Thursday, July 12, 2007

TOXINS IN YOUR HOME

by Dan Vickers

If you are like many people you live life to the fullest and take each day as a new day. You take care of yourself and your children as best as you can.

What if I told you that your home may be filled with toxins that are harmful to you and your children? Many people have no clue about the dangers that are present in their homes and the effects of chemicals and toxins.

Americans suffer from more degenerate disease then ever before. There is a definite link between the "Epidemic of Degenerative Disease" and the increase in the development of synthetic ingredients used in personal care products and home care products.

Many people do not consider their home to be a toxic waste dump and the facts may surprise them. The average home today contains 62 toxic chemicals. That is more than a chemistry lab! More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since World War II, and those are the same chemicals that have been found in many homes across the nation!

Here are some facts about products that are found in many homes.

Bleach has been linked to reproductive problems in men and learning and behavioral problems in children.

Everyday household cleaners are the number one cause of poisoning of children.

Behavioral problems have been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and molds.

Carpet cleaner solution is extremely toxic to children. The fumes given off by carpet cleaners can cause cancer and liver damage.

Laundry detergents, household cleaners and pesticides have been linked to breast cancer.
Glass cleaners often may contain ammonia. Fumes from ammonia can irritate skin, eyes, and respiratory system.

Toilet Bowl Cleaners are one of the most dangerous cleaning products. Can contain chlorine and hydrochloric acid. Harmful to health simply by breathing during use.

Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene and toluene are found in common household cleaners, cosmetics, beverages, fabrics and cigarette smoke. These chemicals are cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.

An EPA study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.

These are proven facts and back-up the real dangers in many products in our homes. If you use store bought window cleaner, disinfectants, carpet cleaners, make-up , degreasers or stain removers, you should be aware that all have been found to contain very dangerous chemicals and toxins. These toxins have been linked to cancer, immune system disorders, liver damage, and many other very common health issues many American's face today.

So, what can people do to protect themselves and their families? Remove all toxic products from their homes! By removing those products and utilizing natural or organic made products, you will increase your chances of a healthy life and improve your health greatly!

http://www.ahealthcafe.com/t2s

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Concern raised over chemical levels in tooth whitening productsBy Louise Prance



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The UK Trading Standards Institute (TSI) has warned consumers against DIY tooth whitening kits after tests reported illegally high levels of hydrogen peroxide in many products.

A total of 14 out of 20 DIY kits tested were found to contain high levels of the chemical more commonly found in hair dyes, with high quantities in tooth whitening causing damage to the mouth.

'Many people these days aspire to having the perfect Hollywood smile and some stars have paid a lot of money to achieve this through cosmetic dental treatment" said Ron Gainsford, chief executive of TSI.

'There are much cheaper kits on sale for home use - for instance, some of those tested by trading standards cost as little as £14. But this could end up burning more than a hole in your pocket. Our tests found high levels of hydrogen peroxide, which can aggravate gum disease and cause sensitive teeth - or even chemical burns to the mouth.

As tooth whitening continues to grow in popularity consumers are increasingly seeking cheaper alternatives to the expensive option of having the teeth professionally coloured.

Therefore the trend for at home tooth-whitening kits is growing, with more and more consumers opting for the cheaper alternative.

However, with one of the tested products being 230 times over the legal limits the TSI has highlighted a rise in the dangerous levels of chemicals found in formulations.

Only two of the products, which were purchased over the internet or in beauty shops across the Midlands, complied with the Cosmetics Products (Safety) Regulations - guidelines that ban the sale of tooth whitening kits that contain more than 0.1 per cent hydrogen peroxide.

'The remaining 14 contained amounts of hydrogen peroxide ranging from 0.24 per cent to an incredible 23.8 per cent,' said Alex Rankin, a spokesman on safety for the Central England Trading Standards Authority and principal trading standards officer for Telford & Wrekin Council in Shropshire.

The issue has raised concerns over whether the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations should also regulate dentists, as there may be individual occasions where a fully qualified dentist could decide that a patient can be treated safely with a product containing a higher level of hydrogen peroxide.

