Experts have tested the dust in people’s homes to see what toxic chemicals are covering the things we use every day. You would be shocked to realize that we are exposed to a lot of really awful chemicals without ever opening a bottle of cleaning product.
Chemicals are used more and more in the manufacturing of products including children’s toys, carpeting and laminates, mattresses, computers, fabric covered furniture, plastics.
Many of these chemicals are known to be hazardous, but are allowed to be added because someone has decided that they stay within safe limits of exposure.
Unfortunately, the safe limits don’t guarantee that they are safe because the regulatory system doesn’t take environment into account. We have to do our own research to decide what is safe in our own homes.
Bioaccumulative
This is a term that means our bodies store toxins and as they accumulate they become even more harmful to us. There haven’t been enough studies done on the long term effects on our health of exposure to all these chemicals. We do know that some mimic hormones, others are harmful to our reproductive and immune systems. Many are carcinogens. Even products that are stable at first can start to break down and end up adding to the dust that gets in our lungs.
Toxic Homes
Our homes are filled with chemicals in commonly used household cleaners. The dangers are not just from accidentally ingesting one of them. Sometimes just breathing them is bad enough. We should all store cleaners outside of our living space so we aren’t exposed to them unnecessarily.
Some of the most harmful toxins are in the laundry room or even sometimes under the kitchen sink. Most cleaning products contain petrochemical solvents that dissolve dirt. The fumes and residue from these products have permeated our homes.
The average home has between three and 25 gallons of toxic materials in it, most in the form of cleaning products. 150 of the chemicals commonly found in homes are linked to allergies, birth defects, asthma, and psychological abnormalities.
Experts say that the toxic chemicals we are exposed to in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution!
Children are at a higher risk to the dangers of chemicals because their immune systems are not fully developed and their bodies are so small that it takes less to make them sick. They are also at greater risk of developing allergies from repeated exposures.
Laundry detergent is full of toxic chemicals that leave a residue in your clothes and bedding and is absorbed through your skin. They can cause itchy rashes, allergies, sinus problems.
Chlorine bleach is another one that we shouldn’t be touching or breathing. Some researchers say that chlorine is the number one cause of breast cancer.
We can all benefit from ridding our homes of the toxic cleaning products and finding healthier ways to clean. Pinterest is full of great ideas for using things like baking soda, fresh lemons, and vinegar.
If you are on Pinterest – be sure to hook up with me – I like to spend my free time browsing around Pinterest when I actually have free time.
