The average home contains hundreds of chemicals. These are in everything from cleaning products to personal care products, to pesticides, to furniture. Every time you use any type of product, it can enter your body by inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption. For this reason, many people have and will develop chemical sensitivity. This sensitivity may cause all types of headaches and skin irritations. For some this could very mild, but for others, especially children, this can be severe. Children have not developed resistance or tolerance for harsh chemicals and therefore are more sensitive. More severe types of illnesses resulting from toxic chemicals can include allergies, birth defects, cancer, and behavioral problems in adults and children. Approximately, 20 million Americans have asthma. (2). Asthma is the worst health concern for children. Based on current cancer risks, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer some time in their life (1). This may be the result of the amount of time a woman spends using or being exposed to toxic chemicals in the home. Some adult and child behavioral problems have seen improvement when exposure to particular chemicals has been reduced.
We cannot remove all the toxic chemicals which we come in contact with on a daily bases, but we can begin to reduce our exposure. The first place to start is in our own homes. This is where we live and by using less toxic products, we are also improving the outside environment. Cleaning products do not stay in our homes. They wash down our drains and into our waterways. Tossing a half full bottle of bug spray in the trash will end up in our landfill. This will eventually leach into our ground water. Remember, this water returns to our homes as drinking water.
Be responsible and replace the toxins in your home with healthier and safer products. You can purchase them or make your own. Make a commitment to yourself, your family, and the environment to change for a better world. You can do a Healthy Home Tour and see how healthy your home is.
(1) National Cancer Institute
(2) Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
