What you don't know CAN hurt you!

 

You and I are in a silent battle for our health, vitality, and even our youth!  We are bombarded daily with silent but deadly toxins externally in our homes and our offices!  We are bombarded internally with toxins that cause ill health, disease, pre-mature aging, and even death!  You most likely have a toxic waste dump right in your very home . . .

I know your thinking "what toxic dump do I have?   I don't have that problem . . . . or do you?

This post will start a mini-series on toxic hazards you expose yourself and your family to every day, and I think you will be quite shocked at what will be revealed!  Today we'll deal with the toxic waste we have around us externally.

Are You Innocently Harming Yourself and Your Family?                                                 

There are hidden hazards present in today’s homes that are a serious threat to your family’s health.  It’s called “The Toxic Brew”.  Everyday household cleaners that you use regularly are full of chemicals.  In fact, more than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since WWII! (Create a Safe and Healthy Home, by Dr. Joyce. M. Woods, 1996).

These dangerous chemicals come at a price.  Many give off unhealthy fumes that can irritate the eyes, nose and lungs.   Some cleaners are corrosive and can harm your skin.  Do you have to wear gloves to clean?  Many leave behind TOXIC chemical residues. Children tend to touch everything and then put their hands in their mouths or pick up food dropped on the floor.  You know how it goes; it’s the “3 second rule”!  They may be putting chemicals in their mouths along with their toys and food.  When you “disinfect” their toys, are you sure it’s safe for them to put them back in their mouths?  What residue is on all the cups, bottles and dishes your family drinks from? 

Sneezing, sore throat, coughing, asthma, diarrhea, and headaches are only some of the side effects of the toxic chemicals.  Many products contain ingredients that cause cancer.  The Consumer product Safety Commission connects 150 chemicals commonly found in our homes to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders.  Have you been curious about the increase in A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder) symptoms in children? How about the rise in asthma conditions?

 Do we really have something to worry about?

• There are more than 3 million poisonings every year.   Household cleaners are the #1 cause of poisonings in children and liquid dish soap is the leading cause.

• There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer, such as leukemia, since the addition of pesticides into household products. (Source: National Cancer Institute)
  

•   A 15 year study found that women who worked at home had a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who had jobs outside the home.  (Source: 17 year EPA study)

•   A woman's fertility has also been negatively affected by the increased use of chemicals.  In 1934 only 21 cases of endometriosis existed in the entire world. Today over 5 million women have this condition, which causes infertility in the U.S. alone.  

•   In one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma (29% for men, 82% for women) (Source: Center for Disease Control)

 
Just reducing (not eliminating) environmental carcinogens alone, would save at least 50,000 lives from cancer annually. (Source: Dr. Lee Davis, former advisor to the Secretary of Health)

And what about formaldehyde and phenols?  Formaldehyde is also known as methanal, methylene oxide, oxymethylene, methylaldehyde, and oxomethane.  Formaldehyde can be responsible for eye, ear and nose irritations as well as recurring sore throats. And people with asthma can have more frequent and more severe attacks when exposed to even low levels of formaldehyde.

Other symptoms of formaldehyde poisoning are nausea, tightness in chest, wheezing, skin rashes and stuffy nose. Large amounts of formaldehyde can cause vomiting, coma and even death. Formaldehyde has also been linked to brain cancer, lung cancer, and leukemia. 

At home, formaldehyde is produced by cigarettes and other tobacco products, gas cookers, and open fireplaces. It is also used as a preservative in some foods, such as some types of Italian cheeses, dried foods, and fish.

Formaldehyde is found in many products used every day around the house, such as antiseptics, medicines, cosmetics, dish-washing liquids, fabric softeners, shoe-care agents, carpet cleaners, glues and adhesives, lacquers, paper, plastics, and some types of wood products.

Formaldehyde is released to the air from many home products and you may breath in formaldehyde while using these products. Latex paint, fingernail hardener, and fingernail polish release a large amount of formaldehyde to the air. Plywood and particle board, as well as furniture and cabinets made from them, fiberglass products, new carpets, decorative laminates, and some permanent press fabrics give off a moderate amount of formaldehyde. Some paper products, such as grocery bags and paper towels, give off small amounts of formaldehyde. 

