Household products are another potential source of unhealthy chemicals, since so many commercial household products contain a plentiful supply of synthetic agents.
Such products run the gamut from dish washing and detergents, to cleaning products for tiles, walls, etc. Synthetic air fresheners are another common problem.
Find eco-friendly alternatives to harsh chemical cleaners, which can cause health problems and pollute the environment as well. Several brands of non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products are available at both natural grocery shops and chain stores.
Or make your own: Baking soda is a cheap and effective all-purpose cleaner, scourer, polisher, and fungicide. Switch to natural disinfectants such as tea tree oil or citrus oils. Try borax and white vinegar as a toilet bowl cleaner.
Use cloths instead of cleaners: Skip the cleaning products altogether and switch to micro fiber cloths designed to attract dirt on their own.
Used damp, the cloths clean most surfaces like glass, stainless steel, brass, wood, and ceramics. When dry, they give off a natural positive charge, which attracts dust. Simply wash the cloths after each use, and you can reuse them again and again.
To give you an idea of the dangers such products can pose to your health, consider a recently published study that was conducted by researchers at the University of Washington.
More disturbingly, at least one chemical in every product is currently listed as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, and five of the chemicals are classified as carcinogenic “hazardous air pollutants” for which the EPA declares there is no safe exposure level.
Yet none of these dangerous chemicals were listed on the product labels!
Previous studies have shown that approximately 20 percent of all Americans suffer from health problems caused by common air freshener products, and approximately 10 percent of the population has health issues related to common laundry products
Fortunately, today it is easy for most Americans to find safe and natural alternatives to these and nearly all other types of household products.
If you currently have synthetic household products in your home, however, be sure to check that they are properly sealed and stored out of reach from your children and any pets you may have. And once you use them up, consider switching to natural product brands instead.
5. Lead In Your Home
If you live in a house or apartment complex that was built prior to the last 20 or 30 years, chances are high that there is lead in the paint originally used on your walls.
Most likely, lead, instead of copper, piping was also used for your water pipes. If so, you and your children could be at risk, because lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause a wide range of health problems over time as it continues to accumulate in the human body’s tissues and organs.
If you are unsure as to whether or not there is lead in your home, contact your county health department, which can assist you in finding out for certain, and also advise you on how best to deal with the problem if it exists.
Many people do not realize that, although the houses they live in may be healthy, the land beneath them may not be. That’s because soil can contain all sorts of harmful toxins and chemical.
If it does, these harmful substances can be “outgassed” from the soil into the home as airborne pollutants. This issue should be of special concern to anyone who lives in areas in which there previously was industrial activity, as well as on lands that abut lakes, rivers or streams located near industrial or chemical plants.
Even if such plants have long been closed, the chemicals and other toxins that they produced in the past can remain in water and soil for many years to come.
Once again, if you have any concerns about the land beneath your property (as well as any water ways nearby), contact your county health department.
7. Plastics–A Special Type of Danger
Read more >