In a recent Boston Globe article, Dr. Perry E. Sheffield, an assistant professor of preventive medicine and pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, was quoted as saying “Effectively, we’re conducting experiments on our population.”

In our homes, every day, we are exposed to all kinds of chemicals. And, as the article states, it’s nearly impossible to prove “scientifically that certain diseases are caused by household chemicals, such as bisphenol-A, phthalates, and flame retardants.” But the three scientists that were interviewed for the article have changed their own habits at home, based on their own research and therefore their understanding of the risks we are exposed to.

The “Big Three” that are the focus of the article are: Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and fire retardants.

The first, BPA, is one that I have written about numerous times. It seems that every few months there is a new study linking it to some issue. The Globe summarized recent studies, saying:

In this week’s New York Times there was an interesting article about Detoxifying the Home that I thought you might enjoy. The reporter, Penelope Green, wrote about hiring a consultant to come into her NYC apartment and assess how safe it was from a toxins/chemical exposure perspective. The consultant, Matthew Waletzke, is “a 35-year-old triathlete-in-training with a degree in psychology, who turned to building biology as a way to “detox” Simply Vibrant, his Rockville Centre, N.Y., wellness center. He was treating a lot of autistic children, he said, and after learning that some studies indicate their immune systems have a difficult time processing toxins, he wanted to create as benign an environment as possible there.”

So Mr. Waletzke goes through Ms. Green’s apartment with a fine tooth comb, so to speak, and enlightens her on everything from electromagnetic radiation, to cleaning product toxins, to mold and mildew.

Anyway – it’s a pretty interesting and a somewhat entertaining read so definitely check it out if you have a minute – you can click here to read the complete article. (Note: the photo credits go to the NYT article)

I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a freak when it comes to things like stomach flu and seasonal flu. I get very anxious when I hear either of those is going around. Swine flu? Even worse. So I do carry antibacterial gel in my purse and in the car. But to be honest – I use those only when absolutely necessary. And we use natural soaps and dishwashing liquids around the house – not the anti-bacterial kinds. Here’s one word why: Triclosan.

Triclosan is not really something you want to be exposing yourself (or your family) to if you don’t have to. According to EWG.org triclosan has been linked to liver and inhalation toxicity, and low levels of triclosan may disrupt thyroid function. Further, there is really no reason to buy anti-bacterial soaps and dishwashing liquids. Studies have shown that washing hands with regular soap and water is as effective at killing germs as using anti-bacterial products. Moreover, since 2000, the American Medical Association has been recommending that households avoid use of anti-bacterial products as it can contribute to the development of drug resistent bacteria.

All pretty good reasons to avoid the ingredient, even for germophobes like me. But there’s even one last reason. Triclosan is not eliminated in the waste water treatment systems, so it ends up in our water systems – which can impact aquatic life as well.

So be sure to read labels as this flu season starts. It’s not just in anti-bacterial products. You can find it in all kinds of personal care products including toothpaste! Try to avoid triclosan whenever possible. And check out this quick fact sheet from EWG.org for more information.

Have you ever noticed how many products there are to freshen the air in your home, make rooms smell nice, and make your laundry smell good? Candles, sprays, plug-ins, weird gel crystal thingies, potpourri – the list is endless. So much money is spent on these products – but the worst part of it is not the wasted money, it’s the fact that most of them are actually harmful to your health. Just think about it – you spray these products all around your home and then breathe the chemicals. Not great!

Do you love those scented candles? I admit – I used to be addicted. I had Yankee Candles all over my house. Until I learned more about what burning the candles does – emitting soot and other airborne micro-particles in the air that can cause long term harm. Not to mention the phthalates from the artificial fragrances used to scent the candles.

But I think the room sprays are even more of a concern. I just read that Americans are expected to spend 1.72 billion on air fresheners this year. Yep – 1.72 BILLION dollars! Crazy. Are our houses that stinky? Yipes. But again – it’s not just the money wasted, but the health impact. A study done at the University of Bristol found that “frequent use of air fresheners and
aerosols during pregnancy and early childhood was associated with higher levels of diarrhea, earache and other symptoms in infants,as well as headaches and depression in mothers.” Uh oh.

