested

a slow transition back to normal food,

I chose to jump as far
off the wagon as possible,

right into a vat of
Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Yummers!

I'm so excited.

Thank you so much!

- Now, what are we
hoping is gonna come back

with the blood results?

What's the best-case scenario,

it's coming back that you
have no toxins at all?

- I don't think anybody

would ever be able to have
zero toxins in their body.

- It would be impossible

unless you live literally
in the woods, with--

- Not even then.

- No, not even.

- Yeah, probably not.

- 'Cause of the air, the pollution?

- Mm-hmm.

It's in the water, it's in the air.

A person can make an effort
if it matters to them.

And I've been able to
show, if you do X-Y-Z,

you will have a response in your body.

You can carry less.

This is gonna be my new life, right?

So, it's like, you can eat fried chicken,

but then you're gonna use glassware

for your take-home stuff.

I've decided that everything's

just gonna be about a balance.

I know they use styrofoam here.

Cue the styrofoam.

- Here you go.
- Oh, cue the styrofoam.

- Mama, come on.

You can have Pyrex.

- May I?

- Of course!

Our 60 days is over.

So, I'm anxious to find out
if the detox that I went on

actually did anything above and beyond

what trying to buy my
way out of exposures did.

- Right.

It turns out, for most chemicals,

the best way to get 'em outta your body

is never get 'em in in the first place.

And then, even for the chemicals

that are already in your body,

the real key is not to
continually be exposed.

So, in terms of the
phthalates, the parabens,

the organophosphates,
the BPA, and triclosan,

there's an incredible
decrease in your levels.

So, in terms of volatile solvents,

they were really quite
high on the initial test

and there was levels
above the 95th percentile.

In this final round, volatile
solvents came back down.

They're now closer to what you'd expect,

just slightly elevated for the population

but within the normal range.

In the initial round of
testing, definitely detected

a number of these
perfluorinated chemicals.

I'd say, overall, the
results were somewhat mixed.

We saw slight decreases for some of them,

slight increases for other ones.

Most of these at this point
are legacy pollutants.

- Calphalon said, "Oh, no, don't worry.

"We're using a different
perfluorinated compound now."

And I'm like, "Oh, OK, thanks."

- Yeah, so these companies

have tweaked the chemistry a little bit,

but they're still as persistent

and many of 'em raise some of
the same toxicity concerns.

And then, a few of the
other longer-term chemicals,

some of the PBDEs, flame
retardant chemicals,

many of these you can't entirely avoid

because they were used to make

our previous generation of furniture.

A few of the levels increased,

so likely being exposed to 'em.

It's nearly impossible
to avoid all of these.

One of the other much more
persistent chemical is the PCBs.

These are really a legacy pollutant.

In your original testing,

you had "not detect" for
a number of the PCBs.

And this time, they were
over the 95th percentile.

So, a little bit surprising
in some ways, for sure.

- I'm excited and happy
about some of the things,

and then, at the same
time I'm feeling like,

I'm a little sad.

I'm not even thinking about

the 30 days so much of the detox

because that's neither here nor there,

and I felt really good on it.

But it's more the big picture of,

hmm, I really tried my hardest
and some things did come out

and that's great, but these
other things that didn't,

it does feel a little helpless.

It feels like I want somebody
else to watch out for me

since I can't do everything,
even if I tried my best.

The detox was able to get my levels

for many of these chemicals
down ever further.

But to find out why some went up,

I headed back to the Cleveland Clinic

to ask Dr. Hanaway how this could happen.

- Let's talk about the
results a little bit.

When I saw them,

the first thing that
flashed through my mind was,

"Oh, there's some things

"that are going up that are lipophilic."

So, that means those are compounds

that tend to be in the fat tissue.

So, I thought, "Gosh, I hope
Soozie's lost some weight,"

because that would totally
explain what's happening here.

With lipophilic agents that
have been used as pesticides

and those things that have
been used as flame retardants,

they stay in the fat tissues.

And when we release the fat,

they're releasing that
into your bloodstream.

So, it's circulating.

And now, slowly, if I keep
eating the phytonutrients,

sauna, and just living more
of a moderate, normal life,

I should pass those?
- Yes.

It's so important for
women preconceptually

to do a detox.

So, what you've done in
optimizing your health

and wellbeing before pregnancy
is exactly what we want.

- This is like the reverse
of my younger days, right?

