Did you know...

• The consumer Products Safety Commission has determined that more than 150 chemicals found in ordinary household products (shampoos, hand soaps, detergents, air fresheners, toothpaste, etc.) are directly responsible for producing cancer, allergies, birth defects, and numerous psychological disorders.
  
• The EPA concluded that many homes have chemical levels 70 times higher than that of outside air. They also reported that cleaning and personal care products commonly found in the home are three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air pollution.  (www.search.epa.gov)
  
• A paper presented at the Indoor Air Conference in 1990 in Vancouver concluded that due to increased exposure to household carcinogens, housewives have a 55% greater risk of developing cancer than women who work outside of the home. 
  
• It appears that pesticide concentration inside the home is greater than can be explained by in-home pesticide use, suggesting that pesticides may be carried in from outdoors, where they collect and remain on household surfaces such as carpets and countertops.  Of particular concern are products used on lawns and gardens. (www.search.epa.gov)

The very products we use every day to clean our homes and care for our gardens, are having a disastrous impact on the environment, and endangering the health of our families.  Recent reports have linked the neurotoxic chemicals found in commercial disinfectants with learning disabilities and ADD.  Read more about the dangers of particular chemicals found in everyday products such as laundry detergents, air fresheners, hand soaps, fragrances and much more.

We hope that this week's tip helps to get you thinking about the choices we make for healthy living -- not just in what we eat or if we exercise or smoke or drink -- but even in how we clean our homes.

So, what do we do? After all, we have to clean our homes -- not to mention ourselves.

Our next tip will detail healthy alternatives to dangerous chemicals. Did you know that the cleaning power of essential oils and other natural ingredients (you'd be surprised how many are already found around the home) surpass your basic bleach, Comets. Lysols and 409s anyday?

Stay tuned!