So – I thought I’d share a few natural ways to make your home smell fresh and clean – naturally! Many of these options use essential oils, which can be purchased in natural food stores or online.

1) Toss some spices like cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cloves in a pot with some water and let it simmer. Or add a few drops of essential oil to simmering water. Just don’t forget about it!

2) When you are cleaning with vinegar and water – add a couple of drops of essential oils. Lavender is nice – it is calming and it also has a strong enough scent that it will linger awhile.

3) Put a few drops of essential oil on a cotton ball and put it in a small dish. Hide the dish behind something if you don’t want it to be seen. Putting it behind the radiator in the winter will help spread the scent faster.

4) When doing laundry, instead of using a dryer sheet, put a few drops of essential oil onto an old face cloth and toss it into the clothes dryer with the load of laundry. Again – lavender is a good choice, as is rose geranium.

5) Use the old tried and true box of baking soda. Remove the top of the box of baking soda and leave it in the room to absorb the odors.

6) The next time you have a cup of green tea – don’t throw away the tea. Dry the leaves – then toss some on the carpet and vacuum it up. It will refresh the carpet and also deodorize your vacuum bag. Also – toss the tried leaves into the kitty litter box – it’s a great litter deodorizer too!

7) Mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 2 cups of hot water in a spray bottle. Shake well until mixed and dissolved. This can be used as a great air freshener just like the expensive ones you can buy at the store! (just avoid spraying above wood furniture)

Those are just a few options-get creative! And toss out those harmful, chemical-laden “fresheners”.

Wow – EWG has done it again. Instead of sounding like whiners, they always find great ways to exemplify the issues with chemical and toxin exposure that grab your attention and have an impact.

This time, they looked at 5 women from all over the country, from different cultural traditions and are exposed to different environmental hazards outside of their homes. These are no ordinary women – they are 5 women who have been fighting against environmental pollution for years. But rather than testing the women for the big industrial chemicals, they chose to check for household chemicals which drives the point home that we are bombarded everywhere we are. This is what they found:

“All 5 were contaminated with flame retardants, Teflon chemicals, synthetic fragrances, the plastics ingredient bisphenol A (BPA) and the rocket fuel component perchlorate.

Each had a high body burden of at least one controversial chemical whose lack of regulation and widespread presence in American life is fueling debate over reform of the nation’s toxic chemical policies.

Overall the women tested positive for 48 of 75 chemicals for which EWG-commissioned laboratories searched, with a range from 26 to 45 per person.”

So you have to figure, these are women who are more aware than the average person of the toxins in their surroundings. And they STILL found all those chemicals. Scary to think about what we are probably carrying in our bodies. Really – doesn’t it seem that it’s high time that chemicals and toxins get a lot more attention from our regulatory agencies – and that the companies who produce the chemicals take responsibility for what they are doing to us all?

If you’d like to read more about the study, check out the EWG blog

In an email from the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), they revealed some disturbing minutes from a recent industry meeting where big brands were working together to set a communication/media strategy to defend the “benefits” of BPA.

Take a look at this selection of the minutes from the EWG site. The companies represented include: Coca Cola, Del Monte and the North American Metal Packaging Alliance. They say things like -

• “Overall, the committee seemed disorganized, and its members frustrated. Lack of direction from the committee and these associations could continue to allow other associations and environmental groups to push BPA out. “

• “Attendees suggested using fear tactics (e.g. “Do you want to have access to baby food anymore?”) as well as giving control back to consumers (e.g. you have a choice between the more expensive product that is frozen or fresh or foods packaged in cans) as ways to dissuade people from choosing BPA-free packaging.”
• “The committee wants to focus on quality instead of quantity in disseminating messages (e.g. a young kid or pregnant mother providing a positive quote about BPA, a testimonial from an outside expert, providing positive video, advice from third party experts, and relevant messaging on the GMA website).”

