If you're expecting, not only should you not count calories, you should be wary of pesticides too, according to recent reports. In studying childhood obesity, researchers discovered a strong link between chemical contamination in the womb and cases of obesity in children. Just why this link exists is not yet clear, but it's thought that these findings could forever change the way foods are processed worldwide.

Chemicals that showed a link to obesity (called Obesogens) include organotins, bisphenol A (BPA), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and phthalates. Unfortunately, it's believed the nearly everyone in the world has traces of these chemicals in their bodies.

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Not only are we constantly barraged by noise and air pollution, we're regularly filling our bodies with garbage: chemicals, additives, even poisons. So it's never been so important to cleanse both our minds and our bodies of the toxins we can't seem to escape in our day-to-day life.

But detoxing doesn't have to mean forking out a small fortune at an uppity spa. Divine Caroline offers a number of ways you can give your body a break, naturally:

• Drink lots of water. It flushes the system.
• Sweat, either in a sauna or steam room, or through exercise.
• Meditate or pray regularly, and take deep, cleansing breaths when you do.
• Eliminate electronics from your bedroom.
• Cleanse your body with natural herbs like dandelion and ginger root.

There are plenty more tips where these came from -- head over to Divine Caroline for more detox data.

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Pollution is a big deal for Olympians this year, mainly because there's just too much of it in Beijing. Athletes will need to worry about the effects of air quality on their performance, but not just in the way you think. Hockey players are concerned that the smog and haze will inhibit their ability to see the puck clearly. And so Britain's women's team is trying out an interesting technique -- red contact lenses.

The red lenses work like sunglasses and will help the women's eyes cut through the glare and focus more clearly. They'll also limit the amount of time the players spend squinting or frowning, which will help prevent headaches and tiring. But I think these contacts will have another effect on hockey -- intimidation. Can you imagine going face-to-face with an opponent whose eyes look like this? Creepy!

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If you are a woman living in an urban area, you may have an increased chance of developing breast cancer. It seems women who live and work in large cities have more dense breast tissue than those in suburban and rural areas. Dense tissue increases risk.

This connection -- between risk and big cities -- may stem from the fact that urbanites tend to have kids later in life and are more likely to use hormone therapy. Pollution and stress may also play a role.

Regardless of the cause, researchers from the London Breast Institute say the risk is real. So if you live or work in a city, make sure you get your mammograms as recommended and if you learn that you have dense tissue, go to a facility that offers digital technology -- it can detect up to 50 percent more cancers in dense breasts. Regardless of where you live, really, you should follow these preventative strategies.

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After 18,000 air samples from all around southern California, measurements indicate that the cancer risk due to air pollution is down 15 percent. While that's a considerable decline, the current levels are still dangerously high. The two year study concluded that areas around Los Angeles and Long Beach contained some of the dirtiest air in the nation.

Want to hear a scary number? Estimates say that if SoCal residents live to be 70 years old, then 1,200 out of every one million people will get cancer. This is due to toxic air. But don't panic, estimates need to be taken with a grain of salt. Scientists have to put a number on everything, and while the air is certainly in need of quality control, you shouldn't evacuate.

Authorities say the current levels are unacceptable, but how do you combat this sort of problem? Regulations concerning gas and diesel fuels could be considered. And of course, the "green" movement towards cleaner automobiles is another way to lend a helping hand. This is not an isolated problem, however, and it won't go away until we learn to be better stewards of our environment.

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I'm a regular at weather.com. Since I never know what temperatures will greet me each morning -- here in Florida, it can be 60 degrees one day and 80 the next -- I make a nightly check of my city's forecast so I know how to properly dress my little ones for school.

I've been looking strictly at the temps when I make my weather stop, but I just learned that I can check out the air quality in my area too. In fact, I just did it. After arriving at my friendly weather website, I clicked on healthy living and then air quality and pollution. Good news: In every Florida city listed, the air quality is good. To compare and contrast, I also took a peek at Ohio, my home state. Different news here: Some cities have good air quality; some have moderate. There are other possible air qualities -- unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, and very unhealthy -- and it seems by my quick tour through a few other states that none fit these three categories. I suspect the conditions can change day by day, though. So for those of you concerned with the state of the air, regular visits to this site might be wise.

Why should you be concerned with the air, you ask? Because polluted air is bad for your health. Check out these articles in the journal Circulation for more on this topic. And before heading for outdoor activities -- and especially before exercising outside -- check your air. If it's not optimal, then head to the gym.

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Here's a new item that hit home for me: A recent study has found high levels of carcinogens in the water near the Alberta Oil Sands. Alberta's my home province, and it's also a huge source of oil. But land up north, particularly around the oil sands, has been raped and pillaged for so many years and the effects of abusing land for oil without any thought to long-term effects are beginning to surface. Levels of harmful substances are alarmingly high, according to researchers. One even says this could be a worse disaster than the Exxon Valdez.
Still, it's nothing new for people living in these communities. Residents complained of seeing oily scum in their drinking water and they've noticed higher incidences of cancer among residents than in other areas of the province.

I've lived in Alberta for a long time and I've seen the effects of the influx of oil money. But at the expense of our health? That's a mighty hefty price to pay.

