That the environment can have a direct impact on our health should come as no surprise. How it can affect your blood, however, may.

The environment contains the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we cultivate.

Our air is full of pollution from factories, cars, and cows. This not only impacts our lungs, but changes weather patterns that affect our farms and livestock.

Our ozone layer is disappearing, allowing in more ultraviolet rays, which disrupt our skin cells and increase the chances of contracting skin cancer.

Our water supply contains persistent organic pollutants from plastics, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides from runoff.

Mercury in the ocean concentrate in the fish that live the longest, such as tuna. Over time, a regular diet of these fish will result in an ever-increasing build-up of mercury.

It is important that we protect our environment and ensure the balance of the ecosystem. Not only for our health, but for the health of all living plants and animals.