You don't wanna get pregnant
until a certain point.

And then, when you wanna
get pregnant, you're like,

"OK, now I need to know
how to make this happen."

- Your vigilance is important.

Having the consciousness and awareness

will reduce your exposure
by anywhere from 50% to 90%.

- What I've really realized
through all of this

is that while I can
control some exposures,

I can't control others.

And so, if my day-to-day is
really just spent obsessing,

then I'm not really living.

So, it's about that middle ground.

- Be mindful, with heart
awareness, and go from there.

- I was well on my way

to getting long-lasting
chemicals out of my body.

And after I got back
from seeing Dr. Hanaway,

I learned I would be keeping them

out of my neighborhood, too.

The pesticide spraying had stopped

and I was asked to put up a bat house

for natural mosquito control.

- We have to make the change.

I also have a three and a
half year old son that--

Y'know, I wanna give him a better world.

It may be that the rules
were stacked against us.

But at some point,

we have to believe in the
mantra of "people power."

- I feel a real responsibility

to demand corporate accountability

and to say to the corporations

that are making the toxic
product, "You can do better.

"You have kids."

But retailers aren't
gonna make these changes

until consumers demand them.

- There have been consumer campaigns

that have really gotten rid
of some dangerous chemicals.

I mean, one good example is BPA,

where it used to be routinely
added to baby bottles

and sippy cups and some
other kid's products.

And consumers were in an
uproar when it became clear

that they were posing risks to the kids,

and they pushed back against
some of the big companies

and companies like Target and Walmart

decided to pull those products
and no longer sell them.

And that backed up into real improvements

at the national levels.

- Americans spend
more than a trillion dollars

on food, personal care, and
cleaning products every year.

If we focus more of our
spending on less toxic products,

big corporations will see the dollar signs

and meet our demands.

- The trend is to move toward
safer, healthier chemicals,

and the people who are leading that trend

are not our politicians,
not our regulators,

not our bureaucratic
scientists in Washington,

and certainly not the companies.

The people who are leading
that trend are consumers

who are saying, "I've had enough.

"I don't want this stuff in my blood

"and I definitely don't
want this stuff in my baby."

- Long before this journey began,

I knew I could have reproductive
challenges ahead of me.

I went back to my OB/GYN to
see if anything had changed.

Come in!

- Hi there!

How are you doing?

- Really well, how are you?

- I'm good, I'm excited
to take a look today.

- Me too!

- We're gonna do another ultrasound

and take a look at your ovaries

and see how they look in comparison

to the last time we did this.

OK, you ready?
- That's awesome, yes.

- OK, great. Come on down for me.

- I mean, as ready as a person can be

to have an ultrasound on camera.

- Alright.

So, let's take a look over here.

- Alright, so this is like the culmination

of everything, right?

- That's right.

- Most toxins are out, feeling good.

- Exactly.

- Now--
- Now, let's see how it all--

- Now, let's see.

- Looks.

- If there's some payoff.

- Excellent.

- Yes?
- Very awake ovaries.

Lots of follicles.

- That's awesome.

- And it looks beautiful,
looks very awake.

And at this point in
time, fertility is yours.

So, you've gotta decide when you're ready.

- In the very beginning,

I came into this just thinking about

how I wanted to have the
healthiest baby possible.

And then, when I started learning more

and I realized that--

- "I just wanna have a baby."

- I just wanna be able to have a baby,

and you learn more and more.

I have so many friends that
can't get pregnant right now.

And so, it might not just be the toxins,

it might not just be the birth control,

it might not just be the food,

but when you put everything together,

I realize now, especially
over the past few months,

that I do have some kind
of control over my health

and my future.
- Absolutely, absolutely.

- Thank you so much, I'm so excited.

- Absolutely, it was
great to see you again.

- I'd hug you, but I have no pants on.

For the most part, my
social experiment worked.

And all the people I've
met while making this film

have made my love story
with everyday chemicals

a little less toxic.

What started as a
question of whether or not

I can impact my own exposure

has ignited a personal fight

against the barrage of petrochemicals

polluting our bodies and environment.

The reality is that we
can't rely on our government

and corporations to put
people before profits.

It's going to be up to us as individuals

making little changes within our lives,

homes and communities.

Enjoying a less toxic life
isn't as hard as I imagined,

which is a great thing,

because while we can't change the past,

it's up to us to make healthier
choices for ourselves,

our planet, and future generations.