Our world today is full of dangerous chemicals which we are exposed to constantly.   They are in our food, water, air, and in our living and working environments.  These chemicals are stored in our bodies and when they reach toxic levels, they will begin to affect our health.

Pesticides - there is no such thing as a safe pesticide.  The EPA sets standards for how much is safe, but they do not take into account that the effect is cumulative.  They can control how much pesticide is on one piece of fruit, but they cannot control how much of that fruit you eat at one time, nor how much you will eat in your lifetime.  They also cannot control the cumulative effect of eating a whole range of fruits and vegetables in your diet with pesticides on them, because they cannot predict how much and what kinds of foods you will eat.  They also cannot predict how your particular body chemistry will react to these chemicals, because for some people, a small dose produces an extremely toxic reaction, and some people can tolerate a much heavier exposure.  There is NO safe level of exposure to these chemicals.  Read Why Eat Organic?

Artificial Flavors, Colors and Preservatives - most of these chemicals continue to be on the GRAS list (Generally Recognized as Safe) despite the fact that studies repeatedly have found them to affect the neurological system, or cause liver or kidney damage or cancer. IT IS POSSIBLE to eat a diet totally free of these substances if you read labels and buy from natural food stores.  Even mainstream stores are now carrying many products free of these additives. 

12 Key Additives to Avoid and Their Health Risks:

• Hydrogenated Fats - cardiovascular disease, obesity
• Artificial Food Colors - allergies, asthma, hyperactivity; possible carcinogen
• Nitrites and Nitrates - these substances can develop into nitrosamines in body, which can be carcinogenic
• Sulfites (sulfur dioxide, metabisulfites, and others) - allergic and asthmatic reactions
• Sugar and Sweeteners - obesity, dental cavities, diabetes and hypoglycemia, increased triglycerides (blood fats) or candida (yeast)
• Artificial Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K and Saccharin) - behavioral problems, hyperactivity, allergies, and possibly carcinogenic. The government cautions against the use of any artificial sweetener by children and pregnant women. Anyone with PKU (phenylketonuria - a problem of phenylalanine, an amino acid, metabolism) should not use aspartame (Nutrasweet).
• MSG (monosodium glutamate) - common allergic and behavioral reactions, including headaches, dizziness, chest pains, depression and mood swings; also a possible neurotoxin
• Preservatives (BHA, BHT, EDTA, etc.) - allergic reactions, hyperactivity, possibly cancer-causing; BHT may be toxic to the nervous system and the liver. Sodium benzoate, a common preservative in soda pop, damages your DNA and causes premature aging.
  
• Artificial Flavors - allergic or behavioral reactions
• Refined Flour - low-nutrient calories, carbohydrate imbalances, altered insulin production
• Salt (excessive) - fluid retention and blood pressure increases
• Olestra (an artificial fat) - diarrhea and digestive disturbances

Here are a number of good resources for information about these substances:

Feingold - Artificial Flavors, Colors and Preservatives
Ice Cream Flavors areToxic
The State of our Food

Suffice it to say, many diseases begin because the liver is overburdened with having to detoxify all these chemicals from our bodies. It just can't keep up, and these chemicals stay in the blood stream and are stored in our organs and tissues, but especially in our fat cells.  So the more overweight you are, the more of these dangerous chemicals you are carrying around.

Household Cleaning Supplies - In 2000, cleaning products were responsible for nearly 10% of all toxic exposures reported to U.S. Poison Control Centers, accounting for 206,636 calls. 

The most acutely dangerous cleaning products are corrosive drain cleaners, oven cleaners, and acidic toilet bowl cleaners, according to Philip Dickey of the Washington Toxics Coalition. Corrosive chemicals can cause severe burns on eyes, skin and, if ingested, on the throat and esophagus. Ingredients with high acute toxicity include chlorine bleach and ammonia, which produce fumes that are highly irritating to eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and should not be used by people with asthma or lung or heart problems. These two chemicals pose an added threat in that they can react with each other or other chemicals to form lung-damaging gases. Combining products that contain chlorine and ammonia or ammonia and lye (in some oven cleaners) produces chloramine gases, while chlorine combined with acids (commonly used in toilet bowl cleaners) forms toxic chlorine gas.

Fragrances added to many cleaners, most notably laundry detergents and fabric softeners, may cause acute effects such as respiratory irritation, headache, sneezing, and watery eyes in sensitive individuals or allergy and asthma sufferers. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has found that one-third of the substances used in the fragrance industry are toxic. But because the chemical formulas of fragrances are considered trade secrets, companies aren't required to list their ingredients but merely label them as containing "fragrance."

Other ingredients in cleaners may have low acute toxicity but contribute to long-term health effects, such as cancer or hormone disruption. Some all-purpose cleaners contain the sudsing agents diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA). When these substances come into contact with nitrites, often present as undisclosed preservatives or contaminants, they react to form nitrosamines - carcinogens that readily penetrate the skin. 1,4-dioxane, another suspected carcinogen, may be present in cleaners made with ethoxylated alcohols. Butyl cellosolve (also known as ethylene glycol monobutyl ether), which may be neurotoxic (or cause damage to the brain and nervous system), is also present in some cleaners.

Chemicals that are so-called "hormone disruptors" can interfere with the body's natural chemical messages, either by blocking or mimicking the actions of hormones. Possible health effects include decreased sperm counts, increased rates of male birth defects such as cryptorchidism (undescended testicles) and hypospadias (where the urethra is on the underside of the penis), and increased rates of some kinds of cancers. The alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs) used in some detergents and cleaners have been shown to mimic the hormone estrogen; one APE, p-nonylphenol, has caused estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells to multiply in a test tube study.

See our House Beautiful.....or House Deadly page for natural homemade cleaning products to substitute for these toxic ones.

Check our our Ecover Cleaning Products - natural and non-toxic.

If something is interfering with your neurological system, that means it is interfering with your electrical system.  Using these toxic substances in your diet or home means you are actively creating energy blockages which need to be removed.  First, remove the toxic chemicals from your diet and home or office, then help your body detoxify these substances. See The Liver Flush

To continue a very gentle detoxification which is very effective, get Nutronix International's O2 Proformance hydration Product which, when added to purified water, creates negative hydrogen ions which raise the body's pH and which causes the body to eliminate toxins.

Copyright 2006-8  Judie C. Rall and The Center for Unhindered Living

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