'However, at present anyone manufacturing or supplying a teeth whitening product - including dentists - with a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide than 0.1% is in breach of the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations and could face action by trading standards authorities,' said Mike MacGregor, operations and development manager for Hertfordshire County Council Trading Standards..

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Saturday, June 9, 2007

The Harmful Effects of Household Cleaners on Children and Babies
Author: Danni Vickers

Many people often find themselves cleaning their home like crazy, because they want to make sure their home is clean for their children. Unfortunately most people have no clue about the harmful toxins found in many household cleaning products. Many mothers an fathers find themselves using bleach to clean items bought at yard sales, and even to clean walls or bathrooms.

Why should they not? I mean the bottles do not say how toxic it is! All the manufacture cares about is making a parent think the product is great to kill germs, so as parents we buy them. They fail to alert users of the toxins contained in these cleaning products. Most parents find themselves cleaning off the baby's crib, toys, and floors with cleaning products, that are leaving more toxins behind than the toxins they are cleaning because the companies are NOT required by law to alert the consumer!

Here are some facts about common household cleaning products found in many homes across the globe today!

Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene and toluene are found in common household cleaners and all have been linked as cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.

Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight children drink more water, eat more food and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present.

Most children at young ages spend much of the day putting things in their mouths. Especially toddlers, they seem to put anything and everything in their mouths that they can get their hands on. In 1998, scientists at Rutgers University discovered that pesticides sprayed in a home evaporate from floors and carpets, and then re-condense on plastic and foam objects such as pillows and plush toys. By observing how frequently a group of pre-schoolers put clean toys in their mouths, the researchers calculated that contaminated toys are likely to give young children much higher doses of poison than adults would get in the same environment.

Babies do not excrete contaminants or store them away in fat in the same ways that adults do, making the poisons more available to affect rapidly growing bodies. Furthermore, because a baby's immune system is not fully functional, a baby's body cannot counteract toxic effects as well as an adult can. In an adult, a blood-brain barrier insulates the brain from many of the potentially harmful chemicals circulating through the body. But in a human child, that barrier isn't fully developed until six months after birth.

A pregnant woman can also pass the toxins from common cleaners to their unborn child! Many contaminants such as dioxins and PCBs have an affinity for fatty tissue. During pregnancy, women mobilize their amassed stores of body fat to provide nourishment for their growing babies; the contaminants in the fat are then passed to their children. Nursing mothers also transfer a good portion of their lifetime accumulation of chemicals to their babies.

Children exposed in the womb are at greatest risk of all. Because cellular structures change so rapidly during embryonic and fetal growth, a toxic exposure at the wrong moment can permanently alter further development. According to Dr. Landrigan, the central nervous system is especially vulnerable. To function properly, the developing brain must lay down an intricate web of interconnecting neurons. Small doses of neurotoxins during critical periods of brain development can alter those crucial neural pathways - one mistake early on, and the brain may be forever changed in subtle or serious ways. Government and university scientists are currently investigating the possibility of a connection between fetal exposures to toxics and developmental disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

As a parent you SHOULD be concerned about this! Cleaning your home with toxic products are literally breaking down your children's bodies and adding onto the changes of cancer and other life threatening health concerns.

Even if you had no clue about this concern, until you just read this article, now is the time to take action! You can start by only bring into your home toxin free cleaning products! Get rid of any products that are not eco-friendly. If a product is eco friendly, that means it is safe to have in your home! If it is safe to have in your home, it is safe to use without having to worry about the harmful effects!

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Deirdre Imus Is 'Cleaning Up' With New Book
By Carol King
Article Launched: 05/30/2007 04:08:45 PM EDT

Last month, Deirdre Imus released the first book in a five-volume series on greening. "By the time I am done, you will know how to green your entire life," she promised.

Green This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning is a guide to keeping one's family healthy by cleaning the home in an environmentally friendly way. The 256-page book, published by Simon & Schuster, debuted April 10 and, according to Imus, has already been named a New York Times bestseller.

