Early coal miners didn’t have the special equipment that miners have today to measure gases in the air, so it was impossible to tell if poisonous gases were building to dangerous levels. 
 
Miners used highly sensitive canaries to test the air quality in the mines. Carried below ground in cages, these little yellow birds would chirp and sing and make noise all day long.  If the noxious fumes became too high, the canaries would have trouble breathing, possibly even die.

According to tests conducted by the Bureau of Mines, canaries were preferred to alert coal miners  because they most visibly demonstrated signs of distress in the presence of small quantities of the noxious gas. For instance, when consumed by the effects of dangerous fumes, a canary would sway noticeably on his perch before falling.

Although this warning system was low-tech, it was extremely effective and easy to read ... if the bird swayed noticeably or died, miners had to get out of the mine shaft. The canaries in the coal mines died from the inhalation of tiny quantities of unseen gas.

We human canaries, those of us who are particularly sensitive, have bodies that are the first to react to toxins and pollutants in the environment.  We are the warning for society that our surroundings are unhealthy.  Like the canaries in the mine warned the miners, we are the pioneers creating recognition of this danger to our health and the hormone imbalance epidemic.

By sharing our stories and our knowledge in public arenas where health or environmental discussions are taking place, we can dramatically influence our ultimate goal of a healthy world for all.