It is no wonder when you consider that most homes contain toxin soaked carpeting, formaldehyde soaked particleboard, toxic household cleaning supplies, PVC, offgassing, dry cleaning, plastics and much more. If it was manufactured in a lab, odds are it is not good for you or your family. The short and long term dangers are compounded if you have children or pets.

The good news is that it is not terribly difficult or expensive to start greening your home. Gaiam has a nice article called 5 Easy and Cheap Ways to Green Your Home and the list includes:

1. Take your shoes off at the door to avoid tracking in lead, pesticides and other contaminants. The good news is, your home will stay much cleaner too.

2. Get rid of vinyl (PVC) which is commonly found in shower curtains, kids toys and backpacks. Look for the #3 or letters PVC. Why get rid of it?

“PVC frequently contains notorious phthalates to make it soft. According to the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition, these phthalates are known to cause liver and kidney damage, endocrine disruption, reproductive system damage and, possibly, cancer, and they can easily leach out of PVC. And finally, harder PVC often contains lead and cadmium, two heavy metals that have also been linked to a host of health issues, including cancers.” Gaiam.com

3. Switch to green cleaners because traditional household cleaners turn your indoor air and surfaces into toxic hazards. There are many green cleaners on the market today and they are a step in the right direction but making your own cleaners with vinegar, baking soda and salt is the most healthy, inexpensive, non-toxic and earth friendly way to clean your home.

4. Use indoor plants. They look great, are positive feng shui and yes they absorb toxins from the air. The best plants for toxic absorption are ficus, spider plants and English ivy.

5. Open your windows even if it is for a few minutes a day and yes, even in the winter. Even adding a little fresh air to the mix will help dilute the toxins in your household air.

Curtains, couches, and carpets - could these possibly be common sources of air pollution? While many would quickly answer no, these porous household furnishings can and do contribute largely to air pollution that, according to the American Lung Association, eighty-seven percent of Americans fail to consider: the pollution of indoor air.

In fact, practically all surfaces found inside a building take in common, everyday chemicals, such as cleaning supplies and pesticides, and continue to release these harmful fumes back into the air long after their initial absorption. Consequently, unless action is taken to rid the air of these persistent pollutants, many buildings stay continuously contaminated.

Pollution of air does have a serious and direct effect on human health. For example, asthma, allergies, and cancers can often be linked to air pollution. And while many think of outdoor air as the primary culprit, the Environmental Protection Agency states that the air inside is actually two to ten times more polluted than that outdoors.

This dangerous indoor air pollution comes from many sources, including perfumes, fireplaces, pesticides, candles, smoking, cleaning supplies, dust, construction materials, mold, and people. Chemicals such as pesticides, for instance, which are created to kill insects and other pests, are made up of both active chemicals and inert solvents that are extremely toxic, and as mentioned above, are often re-released into the air for prolonged periods of time.

Therefore, because many of the sources of indoor pollution cannot be eliminated, the air itself must be disinfected. To do this, the United States Centers of Disease Control recommends using a UV air purifier that employs a HEPA filter along with ultraviolet light. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture states that a UV clarifier which generates negative ions is highly effective in ridding the air of bacteria and dust.

Many UV air purifiers on the market incorporate all of these methods. Together, they are able to remove and/or kill virtually all particulates and micro-organisms found in the air. This is extremely important; while the hairs in our noses filter larger particles, smaller particulates pass through to our lungs, resulting in serious health risks.

A HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter will trap 99.97% of these dangerous particulates a minute as small as three-tenths of a micron (which is 1/25,400 of an inch). Being trapped by the UV clarifier, they cannot again enter the air. Depending on the amount of pollution in the air, A HEPA filter often lasts several years, making the ultraviolet air purification system extremely cost-effective.

Some of the particulates passing through a UV air purifier are micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and mold. As these microbes pass by the ultraviolet germicidal light, their DNA is mutated, making it impossible for them to reproduce and grow. The HEPA filter works with the ultraviolet light as it captures hazardous microbes, allowing the ultraviolet light of the UV clarifier ample time to destroy all micro-organisms and render emitted air harmless.

Finally, negative ions work to attract positively-charged fine particles, including dust and mold spores. As negative ions attach to the positive particulates, they form clumps, become heavy, and fall to surfaces where they can be vacuumed or dusted. As these positively-charged fine particles are pulled from the air, a host of dead skin, dust mites, and bacteria, which would be inhaled, are removed, leaving the air safe to breathe.