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Last summer, I visited Paris with my family, and we stayed on a boat on the Seine. Our accommodations were very nice but the river? Well, it smelled a bit raw. And there was always random garbage floating by and I can only imagine what else. Each morning when we walked outside, we saw a group of people fishing in the river, and we prayed to god they weren't the people who owned the nearby restaurants. Ick.

Not only is eating fish from polluted rivers nausea-inspiring, but it's also dangerous too, especially for us women -- recent studies show that eating fish from polluted waters can trigger breast cancer. Yikes.

This is a good reminder that it's important to eat wild ocean fish whenever possible.

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As a person, global warming leaves me wondering what the future holds for our planet. As a parent, it leaves me wondering what that future planet will be like for my children. That's a question that no one can answer right now, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a report that claims that children are likely to be hit harder by changing climate than the rest of us.

The AAP is concerned that increased pollution will cause an increase in diseases like asthma, and that the increased rainfall will bring about more waterborne infections. In addition, as mosquito zones increase, so does malaria -- particularly dangerous to young children. The AAP has recommended that pediatricians add their voice to the issue by educating their local officials. You can find links to the actual report and the AAP's policy statement here.

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It's not a secret that pollution isn't good for the planet or the many creatures that inhabit it, but still I find the results of the study reported on here are absolutely mind-blowing. According to a study conducted at Cornell University by a professor of ecology and agricultural sciences along with a team of graduate students, various forms of pollution can be blamed for up to 40% of deaths across the globe.

Numbers that large offer a pretty scary wake-up call. Water, soil and air pollution are the biggest killers, with air pollution alone being blamed for up to 3 million deaths a year. The piece points out that toxins in the environment can lead to a range of potentially deadly health problems including cancer, immune system defects, birth defects and more.

I think that this sort of news really brings home that fact that we all need to think more about not only what we put into our bodies but also what we're expelling into the environment, as eventally a lot of that junk will end up in our bodies anyway. What do you think?

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European life spans are being cut short by about a year due to poor air and water quality, according to a report out of Europe's main environmental agency this week.

Changes attributed to global warming were specifically referenced in the report as well (smog and pollution), and these collective reasons were connected to an overall decrease int he average European's life span -- to the tune of year lost.

The European Environment Agency concluded that quick changes are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as increasing air and water quality or the more than hundreds of thousands of Europeans prematurely dying each year could increase, according to the 400-page report.

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It's amazing to hear that nearly two billion citizens across the globe could create a rising amount of poor health due to the rise of "dirty energy."

Dirty energy can come in the form of air pollution and exposure to smoke from open fires, among many other things. In other words, the burning of coal to power electric grids is generally not all that healthy to live near (or breathe, of course).

A recent report in the medical journal The Lancet stated that 2.4 billion people worldwide were exposed to pollution from inefficient burning of solid fuels like wood, coal and dried cow dung.

So, in the march to get that energy into the electric grid or for heating, the inefficiency of many methods in several countries could cause escalating problems with the health of nearby citizens.

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While training for something as physically demanding as the Olympic Games is obviously a very healthy endeavor, fans of the events may find that, for spectators, just the opposite is true.

Beyond the fact that Beijing is riddled with pollution, the site within the city where most of the Games are being held suffers an usually high number of lightning strikes.

This year has already seen 499 deaths in China as result of lightning strikes, and, according to meteorologists, Beijing is more likely to be hit than other parts of the country. Add to that the fact that Haidan (home to many of the Olympic venues -- including many that are open air) is "among the high-frequency regions of natural lightning" within Beijing, and it starts to sound like a justified concern.

Officials are trying to combat pollution in Beijing by halving the number of cars on the road, but -- while it has certainly reduced pollution -- the measure has thus far been ineffective at removing the thick cloud of smog that hangs over the city.

Will any of this matter to a die-hard fan who's set on attending the Games? Probably not. But for those who are planning on traveling to Beijing, it's worth learning more about the effects of smog, and what you can do to minimize your risk.

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It used to be that people were only expected to live until the age of 40 or 50. Now, with help from medical technology and improved living conditions, people are living longer than ever, and the life expectancy is continuing to rise.

But it seems that technology is working against us too. Here's proof: A study shows that traffic police in China only have a life expectancy of 43. I think you'll agree that 43 is a very young age to die at. So what's the problem? It's not that they're more likely to be involved in an accident because they're working on the roads; No, pollution is to blame. Almost every traffic cop in Guangzhou has suffered from some sort of ear, nose or throat infection. Respiratory tract diseases and heart problems were also common. Other factors that play a role in the health of these policemen were stress, traffic noise and long-term exposure to sun.

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Most offices and workplaces have been smoke free for years now, but it seems there's been another culprit lurking unsuspectingly and contaminating the air just as much as the smokers used to: the laser printer. According to the physics professor at the Queensland University of Technology laser printers often put out clouds of ultra-fine particles into the air that are comparable to smoke and motor vehicle emissions. The particles are so small they're invisible to the naked eye and are capable of getting deep into the lungs and causing problems.

The government currently regulates the emissions of motor vehicles and restricts smoking in some areas, so why not printers? And how many other common appliances or equipment items are sneaking toxins into our air?

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