Using nontoxic cleaners can save lives, according to the author. "Children are not healthier than the planet, and the planet is pretty sick," she said. "We are exposed to pesticides and carcinogens in the foods we eat and the clothes we wear; in the air we breathe; the water we drink and the substances we use to clean our houses. The deadly chemical cocktail building up in our bodies is causing great harm, manifesting itself in everything from asthma to cancer."

In a presentation last week at the Westport Public Library, Imus reported that:

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children

One out of six children is obese

One out of 150 children has autism

One out of 400 to 500 children is diagnosed with diabetes

One out of eight babies is born premature

Asthma leads chronic illnesses in children, is a major factor in absences from school and is the cause of many deaths

"The United States has the third highest rate in the entire world for infant mortality," Imus said. "This is disgraceful." She believes there is a direct link between these conditions and the contaminants and toxins used in many commercial cleaning products.

In Greening Your Cleaning, Imus describes how housecleaning in an environmentally responsible way is not only safer and healthier for people and the environment, but also can be an effective and often cheaper method of cleaning than traditional, toxic means.

The book includes:

Simple, efficient cleaning methods for every room of the house

Spotlights on everyday products (all purpose cleaner, glass/window cleaner, laundry detergent) and the toxic ingredients readers should be wary of

Summaries of the latest research on the toxic effects of ordinary chemicals

Resource lists of widely available "green cleaning" products and retailers

Filled with tips and testimonials, Greening Your Cleaning is designed to streamline household cleaning products and practices, and make it easy to adopt a "living green" way of life.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

IS YOUR HOME A HEALTHY HOME?

There are two major risks in your home today - hazardous chemicals and poor indoor air quality.

"Each year, over 1 million children are accidentally poisoned in their homes. 250,000 of these victims are hospitalized. 3,000 children will end up in intensive care. Dozens more will die. Thousands of children and adults are permanently disfigured or injured through contact with chemicals in the home, each year."

OSHA states that over 650,000 hazardous chemicals exist today and 100's are being added every year.

There are no federal or state regulations on what chemicals go into the products you use in your home. Unless you read the Material Safety Data sheets on each product, you don't know what you're up against. Most people don't read these, they just trust in the companies that manufacture these products. The problem is that most of these companies don't have our best interests at heart.

Warning labels on containers refer to toxic hazards from ingestion; however, many health problems from chemicals are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.
"Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health, but many do not know that indoor air pollution can also have significant harmful effects. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be 2-5 times, and occasionally more than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels. These levels of indoor air pollutants may be of particular concern because it is estimated that most people spend about 90% of their time indoors. Comparative risk studies performed by EPA and its Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental health risks to the public."

"50% of all illness is due to poor indoor air quality."

"…even a very low exposure to a cancer-causing chemical may result in cancer if the chemical happens to alter cellular functions in a way that causes cancer to develop."

Exposure to toxic and cancer-causing chemicals can have long term effects for you and your family. Look at what some scientific studies have uncovered:

"In 1946 1 in 20 women had a risk of getting breast cancer. Today, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will get breast cancer."

"There has been a 126% rise in prostate cancer from 1973 to 1991. Over 50% of American males have problems with their prostate."

"Male sperm count has dropped as much as 50% in recent decades."

"Infertility is increasing and widespread, with over 2 million couples who want children and are unable to conceive."

"Attention Deficit Disorder in adults and children. In 1993, 2 million children were treated with the drug Ritalin. In 1995, it doubled to 4 million. It's expected to reach 8 million by the year 2000."

There are many connections between the chemicals contained in the household cleaners and personal care products you use in your home and health. Many families have discovered that by eliminating products with these chemicals from their homes many existing health problems improve or disappear.

Why risk using unsafe, poisonous or carcinogenic productsin your home when there's another alternative? For more information you can click on the Health Cafe button.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

CANCER-CAUSING CHEMICALS IN KIDS PRODUCTS

Study: Cancer-Causing Chemicals Found In Kids Products
Testing Shows Elevated Chemicals In Bath Products
POSTED: 1:21 pm EST February 20, 2007
UPDATED: 10:10 am EDT March 28, 2007

PITTSBURGH -- The bubble bath and shampoo you’re using on your babies may contain a cancer causing petrochemical.

