Cleaning Supplies
Toxic chemicals are all around us, in our homes, cars, work, and even supermarket. It is our job to limit the amount of toxic chemicals that enters our body. Exposure is the term for how toxic chemicals can enter our bodies. Exposure to toxic chemicals can occur through three ways, ingestion, inhalation, and absorption.
Chemicals are ingested through eating items that have chemicals on them. One common way toxic chemicals are ingested is through not adequately washing fruits and vegetables before eating. Inhalation occurs through breathing in chemicals. Chemicals can become suspended in the air and easily breathed in, the smaller the chemicals the deeper in the lung the chemical can go and the more harm they can cause. We breathe in toxic chemicals all day with the use of aerosol or spray cans. Absorption can occur when toxic chemicals come in contact with our skin. Our skin is a great barrier, but chemicals are still able to penetrate through skin or easily enter through cuts on our skin.
Cleaning is not something most of us enjoy, but it is part of life. Cleaning can expose us to very toxic chemicals found in common cleaning supplies sold in stores. When we clean we are exposed to chemicals through ingestion, inhalation, and absorption. Ingestion can occur by spraying toxic chemicals near food that is out on the counter. Inhalation through breathing after cleaner has been sprayed. Absorption can occur when we are wiping anything down with toxic chemicals and they touch our skin.
For more information on how to reduce the toxic chemicals we are exposed to and create healthy homes go to:
http://www.ahealthcafe.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=Ma28353&action=show
Monday, February 26, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Cancer Causing Chemicals in Your Home
CANCER CAUSING CHEMICALS IN YOUR HOME
When I was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2000 it was like a bomb went off and the blast knocked me off my feet. Trust me you are never prepared to hear the news that you have cancer. Your mind goes into overdrive thinking about all the questions you need answers for. You sit in your doctor’s office and try to absorb what he is telling you but it’s like there is cotton in your ears and everything seems out of focus and far away. What you are thinking is “am I going to die?” I can’t die now, who will watch over my husband, who will help my daughters plan their weddings, I’m too young, I have too much living to be done. During all of this you have to decide on treatment. I want this cancer gone so I will have chemo.
During my treatment and about a year after it, I had to focus on one day at a time. I could get through one day because things would be a little better tomorrow. Right from the start I wanted to know what caused the cancer in me and where did it come from. My doctor had told me that they really couldn’t pin point one thing but that the chemicals, pesticides and insecticides that we live with each day contribute toward many cancers. As I was getting better I looked for articles on the causes of cancer but soon my daily activities and work took over and I put “cancer” in a compartment at the back of my mind.
In 2005 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer bringing “cancer” back to the front of the line. I was again told that one of the causes was the chemicals that are in products we use in our homes every day. Again I battled thru chemo and fought to regain my life but this time I am keeping cancer out in the open.
I have read many articles about what is really in my household cleaning and personal care products that I use every day and they have shocked me but more than that they have made me mad. I am mad because unlike food and drugs, cosmetic and home cleaning products like fabric softener are largely unregulated due in part to an incorrect assumption that their chemicals are not really absorbed into the body. The basic argument – which the giant corporations are more than happy to repeat – is that such chemicals could not be absorbed through the skin because the skin is a strong barrier against external agents.
In reality, nearly every chemical that touches the skin finds its way into the body and into the bloodstream. It certainly may do so in small quantities, but fact is families don’t use fabric softeners, dryer sheets and all the other popular household chemicals once or twice – they use them repeatedly.
Dryer sheets and fabric softeners are often advertised to give your laundry an “April Fresh” scent but they left out the fact that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals. The fresh and clean smells associated with these products are completely artificial fragrances that are required to cover up the stench of all the chemicals in typical dryer sheets (chemicals used for fabric softness and eliminating static cling.)
Here is a list of just some of the chemicals found in popular fabric softeners and dryer sheets:
BENZYL ACETATE: Linked to pancreatic cancer
BENZYL ALCOHOL: Upper respiratory tract irritant
ETHANOL: On the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list and can cause central
nervous system damage
A-TERPINEOL: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema,
and central nervous system damage
CHAMPHOR: Causes central nervous system disorders
I started this blog with the intent of condensing the articles I’ve read and getting the information about toxins in our homes to mothers and fathers who are too busy to research this on their own. To get more information and learn what you can do to keep these toxins out of your home click on this link:
http://www.ahealthcafe.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=Ma28353&action=show
Sources: http://www.sixwise.com/
When I was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2000 it was like a bomb went off and the blast knocked me off my feet. Trust me you are never prepared to hear the news that you have cancer. Your mind goes into overdrive thinking about all the questions you need answers for. You sit in your doctor’s office and try to absorb what he is telling you but it’s like there is cotton in your ears and everything seems out of focus and far away. What you are thinking is “am I going to die?” I can’t die now, who will watch over my husband, who will help my daughters plan their weddings, I’m too young, I have too much living to be done. During all of this you have to decide on treatment. I want this cancer gone so I will have chemo.
