By the onset of the 21st century, there were no parts of the Earth free from some type of chemical pollution. Furthermore, the threat posed by atmospheric pollution and climate change threatens to degrade and destroy habitats for creatures from polar bears to plankton.

Were that not enough, these threats tend to multiply. Amphibians are one example: pesticide poisoning of the water weakened their natural immunity to fungus that has already wiped out several species and critically endangered many others.

Pollution is found not only in the natural environment, but also in your own home and work, regardless of where you live or what you do for a living. But how does one gage their own personal exposure to these pollutants and toxins?

The only way to quantify your exposure to known toxins is to have a wide-spectrum blood test done. This has been done for people who suffer cases of acute exposure as well as by journalists investigating the pervasiveness of chemical exposure. However, these tests are very expensive – more than $10,000 in 2005 dollars as reported by National Geographic.

What such tests don’t tell you is how these chemical interact together in your body, since no one actually knows. You can, however, get a general idea of the sources of contamination by taking stock of all the places where you encounter pollution, including:

* air pollution
* water pollution
* soil pollution
* food residues
* bio-accumulated toxins
* fragrances, additives and other chemical additives
* industrial waste
* pharmaceutical drugs

For those living in either Florida or California, you know that the housing market is now favoring buyers. So many people defaulted on their mortgage loans that the inventory of homes may take many months to clear. Causing prices to drop drastically, if you purchased during high tide, there is a possiblity that your home is worth much less then what you purchased it for. Negative equity will also make refinancing harder to get. Not all realty markets are soft. North Carolina markets have not declined as much as they have in other states. Gains in real estate have been low for the past few years, so the market has not been over priced. You should examine the local market to understand how the global conditions affect your mortgage options. The mortgage crisis is personal to you, so I understand why you are so proactive in trying to figure out a way to resolve the matter.

Now, you will need to approach your lender to figure out if you can renegotiate your mortgage terms. You will have to cut back on any additional expenses that might cut into your ability to make the mortgage payment. You need to get a clear-cut resolution at buying time. The odds of the market recovering are good and only a matter of time, so any little that you do will help you to recover in the long run.