In addition to a HEPA filter, ultraviolet light, and negative ion generation, it is important that an ultraviolet air purification system employ a fan. Just as placing the fan of an HVAC system in the constant-on position will help the system’s filter trap contaminants as air moves through, an ultraviolet air purification system must produce a constant flow in order to keep air moving through the UV clarifier so hazardous particulates can be trapped and killed.

Indoor air quality, according to the EPA, ranks number one as the United States’ environmental health problem. Therefore, every piece of technology that can be utilized by a UV air purifier should be incorporated as each plays an important role in the effectiveness of an ultraviolet air purification system. The HEPA filter, ultraviolet germicidal light, negative ions, and fan work together to rid indoor air of pollutants that will persist unless action is taken against this dangerous pollution.

About the Author:

Clean Air with Ultraviolet offers low-maintenance, energy efficient products that will minimize indoor air pollution. For more information on indoor air purifiers or the benefits of air purification, please visit Clean Air with Ultraviolet.

Buy the Honeywell HHT-145 HepaClean UV Antibacterial HEPA tower 3-in-1 Air Purifier
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If you are like many people you live life to the fullest and take each day as a new day. You take care of yourself and your children as best as you can.

What if I told you that your home may be filled with toxins that are harmful to you and your children? Many people have no clue about the dangers that are present in their homes and the effects of chemicals and toxins.

Americans suffer from more degenerate disease then ever before. There is a definite link between the “Epidemic of Degenerative Disease” and the increase in the development of synthetic ingredients used in personal care products and home care products.

Many people do not consider their home to be a toxic waste dump and the facts may surprise them. The average home today contains 62 toxic chemicals. That is more than a chemistry lab! More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since World War II, and those are the same chemicals that have been found in many homes across the nation!

Here are some facts about products that are found in many homes.

• Bleach has been linked to reproductive problems in men and learning and behavioral problems in children.
• Everyday household cleaners are the number one cause of poisoning children.
• Behavioral problems have been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and molds.
• Carpet cleaner solution is extremely toxic to children. The fumes given off by carpet cleaners can cause cancer and liver damage.
• Laundry detergents, household cleaners and pesticides have been linked to breast cancer.
• Glass cleaners often may contain ammonia. Fumes from ammonia can irritate skin, eyes, and respiratory system.
• Toilet Bowl Cleaners are one of the most dangerous cleaning products. Can contain chlorine and hydrochloric acid. Harmful to health simply by breathing during use.
• Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene and toluene are found in common household cleaners, cosmetics, beverages, fabrics and cigarette smoke. These chemicals are cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.
• An EPA study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.

These are proven facts and back-up the real dangers in many products in our homes. If you use store bought window cleaner, disinfectants, carpet cleaners, make-up , degreasers or stain removers, you should be aware that all have been found to contain very dangerous chemicals and toxins. These toxins have been linked to cancer, immune system disorders, liver damage, and many other very common health issues many American’s face today.

So, what can people do to protect themselves and their families? Remove all toxic products from their homes! By removing those products and utilizing natural or organic made products, you will increase your chances of a healthy life and improve your health greatly!

About the Author:

Safe Wellness Products combines the best of science & nature come together to create healthy lives and toxin free homes! If you are concerned about you or your families health and wellness, we can help you create a more earth friendly home and eliminate toxins from your home! Visit http://www.safewellnessproducts.

Buy: The Healthy Home, An Attic to Basement Guide to Non-Toxic Living
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Planting your own vegetable garden also allows you to know exactly how healthy or dangerous the foods is that you are eating. Store bought produce for instance, is often grown on farms which use chemical fertilizers and poisonous pest control methods. Plants absorb whatever is put onto them or into their soil as they’re growing, so if you’re eating produce which has had chemicals and toxins used on it, those chemicals are also in the plant itself, and are being fed to your body.

When you grow your own vegetables in a home garden though, you can choose to use organic growing methods which are much safer for both the environment, you and your family.Growing a vegetable garden starts with planning. You’ll need to decide first what vegetables you plan to grow in your garden. If this is the first time you’re growing a vegetable garden, try to start small so you can get a feel for how much of each thing is needed as you become more experienced. A nice way to get started with your first vegetable garden is to select three to five of your families favorite vegetables and plant just those the first season.

Next you’ll need to decide where you will place your vegetable garden. You’ll need both plenty of space and plenty of sunlight to grow vegetables. Vegetables need at least five to six hours of full sunlight each day, so figure out where in your yard that much sun is available, then see if there is enough room there for the number of vegetables you intend to grow. If your vegetable garden will be small, you can probably choose a planting location which is only about three to four feet square.

