Photo credit: erix

Newsweek Magazine recently published an article on how to avoid household toxins.  Nena Baker, author of  The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Well-being
the EPA and the  Environmental Working Group, has listed nine ways you can avoid household toxins:

1. Filter your water.  In addition to what the article suggests, staying away from plastic bottled water is beneficial to the Earth and body.

2.  Know whats in your grooming products. The Cosmetics Database website is highly recommended when researching common ingredients in personal care products.

3.  Don’t Eat Microwave Popcorn.  “The inside of a microwave popcorn bag is usually coated with a perfluorinated chemical (PFC) called a fluorotelomer that can break down to form perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Designed to prevent oil from seeping through the bag, PFOA can migrate into the food when heated. It has been linked to cancer and birth defects in animals and preliminary epidemiological studies suggest that a pregnant woman’s exposure to PFOA may reduce her baby’s birth weight….”

4.  Don’t Get Stain-Protective Treatment.  This recommendation is talking about the “extras” or add ons you can get when you buy furniture, clothes and shoes.

5.  Limit Use of Canned Food and Plastic Containers. Speaks about the risk of  Bisphenol-A (BPA) that is not only found in plastic containers, but also used to line the inside of canned foods as well (Previous post: Plastics and its health risks)

6.  Use PBDE-Free Electronics. Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE) is in the same family flame redardants.  They are mostly found in TVs and computer monitores.  “…is stirred into the equipment’s plastic and can heat up over time, causing the material to break away and settle into the dust. Many manufactures have stopped using PBDEs for electronics, but not all have….” The Environmental Working Group has a list of PBDE-free electronics.

7.  Don ‘ t Use Paint Made With Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Fortunately, VOC-free paints can be found at most paint and home improvement stores now. (See links below for resources)

8.  Patronize a Perc-Free Dry Cleaner. “Perchloroethylene (perc) is also a VOC and is most commonly used in dry cleaning. The EPA identifies perc as a known human toxin and “a precursor to ground-level ozone (smog).” It usually enters the body through inhalation and remains stored in fat tissue….”

9.  Dust and Vacuum Weekly. “Baker says that toxins like PBDE can settle into the dust in your house, so to be extra safe, it’s best to keep your house clean through regular dusting and vacuuming.”

Read the full article here: Newsweek – October 1, 2008

Green dry cleaner directory

Non-Toxic Paint

Affordable Low-Voc Paint

The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Well-being

“A new study finds that young children have high levels of chemical fire retardants in their blood.”

Read about it in USA Today and watch video from NBC Today Show

What do you think?  Do you think that fire retardant chemicals really pose a risk in humans, particularly children? What can we do as individuals to reduce exposure and health issues from theses chemicals?

DEAs are used to create, increase, and stabilize foam (for soaps, shampoos, etc) and its also used as an emulsifier in other products. 

One of the concerns with DEA is that they can be mild to moderate skin and eye irritants.  Though its not classified as a carcinogen by the Environmental Production Agency (EPA), it has been reported by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) an increase liver and kidney tumors in mice from dermal exposure to DEA.

This common ingredient is banned in Europe.

More info on DEA:

Chemical Exposures: Will DEA Findings Wash?
Cynthia Washam
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1665417 Mentions potential fetal neural abnormalities in humans and also controversy on the matter on whether DEA is indeed harmful or safe.

Food and Chemical Toxicology – Abstract
ScienceDiet.com

Why should we avoid them?

Parabens can mimic the hormone estrogen which  can lead to or contribute to (if not cause) health problem such as estrogen dominance, various endocrine disorders like hypothyroid and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), infertility, obesity and the development of breast cancer.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment: Agents of Subtle Change? points out that in several tests, chemicals in the paraben family displayed estrogenic activity. Since most products from shampoos to toothpaste are used on a daily basis, the level and amount of exposure can add up.  Exposure to chemicals through the skin can be especially powerful since they do not have to go through the digestive track.  Theses chemicals can remain in the tissue, especially breast tissue particularly from the use of anti-perspirants.

Chemical’s that are or mimic hormones are also bad for the environment. The EPA’s study on personal care products also states that many of chemicals used in our personal care product and pharmaceuticals are eventually leaked into sewage treatment systems and have a negative effective on marine animals.

There are a number of alternatives that are currently available at my web store at Green and Chic and other retailers.

References:

http://www.epa.gov/

http://www.epa.gov/ppcp/

http://www.terressentials.com/truthaboutparabens.html

http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/ppcps.cfm

http://www.naturalnews.com/022113.html