A recent study found some bath products contained more than twice the levels considered safe by the Food and Drug Administration. Lab tests found the chemical 1,4-Dioxzne in products like Hello Kitty Bubble Bath, Huggies Baby Wash and Sesame Street Bubble Bath.

1,4-Dioxane is a petroleum derived contaminant that is considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a clear cut animal carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program.

The study results were released by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a San Francisco-based coalition of eight national environmental and health advocacy organizations.
The tests were commissioned by David Steinman, publisher of Healthy Living magazine, and are included in his new book “Safe Trip to Eden” which outlines steps consumers can take to protect the environment.

Many people assume the FDA regulates these products. Not true.
The FDA does not review or regulate cosmetics for safety before they are sold. Labels do not have to list chemicals in the products.

Dr. Devra Davis, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute explains, “The FDA has no authority to tell us whether or not products are safe and as a consequence there are ingredients in cosmetics that are used very widely that have not been tested,”

The FDA has worked with the cosmetic makers to reduce levels of this chemical on a voluntary basis.

In 2000 the FDA recommended that cosmetic products should not contain 1,4-Dioxane at concentrations greater than ten ppm (parts per million), but 15 percent of products tested exceeded those limits.

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says, babies exposed to the chemical form baby shampoo may be exposed to the chemical from bubble bath or other products.

That cumulative effect creates a burden the body can’t bear.
Davis explains, “Now we're beginning to realize that the sum total of a person's exposure to all the little amounts of cancerous agents in the environment may be just as harmful as big doses of a few well-known carcinogens. Over a lifetime, cigarettes deliver massive quantities of carcinogens that increase the risk of lung and other cancers. Our chances of getting cancer reflect the full gamut of carcinogens we're exposed to each day—in air, water and food pollution and in cancerous ingredients or contaminants in household cleaners, clothing, furniture and the dozens of personal-care products many of us use daily.”

1.4-Dioxane was also found in three women’s shampoos.

According to a 2004 survey conducted by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, women and girls use an average of 12 personal care products.

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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

NO INTEREST IN REDUCING EXPOSURE TO TOXIC CHEMICALS

I find it interesting that the cancer industry and the big cancer non-profits still refuse to pursue preventing cancer by supporting the banning of cancer-causing chemicals. They choose to ignore the truth about cancer-causing chemicals in food, beverages, personal care products and in the workplace. They refuse to look at the chemical toxicities that are ever-present in the environment, and instead put their efforts into cancer treatment (because that's where the money is). Conventional medicine makes money in chemotherapy or cutting out tumors. There's no money to be made in preventing cancers.

There's a whole lot of money to be made in covering up the truth about toxic chemicals, however. Cancer organizations accept millions of dollars from sunscreen manufacturers, for example. And those sunscreen products are made with all sorts of toxic, cancer-causing chemicals that also happen to disrupt normal neurological function. If you look at where the money is coming from that supports most of the "disease" groups, it's all from the companies that expose consumers to synthetic chemicals: drug companies, processed food manufacturers, personal care product companies, and so on.

It is no coincidence that the mainstream disease groups keep the chemical causes of cancer and neurological disorders a big secret. They're primarily focused on treatment, not prevention. Because prevention would necessitate a discussion of why all these product companies are using such toxic chemicals in their foods, drugs and personal care products.You want to prevent or treat your own neurological disorder or cancer? Knowing where to start is simple: Get all the synthetic chemicals out of your life. Permanently!

Here's a must-read book if you want to learn even more about the burden of synthetic chemicals on your heart, liver, nervous system and entire body: The Hundred-Year Lie by Randall Fitzgerald. The book will open your eyes and leave you shocked about just how much the consumer product corporations have been poisoning you.

###About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a manufacturer of mercury-free, energy-efficient LED lighting products that save electricity and help prevent global warming. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the founder and CEO of a well known email mail merge software developer whose software, 'Email Marketing Director,' currently runs the NewsTarget email subscriptions. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and adult gymnastics. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org