HOME DETOXIFICATION

It’s bad enough we have to worry about the water flowing into our houses,
and dirty air coming in through our windows, or rising from our basement
in the form of Radon, Carbon Monoxide, or Mold. Unfortunately many of the
products that we buy and use in our homes, and on our bodies (so-called
“personal care items” are also rife with chemicals, many of which are toxic
or whose safety is unproven. Sources: Chemical-Free Kids, by Alan
Magaziner, Clean, by Alejandro Junger http://www.safecosmetics.org ,
EWG website ( www.ewg.org ) and other websites. These domestic products
include PERSONAL CARE ITEMS (parabens, methylparabens, phthalates,
triethanolamine, polyethylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate ), CLEANING
PRODUCTS (perchlorethylene, fragrances, endocrine disruptors, triclosan),
BUILDING MATERIALS (asbestos, volatile organic compounds, arsenic)
and many others.

Personal care items:

Sun-tan lotions: parabens and methyparabens
Cosmetics: parabens, phthalate, triethanolamine, polyethylene glycol, sodium lauryl
sulfate, lead, synthetic colors, imidazodinyl urea
Deodorants: aluminum, other chemicals

Cleaning products:

Dry cleaning chemicals: PERC (perchloroethylene)
Bleach (sodium hypochlorite (mainly an irritant), dangerous for children if consumed.
Some laundry detergents and dish detergents
Some Soaps: chemical additives, fragrances, endocrine disruptors
Some hand sanitizers: triclosan
Building materials:
Insulation: asbestos
Paint and shellac: volatile organic compounds
Wood: arsenic
Flame retardants (in furniture, especially couches and mattresses)
Other home goods:
Plastic containers and bottles (never microwave food in them)
Pesticides: herbicides, ant traps, rat poison, other chemical insecticides, DEET
Round-up, Paraquat, chlorpyrifos
Cigarettes, cigars and secondary smoke
Clothing: may contain dyes, heavy metals, petroleum based chemicals of varying levels of
toxicity.
Aluminum pots and pans (aluminum)

SOLUTIONS: HOW TO PROTECT ONESELF FROM DOMESTIC TOXINS
Only use natural soaps, cleaning solutions and cosmetics.
Wash your new clothes before wearing them.
Get organic furniture and mattresses if you can afford them or if not, cover them.
Don’t put any chemicals on your skin, breathe them in, put them in your house, or spray them
around your house unless you are SURE they are non-toxic. If you are not sure, DON”T TAKE
A CHANCE. Buy something you are confident has safe ingredients. READ LABELS!