Toxins are Everywhere
There is growing scientific evidence that the toxins found in everyday products have a detrimental effect on human health. The total impact from daily exposure to toxins is almost impossible to calculate on a macro scale, but are beginning to learn that certain chemicals have specific effects on human health ranging from allergy irritation to life-threatening diseases.
Toxins are everywhere. Farmers and gardeners put pesticides on plants that are absorbed into the plant and even enter our water when washed away through the sewer systems. Cars and coal-fired power plants spew particles in the air. Cleaning chemicals and even hobby supplies are dangerous when inhaled. Paints contain volatile organic compounds that offgas chemicals into the air. Certain plastics have been found to leak chemicals into the food or liquid. Personal care products contain an unbelievable amount of chemicals.
The EPA has found that the quality of indoor air can be far more toxic than outdoor air. There are so many products and systems in the home can can affect the quality air such as paint containing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), pressed wood furniture containing formaldehyde, cleaning products containing chemicals, air fresheners, and even personal care products. See here for the full story.
At this point, it is impossible to say what the aggregate effect of all of that exposure to our health. The available scientific evidence points to specific chemical exposure that has specific health effects. What happens when we are exposed to a virtual “chemical soup”? I don’t intend to wait around to find out. While I there is no way I can completely segregate my family from chemical exposure, there are certainly things I can do to minimize the impact.
What I’ve done so far…
- We have gradually began choosing organic food over its counterpart on the shelves of grocery stores and farmers markets. While organic food is still expensive in this market, the rising price of general food is closing that gap. You could also make the argument that treating illness as a result of poor health far outweighs spending extra money to buy organic food.
- For quite some time, the idea of “natural” cleaners had a stigma of being ineffective. That is no longer the case. Not only, do they work well, but they are also competitively priced. We used the local Hazardous Waste event to dispose of all of our chemical cleaners and have since purchased a round of all-natural cleaners for the house. For a great resource on purchasing, using, and even making your own cleaners, see Deirdre Imus’ Green This! Greening Your Cleaning at your local bookstore.
Non Toxic Household Cleaners
A lot more to come…
All of my purchasing decisions are now influenced by my green transformation. Does that product contain chemicals that can be inhaled or absorbed by the skin? I want to protect my own health and give my family a fighting chance against allergies and illness down the road. As I take on projects down the road, here are some of the things I will be implementing that will improve the environment of our home.
- For painting projects, we will use low-VOC or no-VOC paints.
- When cleaning the carpets, we will be calling a chemical-free local company called Steam Green.
- Eventually, we will replace the carpet with wood flooring. This will be particularly ideal for my family as we have allergies – including my allergies to dust mites.
- There are air purifiers available for homes that can help clean bacteria, mold, and other substances out of the air.
- We will avoid replacing kitchen flooring with vinyl products made with PVC, the chlorinated plastic that has been proven to cause health problems.