During my treatment and about a year after it, I had to focus on one day at a time. I could get through one day because things would be a little better tomorrow. Right from the start I wanted to know what caused the cancer in me and where did it come from. My doctor had told me that they really couldn’t pin point one thing but that the chemicals, pesticides and insecticides that we live with each day contribute toward many cancers. As I was getting better I looked for articles on the causes of cancer but soon my daily activities and work took over and I put “cancer” in a compartment at the back of my mind.
In 2005 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer bringing “cancer” back to the front of the line. I was again told that one of the causes was the chemicals that are in products we use in our homes every day. Again I battled thru chemo and fought to regain my life but this time I am keeping cancer out in the open.
I have read many articles about what is really in my household cleaning and personal care products that I use every day and they have shocked me but more than that they have made me mad. I am mad because unlike food and drugs, cosmetic and home cleaning products like fabric softener are largely unregulated due in part to an incorrect assumption that their chemicals are not really absorbed into the body. The basic argument – which the giant corporations are more than happy to repeat – is that such chemicals could not be absorbed through the skin because the skin is a strong barrier against external agents.
In reality, nearly every chemical that touches the skin finds its way into the body and into the bloodstream. It certainly may do so in small quantities, but fact is families don’t use fabric softeners, dryer sheets and all the other popular household chemicals once or twice – they use them repeatedly.
Dryer sheets and fabric softeners are often advertised to give your laundry an “April Fresh” scent but they left out the fact that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals. The fresh and clean smells associated with these products are completely artificial fragrances that are required to cover up the stench of all the chemicals in typical dryer sheets (chemicals used for fabric softness and eliminating static cling.)
Here is a list of just some of the chemicals found in popular fabric softeners and dryer sheets:
BENZYL ACETATE: Linked to pancreatic cancer
BENZYL ALCOHOL: Upper respiratory tract irritant
ETHANOL: On the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list and can cause central
nervous system damage
A-TERPINEOL: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema,
and central nervous system damage
CHAMPHOR: Causes central nervous system disorders
I started this blog with the intent of condensing the articles I’ve read and getting the information about toxins in our homes to mothers and fathers who are too busy to research this on their own. To get more information and learn what you can do to keep these toxins out of your home click on this link:
http://www.ahealthcafe.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=Ma28353&action=show
Sources: http://www.sixwise.com/
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Cancer Causing Toxins We Use Everyday
Have We Always Been This Sick?
- One in three Americans will suffer with cancer.
- Cancer is the number 2 killer of adults and the leading cause of disease in children.
- Birth defects are on the rise.
- Infertility is increasing - over 2 million couples unable to conceive.
- Asthma rate has tripled - 20-30 million Americans currently afflicted.
- Attention Deficit Disorder in adults and children is rising.
In 2000 I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and in 2005 with Breast Cancer. There wasn’t a history of these cancers in my family so I wanted to know what caused them. My doctor explained that the chemicals and pesticides we use to keep our homes “clean” and for personal care are believed to be partly responsible for many cancers.
One of these toxins is Formaldehyde and according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer it is a cancer-causing substance. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies it as a probable human carcinogen. You are exposed to this poisonous substance by inhaling its’ vapors or absorbing liquids that contain it through the skin. Some of the common sources in your home are:
Shampoo,
Toothpaste,
Mascara,
Cosmetics,
After shave,
Air fragrances
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission as few as 0.1 parts per million of formaldehyde can cause watery eyes, burning sensation in the eyes, nose & throat, stuffy nose, nausea, coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, skin rashes and allergic reactions.
To guard your health and that of your children, get more information and learn what you can do to decrease your exposure to formaldehyde and other toxins click on:
http://www.ahealthcafe.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=Ma28353&action=show
Sources: Environmental Protection Agency: Formaldehyde
- One in three Americans will suffer with cancer.
- Cancer is the number 2 killer of adults and the leading cause of disease in children.
- Birth defects are on the rise.
- Infertility is increasing - over 2 million couples unable to conceive.
- Asthma rate has tripled - 20-30 million Americans currently afflicted.
- Attention Deficit Disorder in adults and children is rising.
In 2000 I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and in 2005 with Breast Cancer. There wasn’t a history of these cancers in my family so I wanted to know what caused them. My doctor explained that the chemicals and pesticides we use to keep our homes “clean” and for personal care are believed to be partly responsible for many cancers.
One of these toxins is Formaldehyde and according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer it is a cancer-causing substance. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies it as a probable human carcinogen. You are exposed to this poisonous substance by inhaling its’ vapors or absorbing liquids that contain it through the skin. Some of the common sources in your home are:
Shampoo,
Toothpaste,
Mascara,
Cosmetics,
After shave,
Air fragrances
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission as few as 0.1 parts per million of formaldehyde can cause watery eyes, burning sensation in the eyes, nose & throat, stuffy nose, nausea, coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, skin rashes and allergic reactions.
To guard your health and that of your children, get more information and learn what you can do to decrease your exposure to formaldehyde and other toxins click on:
http://www.ahealthcafe.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=Ma28353&action=show
Sources: Environmental Protection Agency: Formaldehyde
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