11 Documentaries to Learn More About Toxic Chemicals

Toxic chemicals, from antimony to zinc, have invaded all aspects of modern living — consumer products, electronics, food, food packaging, personal care products, soaps, pharmaceuticals, toys and play mats, and even our water supply.

The companies that formulate, manufacture, and sell these chemical-laden products, however, do all possible to conceal or ignore the negative effects on our environment and ourselves. They market their industrial practices and products as safe and reveal ingredients and substances used only when forced to do so by law or intense public pressure.

Therefore, it can be extremely difficult to learn the truth about the 80,000 toxic chemicals that have permeated our environment, our homes, and our bodies.

So, what exactly is toxic, you say? Well, I might have found the perfect resource for you at WhatsToxic.com:

This website is a toxic resource that will help you become an informed consumer of air, water, food, and consumer products. This will decrease your exposure to chemicals that trigger asthma or that can cause cancer and effects on the endocrine and nervous systems.

Pretty cool, no? At the site, you can take a home toxicity test, read breaking toxic news, and read the toxic tips to avoid certain toys for your kids.

In the home toxicity test, you can find out the dangers of the following and the impact they can have on your living space:

Mold
Radon
Lead
Asbestos
Carbon Monoxide
More Indoor Air
Drinking Water
Consumer Products
Yard & Garden

Information is available, but many of us do not have the education, inclination, resources, or time to do our own research. Thankfully, there are documentary filmmakers willing to help shine a light on this growing problem.

Here are 11 feature-length or short documentary films with direct or incidental information, warnings, and solutions about toxic chemicals:

Addicted to Plastic: The Rise and Demise of a Modern Miracle (2009).
Chemerical: Redefining Clean for a New Generation (2009). Available on Netflix Streaming.
Good Hair (2009).
Last Call at the Oasis (2012).
No Impact Man: The Documentary (2009). Available on Netflix Streaming.
Plastic Planet (2011). Available on Netflix Streaming.
Semper Fi: Always Faithful (2011) Available on Netflix Streaming.
Story of Cosmetics (2010).
Story of Electronics (2010).
Toxic Soup (2010).

Most of these documentaries are available online to stream from Netflix, rent from Amazon Prime Video or play directly from the project’s website.

If you haven’t taken a look at this site, you might want to check it out. Just thought I would pass it along!