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Edition Two

1. Household Cleaners: If You Can't Pronounce It, Should You Use It?

Ever wonder why you can smell the cleaning products in that aisle of the supermarket, even though the bottles are tightly closed? Volatile organic compounds. A Consumer Products Safety Commission study of air pollution
found that samples of indoor air contained approximately 10 volatile organic compounds (VOC's), many of which are neurotoxins and could be traced to household cleaners.

In March 2003, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation did a story about household cleaners. Toxicologist Shawn Ellis tested three products that are often advertised on television, Pledge, Clorox Wipes and Lysol Disinfecting Spray for
their VOC levels. Any reading over 500 parts per billion (ppb)"could be a problem for people with sensitivities". Pledge registered at 273 ppb, Clorox Wipes came in at over 1,000 ppb, and Lysol Disinfecting Spray at 1,200 parts per million-approximately 1000 times higher than Clorox. Yikes!

I agree with Dr. Gideon Karen, a Toronto Pediatrician, who said, "How can we, as one of the most advanced countries in the world to allow these to enter our household for small children, without appropriate testing to see that it's safe". And young children are particularly vulnerable because of their developing system body systems, and the fact that they play on the floor and put everything in their mouths.

What to do? It's easy to switch to safer cleaning products. You don't need toxic chemicals to effectively clean your home.

Here's what I use: http://www.greenlivingnow.com/products.htm

2. Is there A Link Between Deodorants And Breast Cancer?

Yes, according to a study by Dr. Kris McGrath, published by the European Journal of Cancer Prevention last December. Kris McGrath is an M.D. and associate professor of clinical medicine at Chicago's Northwestern University's medical
school. He heads up the allergy-immunology department at a Chicago hospital and is in private practice. Dr. McGrath has been working on the suspected link between the use of antiperspirants and deodorants for the past 15 years, ever since his wife, Elaine, and mother died of breast cancer.

In his study, Dr. McGrath looked at the potential correlation between deodorant use and breast cancer. He found that cancer rates were highest among those who most frequently shaved their underarms and applied deodorant. And this is stuff we use everyday and leave on our bodies.

What's in antiperspirant and deodorant? A cocktail of chemicals like: aluminum salts, Parabens (p-hydroxybenzoic acid) phthalates, Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and other equally hard to pronounce chemicals.

Did you know that a female born today in the U.S. has a 1 in 7 chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer in her life?

And, that even when all known risk factors (including family history, smoking, genetics, and obesity) are added together, more than 50 % of breast cancer cases remain unexplained?

A disproportionately high incidence of breast cancers occur in the area where deodorants are applied-the upper area of the breast.

So, while most of the research is done in Europe, I'm going to keep using my synthetic chemical-free, natural deodorant. How about you? I use Aubrey's E Plus High C Deodorant.

3. The Nontoxic Kitchen

Over generations the kitchen has been considered the heart center of the home. Sadly, kitchens of today, like the rest of the house, are more like hearts with
arteriosclerosis clogged with all sorts of toxic synthetic chemicals. According to David Pearson author of "The Natural House Book", the modern kitchen is "unhealthy and overconsuming; it is sometimes dangerous and always polluting...wasteful of energy and water and fails to recycle valuable waste materials... Since food is handled in the kitchen, it, more than any other space, must be toxin and pollution free."

So, what are the sources of pollution in our kitchens and what can we do to protect ourselves? Read the rest of my article…

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