Once you have chosen your location you can prepare the soil for your vegetable garden. You can create raised garden beds to plant your vegetables in if you’d like, and this will make preparation and care easier. If you’re planting in the ground though, you’ll need to turn the soil, remove all weeds, roots and large rocks, then mix some healthy compost into the soil so your vegetables will have the nutrition they need while growing.

After preparing the soil, you’ll need to make planting rows, or long mounds of soil, to plant your vegetables in. These rows should run east to west so they’ll get the best sun and water exposure. When you start planting seeds or starter plants, be sure to put those that will grow the tallest at the north side of your lot, so they won’t shade the smaller plants too much during the day. The smallest plants should go on the south side of your vegetable garden plot, and progressively taller ones should be planted across.

Author: Adam Fletcher
About the author:
Please visit my great new website Gardening With Adam It is a great resource for enthusiastic gardeners and will guide you through the whole gardening process.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/cleverswine/165309490/

Click here to read the full article at KennebecJournal.com

Sheryl’s comment:
The article contains stories of individuals who were tested who were surprised to find out how truly toxic they were despite eating organic, detoxing their homes and otherwise leading a healthy lifestyle.

It is depressing and frustrating that these chemicals are so pervasive in our atmosphere and homes that we cannot escape them entirely. While many choose to ignore the problem, I will not give up. I believe it is critical to not only “plug the boat” so to speak by detoxing your food, skin care and environment, but it is equally as important to bail out your boat as much as you can or you will still sink. By that I mean it is important to detox your body with all the available options we know of such as chelating therapy, sauna, colon cleansing, raw food diets and more.

More and more tea varieties are available as organic. Every variety of tea, whether Black tea, Green tea, White tea, or Oolong tea, is cultivated in some regions under protocols of organic cultivation. This trend has much to do with a return to the source need which has taken the world by storm in the recent years.

Organic tea is grown following strict rules of organic cultivation, using only natural elements in the treatment of the soil, fertilization process and providing natural light instead of any artificial light source. It makes no use whatsoever of destructive chemicals, preferring to go the natural way and encouraging nature to provide for better crop cultivation. Chemicals are known to destroy not only the land where they are used, but also the surrounding ecosystem.

Organic cultivation of tea contributes to improved soil fertility. The use of natural fertilizers such as compost, natural organic matter and plants provide all the nutrients and elements needed by the soil to grow better crops. It has been noted that organically grown crops produce a better yield. Organic cultivation also makes use of natural methods of pest control such as little bugs and insects like the pest-controlling spider. Associated with traditional methods like crop rotation and mulching, a more eco-friendly cultivation is thus ensured.

The benefits of organic cultivation of tea also overlap onto the surrounding ecosystem and live habitat around the area. Wildlife is allowed to thrive, and there is less risk of pollution by harmful chemicals. The natural cultivation of the land means that nothing damaging makes its way into the water table, nor does the soil itself suffer from the use of artificial additives. Animals and human are thus protected, and are also provided with a better environment, free of harmful pesticides and other chemicals, some of which may pose serious heath hazards.

Organic tea is also said to retain most of its inherent benefits. Hand picked and processed the orthodox way, the teas carry a quality standard which is not attained by conventional tea manufacture.

Author: Mayoor Patel
About the author:
Mayoor Patel is the writer for the website OrganicTeaUniverse.com and Organic-tea.tea Please visit for information on all things concerned with Organic Tea

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Many people often find themselves cleaning their home like crazy, because they want to make sure their home is clean for their children. Unfortunately most people have no clue about the harmful toxins found in many household cleaning products. Many mothers an fathers find themselves using bleach to clean items bought at yard sales, and even to clean walls or bathrooms.

Why should they not? I mean the bottles do not say how toxic it is! All the manufacture cares about is making a parent think the product is great to kill germs, so as parents we buy them. They fail to alert users of the toxins contained in these cleaning products. Most parents find themselves cleaning off the baby’s crib, toys, and floors with cleaning products, that are leaving more toxins behind than the toxins they are cleaning because the companies are NOT required by law to alert the consumer!

Here are some facts about common household cleaning products found in many homes across the globe today!

Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene and toluene are found in common household cleaners and all have been linked as cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.

Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight children drink more water, eat more food and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present.