Pretty icky, right? So after they have time to do some research to fine-tune the exact message, you will start to see more “positive” spins on BPA. But don’t be fooled – there’s not much good you can get from BPA. It’s just bad.

Well here is more research to show how “gender-bending” chemicals are wreaking havoc on endocrine systems of all kinds of vertibrate animals – from fish to mammals – including humans. According to “The Independent” newspaper from the UK, a report will be published this week that details findings from many of the world’s top scientists showing that the male of many species is being “feminized” over time due to exposure to chemicals.

According to the article, “wildlife and people have been exposed to more than 100,000 new chemicals in recent years, and the European Commission has admitted that 99 per cent of them are not adequately regulated. There is not even proper safety information on 85 per cent of them.”

The article highlights a few of the chemical groups that are the worst offenders, led by phthalates, flame retardents (found in electrical goods and furniture, including mattresses), pesticides, and PCBs.

Check out the full article, and keep an eye out for the report. While you can be exposed to many of the chemicals daily through what you breathe, eat and put on your skin, you can reduce your exposure by being aware of what you buy and use in your home. And don’t forget – Garden Girl products are phthalate free!

White vinegar! Is there any other “eco-friendly” and cheap product that has so many amazing uses? Here are just a few of the things I use white vinegar for:

• Laundry fabric softener – no more fabric softener sheets. We throw vinegar in the fabric softener compartment in our washing machine. Clothes come out clean and fresh and odor-free. Then I toss them in the dryer with those funky dryer prickly ball-things and our clothes are soft and cushy. Can’t beat it!
• Cleaning shower heads – this may seem like a strange one but since I think we have “hard” water, we get crunchy gook on our shower heads. I put white vinegar in a ziptop bag and submerge the shower head in the vinegar – attaching the bag with a rubber band. Leave it there for a few hours then remove it, brush with an old toothbrush and it’s sparkling clean! Nothing I have ever used for that works as well.
• A drop in the water when I wash my wood floors. I don’t wash them often as water isn’t good for the floors but when we had our house remodeled, I asked the floor guy how to take care of the floors, and he said warm water with a dash of white vinegar. Then barely moisten the mop. Works great!
• Washing windows – works like a charm. A drop of liquid dish soap, a little vinegar and some water. Who needs to buy all that garbage from the store that doesn’t even work as well as this?
• Cleaning the coffee machine – run it through the coffee machine then do a couple rinse runs with plain water. Keeps coffee tasting great!

It’s easy to start reducing the toxins in your home. Even if you just do it one step at a time. Plus – it’s nice when being eco-conscious also means saving money and getting the job done!

Another interesting and highly disturbing bit from Not Just a Pretty Face. The average woman uses a dozen personal care products containing 168 chemical ingredients every day. Men use about six products a day with around 85 chemicals.

We carry man-made pollutants in our bodies. We get them from the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the products we use to “clean” our homes and make them “smell nice” and the products we put on our bodies each day.

I have been paying a lot of attention to TV and magazine ads these days. The first thing I have noticed is there is a steady stream of ads touting skin creams and lotions from companies that top Campaign for Safe Cosmetics’ list for worst offenders of chemicals in personal care products.

But I have also noticed a huge increase in the number of products that are out there to make our homes smell good. It is astounding. Just from Glade alone there are spray cans of air fresheners, “plug-ins” so we get chemicals in our air 24/7, candles, waxless candles, and oils. Do our homes smell THAT bad?

WebMD did an article recently about the dangers of burning candles in the home. Some wicks have lead in them and can cause lead poisoning. Additionally, the soot in the air can cause air quality issues.

From the article: “Candles are fast becoming one of the most common unrecognized causes of poor indoor air quality,” says Diane Walsh Astry, Executive Director of the Health House Project, an American Lung Association education project in St. Paul, Minnesota.

We really just need to stop wasting our money on these products that not only unnecessary, but they are potentially harmful. Want your house to smell nice? Buy some flowers. Open the windows. Bake something.