Toxicity:
The Invisible Tsunami
How pervasive toxicity threatens
human and planetary survival
What if one of the biggest threats to our health and planet is invisible, yet found in our air, food, and water?
Our latest report is the first time that a single report has attempted to analyse the broader collective problem and solution spaces of chemical toxicity answering the questions: how and why are toxic chemicals produced, how do they get into our bodies and the environment, and how do they affect the health of humans and other organisms?
Over eight months, we conducted an extensive analysis, including reviewing countless peer-reviewed studies and 50+ interviews with global experts. This research shows that the impacts of chemical toxicity are largely underestimated, contributing to increasing cancer rates, declining fertility, and a surge in chronic diseases, alongside ecosystem damage.
The overarching conclusion is that chemical toxicity is an underestimated risk to society and deserves significantly more attention and resources.
But this report isn't just about the problem; it's a call to action for solutions. We highlight critical industry, regulatory gaps and, most importantly, identify key areas for innovation and urgent funding that can put us on the right path to increase our understanding and make positive changes where it's most needed.
We identified three opportunity areas that demand solutions: pesticides (herbicides and insecticide), food contact materials, personal care products.
Key takeaways include:
Over eight months, we conducted an extensive analysis, including reviewing countless peer-reviewed studies and 50+ interviews with global experts. This research shows that the impacts of chemical toxicity are largely underestimated, contributing to increasing cancer rates, declining fertility, and a surge in chronic diseases, alongside ecosystem damage.
The overarching conclusion is that chemical toxicity is an underestimated risk to society and deserves significantly more attention and resources.
But this report isn't just about the problem; it's a call to action for solutions. We highlight critical industry, regulatory gaps and, most importantly, identify key areas for innovation and urgent funding that can put us on the right path to increase our understanding and make positive changes where it's most needed.
We identified three opportunity areas that demand solutions: pesticides (herbicides and insecticide), food contact materials, personal care products.
Key takeaways include:
- Over 3,600 synthetic chemicals from food contact materials are found within human bodies globally.
- PFAS have contaminated the entire world, with levels in rainwater often exceeding safe drinking water limits.
- Over 90% of the global population is exposed to air pollution exceeding World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.
- The impact of pesticide use on cancer incidence may rival that of smoking and is linked to leukaemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, bladder, colon, and liver cancer. Prenatal pesticide exposure increases the odds of childhood leukemia and lymphoma by over 50%.
To learn more, you can download both the executive summary and the full report below. If you’re curious about how to create an impactful and commercially viable company in this space, we’d love to hear from you!
Download Report
About Deep Science Ventures
Deep Science Ventures (DSV) is creating a future where humanity and the planet thrive, combining available scientific knowledge and founder-type scientists into high-impact ventures. Deep Science Ventures operates in 4 sectors: Agriculture, Climate, Computation and Pharmaceuticals, tackling the challenges defining those areas by taking a first-principles approach and partnering with leading institutions.