#bodyburden

I was fascinated by the idea of “body burden”.  I did some more digging about post-mortem body burden and bioaccumulation. I had literally never heard of the term before.

Body Burden and Bioaccumulation (From Lasting Health)

Chemicals vary widely in the timescales it takes for their potency to reduce. Substances such as alcohol break down quickly and are dispelled from the bloodstream within 12 hours, but synthetic chemicals take much longer, up to many years in some instances. Exposure to chemicals such as PFAS can persist in our body for many years; it’s described as a “forever chemical”.

Over time, and with repeated exposure to chemicals, the effect of multiple chemicals entering the body can lead to a bioaccumulation of chemicals that can become toxic to our health, contributing to feeling unwell, and a wide range of illnesses and disease.

“Watching this newly contained Serena, you begin to wonder if she finally has given up wanting better from her peers or if she too has come across Hennessys Art Thoughtz and is channeling his assertion that the less is communicated the better. Be ambiguous. This type of ambiguity could also be diagnosed as dissociation and would support Serenas claim that she has had to split herself from herself and create different personae”

My artifact for this week is a song entitled SONIA off the album called legacy by oneof my favorite artist: Jamilla Woods. Throughout Rankine’s book she gives language to the body burden of exhaustion that manifest in the bodies of black woman as they are thrown a against a “sharp white background” and rendered invisible. In this song another great queen is on the track, Nitty Scott. In her verse around 1:57 she raps a line that states 

“It was pouring into you while emptying me

It was rationalizing all your toxicity

It was hands around my neck with us on my back

It was pressure, pain, and panic attacks

Had me faded to the wire, putting out my fire

Use to have requirements that turned into desires

Expected to retire me while keeping you inspired

All the women in me are tired

Listen,

My abuela ain't survive several trips around the sun

So I could give it to somebody's undeserving son”

In this part Nitty Scott is giving language to the toxicity of her own body burden as well “ all the woman in me are tired” .

Is this the right way to address body burden in popular media? What is left out? Does shock value really matter? 

At what point can we stop blaming the toxins found in our bodies on “"run of the mill consumer products” and start demanding responsibility where it is due. 

This article suggests that living a cleaner life will limit the toxins in our body but the harsh reality is that these toxins are inescapable.

Photo courtesy of Risk Assessment Corporation http://www.racteam.com/projects/rocky-flats-historical-public-exposures-project#lightbox/3/

 In Full Body Burden,