“‘Toxic substance’ is a term which has been used to describe drugs, chemicals, or any substance shown to be poisonous or harmful to an organism. The word ‘toxic’ comes from the Greek word ‘toxikon’ which originally meant a poison in which arrows were dipped.
“The human body is made up of certain exact chemicals and chemical compounds, and complex chemical processes go on continuously within it. Some substances, such as nutrients, air and water, are vital to the continuation of these processes and for maintaining the body's health. Some substances are relatively neutral when entered into the body, causing neither benefit nor damage. Toxic substances are those which upset the body's normal chemical balance or interfere with its chemical processes. Some of them can wreak havoc, blocking or perverting vital body functions and making the body ill or even uninhabitable for a being.
“‘Detoxification’ would be the action of removing a poison or a poisonous effect from something (such as from one's body).
“There has been an enormous volume of material written on the subject of toxic substances, their reported effects and the prospects for their handling. Examples abound in publications and news reports.
“Let's look this horse squarely in the face. This society, at this time, is riddled with toxic substances. According to studies, some of the things that are put in a can of peas or a can of soup are, let's face it, toxic. They are preservatives and the action of a preservative is to impede decay. Yet digestion and cellular action are based on decay. In other words, those things might be great for the manufacturer as they preserve his product, but they could be very bad for the consumer.
“It is not that I am on a food fadism kick or a kick against preservatives; the point I am making is that man is surrounded by toxins. This one example alone (preservatives in foods) is an indicator of the degree of toxic substances in modern society.
“Here are some other examples of toxic substances that researchers report are finding their way into the bodies of this planet's inhabitants:”
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- L. Ron Hubbard