And we wonder why we have so much illness today!

How is it that these deadly products can be on the shelves?  Manufacturers ARE NOT required to list the exact ingredients on a label.  Chemical names are often disguised by using "trade names", so you may not recognize the chemical for what it truly is.   Warning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion, however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion.  90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.  (Please see the list of Common Household Products and Their Toxic Ingredients.  You may find some of your favorite products listed there.)

 What can you do about it?

 FIRST, you can get the TOXINS out of your home!  There are many safer products on the market.  You may be able to find some at your local health food stores or even online.  Be aware that some products can still have toxins in them and be promoted as "all natural".  I can endorse a company* with great confidence that I have recently discovered, and am very pleased with the products.  They have NO formaldehydes, phenols, or phosphates in any product.  This company can truly simplify your life, saving you both time and money.  It can provide you with a one stop shopping through a catalog or online system that offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee on over 300 products for everyday use.  *user name & password is story.

Since I’ve become a preferred customer, we’ve seen many blessings, such as great prices and products delivered right to our door.  I can feel safe when we use our cleaning products, bathe, brush our teeth, wash our hair, eat off our dishes and generally live in a more non-toxic home, and I’m able to help other families to do the same.  My hope is that you will review the facts carefully, do the research, and prayerfully consider the changes you may like to make to provide a safer environment for your family as well.

NEXT, you can share this article with others or encourage them to do the research themselves.  The important thing is to get the word out and promote change.  If more people stop using these harmful products, perhaps we’ll make an impact on the irresponsible manufacturers producing them.

 *Disclaimer: This company is not Amway, NuSkin, HerbalLife, Shaklee or other Multi-Level Marketing Company that requires selling and inventorying products.  There are no distributorships, no inventory requirements. We simply became Preferred Customers and everything is 100% guaranteed.  (There’s even an opportunity to revenue share with the company as you help tell this important story.)  Click here for more info (user name & password is story) or contact me about becoming a customer, too!

Below is a list of just some of the common household products which have been shown to have adverse affects on our health.  For a complete searchable database, go to http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.

Household Products Containing TOXIC INGREDIENTS, FORMALDEHYDES, OR CARCINOGENS:

• Proctor & Gamble: Cascade, Dawn, Mr. Clean, Bold, Cheer, Bounce            

• Clorox: Ultra Clorox Bleach, Liquid Plumber, Pine-Sol, S.O.S.

• S.C. Johnson: Fantastik, 409, Windex, Pledge, Glade, Vanish, Shout

• Lever Brothers: All, Wisk, Snuggles Softener, Surf

• Dove Beauty Bars

• Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo and Powder w/talc

• Crest and Colgate Tarter Control Toothpastes - swallow more than pea-sized should call poison control center
  

• Ajax Cleanser

• VO5 Hair Conditioner

• Lysol Disinfectant (all scents)

• Clairol Nice N’ Easy Hair Color

• Tilex Cleaner & Disinfectant

• Gillette Foamy Skin Conditioning Shave Gel

• Old English Lemon Furniture Polish

• Listerine, Listermint, Sepacol & Scope Mouthwashes

• Citra-Solv All-purpose Cleaner

• Neutrogena Therapeutic Shampoo

• Black Flag and Raid Ant & Roach Killers

• 10/13 brands of Cat Litter

 Out of 2,983 chemicals in personal care products: 

• 884 of the chemicals were toxic 

• 314 caused biological mutation 

• 218 caused reproductive complications 

• 778 caused acute toxicity 

• 148 caused tumors 

• 376 caused skin and eye irritations 

      Sources: United States House of Representative Report, 1989; The National Cancer Prevention        Coalition; The Safe Shopper’s Bible by David Steinman

So, you're shocked and possibly a little ticked at what is allowed by our own government to be in our homes!  I know I was, and I made changes for my home!  Next time, we'll find out what you're ingesting that is wreaking havoc on your body. 

Until then, clean up your toxic dump and start on the path to better health!
Majetta