Small steps

Children's bodies are much more susceptible to toxic chemicals! That's why I shudder when I smell the waft of artificial fragrance coming off children's clothes from the products that their families use in the laundry. I am constantly astounded that few people question the cleaning chemicals used in schools and daycare centres. I am horrified by the encouragement of pre-teens to spray their underarms with endocrine disrupters (aka stinky deodorant). I am hopeful that one day limiting kids exposure to toxins becomes normal.  

How many people do you know that tell you about their illnesses while you can smell their perfume, hand cream, washing powder, fabric softener and deodorant. They may have cleaned the shower or oven that day and have one of those time release fragrance sprays in the house. They may have one of those scented trees in the car and been in a few shops filled with scented candles. They complain of no relief for their headache or skin problems or body aches. I often question whether their trigger is the things they may consider simple and harmless that may...

  Cleaning products are typically loaded with chemicals and we all can think of at least one product that we know isn't good for us but was commonly in our homes when we were growing up.  Most of us grew up not even questioning what was in the products and just used things either because our parents did or because the TV told us that it was the best product at the best price.   The Environmental Working Group (EWG), an organisation based in the US, had a look at the ingredients in cleaning products and found that: 75% caused lung...

  The Chemical Maze guide looks at food additives and cosmetic product with an extra section devoted to household products. The authors believe that household products are of most concern for health safety. Why the concern? The concern is high because the consumer is really in the dark about ingredients. There are no regulations requiring manufacturers to list the ingredients in their products. Not disclosing the ingredients means that we consumers can’t determine the safety of a product. Often the product label will list the active ingredients……but not the other stuff that could be (and often is) harmful to human...

"Fragrance is everywhere. Unless you go out of your way to avoid it, you live in a permanent mist of scented air. THink about the morning routine for a typical woman. She wakes up from eight hours spent in sheets and pyjamas fragranced with detergent. She goes to the bathroom and uses a loo smelling of toilet cleaner. The toilet paper probably smells of flowers, and there might be an air freshener in the bathroom too. She washes her hands with scented soap. She has a shower using fragranced soap, shampoo and conditioner. She dries herself with a towel radiant...