DRY CLEANING | A 1999 study found a 13% increase in breast cancer rates among wealthy women in a Boston suburb, compared to their
less wealthy peers. The women at higher risk were also more highly educated and presumably had the best access to health
care. However, 65% of the women in the area with higher breast cancer rates used professional lawn care services, and 45%
of them used dry cleaning at least once a month. Perchlorethylene is a chemical used in dry cleaning. It irritated the eyes, skin, and lungs, and is a carcinogen.
This nasty chemical also damages the liver, kidneys,and central nervous system, and it accumulates in the fatty tissues of
the body, including the breast. One of the biggest problems with dry cleaned clothes is that they hang in the closet
and continuously give off toxic chemicals into your home. Then those same toxins enter the blood stream through contact with the skin when the clothes are worn.
| LAUNDRY DETERGENTS AND BREAST CANCER | Laundry
detergents contain chemicals that may irritate the lungs, eyes and skin. In addition, some laundry detergents contain
ingredients that may have mildly estrogenic properties. When residue from these detergents remains on clothes, it will
sit on the skin for many hours when the garment is worn. The skin readily absorbs these chemicals, and it is even believed
that the bacteria on our skin may react with the chemicals and make them more dangerous. The Cornell Unviersity Program
on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors for New York State lists laundry detergents among the 34 household chemicals
to be avoided by women with breast cancer (www.cfe.cornell.edu/bcerf). | DISENFECTANTS | Watch any daytime television program and you’ll see a number
of advertisements for household cleaning products. The ads are geared to stay-at-home mothers, and they suggest that
a responsible parent will spray chemical cleaners liberally in their homes in order to kill germs that are just waiting to
infect their family. These products will indeed disinfect your home and kill germs, but they do not discriminate. They are designed to kill living organisms, and will therefore even harm the human body.
Regular use of these products can endanger the health of you and your family. The problem with commercial disinfectants is the dangerous chemicals used in them. According to Linda Mason Hunter, author of The Healthy Home, pick up any household
disinfectant and chances are the label will list either phenol or cresol, two powerful and closely related compounds.
Both are found in a number of products for disinfecting, deodorizing and sanitizing. Phenol can temporarily deactivate
sensory nerve endings, which is why contact with it often causes little or no pain. Cresol attacks the liver, kidneys,
spleen, pancreas, and central nervous system. Commercial
disinfectants should never be used in a healthy home. Even with heavy cross ventilation, it can take more than one year
to completely eliminate the unhealthful effect of one spraying of 2 ½ ounces of a widely promoted disinfectant. (Hunter,
pp. 11,12) | CARPET SHAMPOOS | Carpet shampoo contains respiratory irritants. Outbreaks of flu-like symptoms have been reported after carpet
cleaning in schools, motels, offices, an day care centers. (Hunter, 7). Young children who crawl on the floor
are especially susceptible to any chemicals left behind. | AIR FRESHENERS | Most air fresheners and deodorizers work by masking the unpleasant odor with synthetic
fragrance, coating your nasal passages with an oily film, or desensitizing your sense of smell. And Plug-in Air Fresheners -- "friends don’t let friends use plug-in air fresheners."
It is so easy to replace these with aromatherapy and a scent ball plug-in diffuser. Essential oils, in particular lemon,
help to remove unwanted odors from the air, without leaving behind persistent chemical residues that can linger in the house
for days, weeks, and even months. | SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES | The term “fragrance” listed on perfumes and personal care products may indicate the presence of up to
4,000 chemical compounds. Many of these compounds are known irritants and allergens, and most of them are synthetic
chemicals. Symptoms resulting from smelling artificial fragrances include headaches, dizziness, skin irritation, violent
coughing, and vomiting. Because fragrances are considered trade secrets, the toxic chemicals in the fragrances are not
required to be listed on the label. It is also interesting
to note here that synthetic fragrances do not affect mind and mood in the same way that natural aromas and essential oils
do. All odorants use a kind of lock and key mechanism, as your sense of smell relies on the shape of chemicals to determine
their odor. Synthetic odors do not have the same shape as natural aromas, and are unlikely to stimulate the limbic system,
pleasure center, of the brain. These shapes, however, may cause damage by in effect “clogging” the receptor
sites of cells and making it virtually impossible for oxygen, nutrients, and correct shapes to enter in. | SOLVENTS | Toluene is the solvent found in glue, spot
remover, paint, and varnish. Toluene can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, and confusion. When inhaled, it causes
central nervous system depression, psychosis, and liver and kidney damage. Methylene
Chloride is one of the most dangerous and common solvents. It is found in products ranging from paint thinners and strippers
to aerosol hairspray, deodorant, cosmetics, and decaffeinated coffee. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission,
methylene chloride poses “one of the highest risks ever calculated for a consumer product.” Yet manufacturers
sell more than 628 million pounds of it every year (Hunter, p. 8,9). Solvents easily enter the bloodstream via the skin. All solvents cause skin irritation because they dissolve
skin oils. Solvent vapors can cause severe damage, and splashes can even cause blindness. The inhalation of solvents
affects the nervous system and can lead to dizziness, headaches, and lack of coordination. Many household products used
in the home contain organic solvents. Here is a short list: - Dry cleaning fluids: teterachlroethylene
- Paint thinners: toluene
- Furniture oil and Furniture strippers: methylene chloride
- Nail polish removers: acetone,
ethyl acetate
- Degreasers: mineral spirits, chlorinated hydrocarbons
- Spot
removers: naphtha, perchloroethylene
- Rug cleaners: trichloroetylene
- Oil
based paints: aromatic Hydrocarbons
- Adhesives, glues, and caulks: toluene
| PESTICIDES
IN OUR HOMES | The purpose of pesticides, both commercial and household, is to kill. Of the 1,400 pesticide ingredients, more
than 100 are known to cause birch defects, cancer, or mutations in our cells. Since most pesticides have not been adequately
tested for their effects on human health, it is highly likely that many more are harmful. Pesticide residues remain
in the home for a very long time. Pesticides can remain active in the air for days, weeks, and some even as long as
20 years! And remember that pesticides used in the basement can be spread throughout the house by forced air heating
systems. | ANTIBACTERIAL HAND SOAPS | Antibacterial
soaps remove your skin’s own “acid mantle,” a protective coating on the hands which prevents bacteria from
multiplying. Once the acid mantle is removed, you are much more likely to pick up and harbor any bacteria with which
your hands come into contact. Antibacterial soaps actually make your hands more susceptible to infection. One of the primary ingredients in antibacterial soap is triclosan, which kills bacteria by
stripping fatty acids out of their cell walls. This action also strips away the fatty acids, moisture, and amino acids
from human skin, which in extreme cases can actually cause eczema. As these eczema sites become exposed, they become
breeding grounds for creating and spreading bacterial infection. The use of anitbacterial soaps may be contributing to the growth of stronger “super bugs.” Bacteria
that survive these detergents no longer need to compete with weaker strains. These resistant strains become stronger
and multiply quickly. The overuse of antibacterial soap may be thereby increase the virulence of bacteria, and ultimately
help to spread disease. |
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