Unacceptable Levels, Documentary Film Review by Nancy Swan, Director of Children's EPA

Unacceptable Levels
Film review by Nancy Swan, Director of Children’s Environmental Protection Alliance (Children’s EPA)

Unacceptable Levels, a provocative documentary by filmmaker Ed Brown, addresses the threat from toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants on child health.

 In 2009, Ed Brown started looking into chemicals. 
What he discovered was the largest unnatural disaster in human history. 
He decided to do something about it. 
This is his story. - Unacceptable Levels

Brown embarks on a quest for answers about chemicals that could be affecting the health of his children. What he discovers affects every living creature on the planet.

Through layering confluent visual montages with interviews with dozens of noted scientists and environmental experts, Brown examines the history of the chemical revolution, increasing rates of childhood chronic illnesses, and the shocking array of chemicals in water, food, products, and waste products.  But, if you think this is just one more eulogy-for-the-planet-type documentary, think again.

Unacceptable Levels is entertaining, an educational experience, and a delicious blend of humor, humanity, and hope.  With folksy, but honest charm, Ed Brown shifts brilliantly between history lesson and current science, leading to a rather alarming dilemma - what to do about the sea of toxic chemicals impacting our children’s bodies. 

On the topic of brilliance - one of many quotes spotlighted in Unacceptable Levels is this thought-provoking quote by Albert Einstein, "Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them."   But, Ed Brown shows that we don’t have to be an intellectual to solve the problem of pervasive, invasive industrial chemicals and we don’t have to be a genius to prevent harm to children.  So, how will non-intellectual, non-geniuses solve this problem?

Though not included in Brown's selection, Albert Einstein also advised, "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."  Through Ed Brown’s eyes and ears we also learn from history and through the answers we are given reason to live today better than yesterday.  Unacceptable Levels provides incentive to hope for a better tomorrow - to learn, think, act, and  never stop questioning - for the sake of all our children.

Please visit www.unacceptablelevels.com for more information about showing locations and to view the full trailer. Unacceptable Levels will soon be available on iTunes and other video-on-demand platforms and will also be released in theaters nationwide Fall 2013.