Most children at young ages spend much of the day putting things in their mouths. Especially toddlers, they seem to put anything and everything in their mouths that they can get their hands on. In 1998, scientists at Rutgers University discovered that pesticides sprayed in a home evaporate from floors and carpets, and then re-condense on plastic and foam objects such as pillows and plush toys. By observing how frequently a group of pre-schoolers put clean toys in their mouths, the researchers calculated that contaminated toys are likely to give young children much higher doses of poison than adults would get in the same environment.

Babies do not excrete contaminants or store them away in fat in the same ways that adults do, making the poisons more available to affect rapidly growing bodies. Furthermore, because a baby’s immune system is not fully functional, a baby’s body cannot counteract toxic effects as well as an adult can. In an adult, a blood-brain barrier insulates the brain from many of the potentially harmful chemicals circulating through the body. But in a human child, that barrier isn’t fully developed until six months after birth.

A pregnant woman can also pass the toxins from common cleaners to their unborn child! Many contaminants such as dioxins and PCBs have an affinity for fatty tissue. During pregnancy, women mobilize their amassed stores of body fat to provide nourishment for their growing babies; the contaminants in the fat are then passed to their children. Nursing mothers also transfer a good portion of their lifetime accumulation of chemicals to their babies.

Children that are exposed to toxins in the womb are at greatest risk of all. Because cellular structures change so rapidly during embryonic and fetal growth, a toxic exposure at the wrong moment can permanently alter further development. According to Dr. Landrigan, the central nervous system is especially vulnerable. To function properly, the developing brain must lay down an intricate web of interconnecting neurons. Small doses of neurotoxins during critical periods of brain development can alter those crucial neural pathways - one mistake early on, and the brain may be forever changed in subtle or serious ways. Government and university scientists are currently investigating the possibility of a connection betweenfetal exposures to toxins and developmental disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

As a parent you SHOULD be concerned about this! Cleaning your home with toxic products are literally breaking down your children’s bodies and adding onto the changes of cancer and other life threatening health concerns.

Even if you had no clue about this concern, until you just read this article, now is the time to take action! You can start by only bring into your home toxin free cleaning products! Get rid of any products that are not eco-friendly. If a product is eco friendly, that means it is safe to have in your home! If it is safe to have in your home, it is safe to use without having to worry about the harmful effects!

Visit http://www.safewellnessproducts.com today and view the entire selection of all natural eco friendly home care products. All cleaning supply products are nontoxic, natural, concentrated, contain no phosphates and are a biodegradable formulas! This means they are safe to have in your home. Concentrated cleaning products will last longer than the store bought products, so you will be saving money and cleaning the toxins from your home!

Author: Danni Vickers
About the author: Safe Wellness Products combines the best of science & nature come together to create healthy lives and toxin free homes! If you are concerned about you or your families health and wellness, we can help you create a more earth friendly home and eliminate toxins from your home! Visit http://www.safewellnessproducts.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/jskelton/57595067/

I never really understood why I avoided certain products but I just felt that they had no place in a clean, classy life. I have had fairly heated disagreements with my significant others who proclaimed me a prima donna or worse. Now that I know these products are toxic, I have to believe that my instincts were protecting me. Incidentally, I also detest carpeting and canned foods but that is a topic for another day.

Plastics
I have always disliked Tupperware and other such plastics designed for food storage. I swore up and down that the food and water tasted different when stored or cooked in the plastic. I even used the argument with my ex-husband that nobody on the Food Channel (or restaurants) uses plastic bowls. Plastic in the kitchen seems so tacky and unnatural to me that I always made a point of using glass or ceramic. I even went so far to feed my cats out of glass bowls.

As it turns out plastic is very toxic particularly when microwaved. It releases dioxins into your food or water which are known carcinogens. Soft plastics are worse than the hard plastics and contain endocrine disruptors which can disrupt fertility, harm a fetus and more. Other molded plastics like the ones used for computer monitors release a dust which are now known to cause a number of health problems.

This is an excerpt taken from “Get Plastic Out of Your Diet“by Paul Goettlich at www.mindfully.org:

If one were to listen only to nonprofits and the industry, it would be natural to think that only the additives are toxic and migrate. But everything about plastics is toxic — both the additives and the base plastics. And both migrate in quantities that are problematic at extremely low concentrations. Some chemicals are obviously more so than others. But it is undeniable that they all migrate all the time into everything that they touch.

Even if it wasn’t toxic, there is something very unappealing about a scratched stained warped bowl vs. a beautiful clear glass, wood or ceramic container. If you are worried about breaking it then don’t drop it.

Particleboard
When I was in college I bought myself my first desk. It was roughly $100 and made entirely of particleboard covered in some sort of wood looking laminate It came in a box and I had to put the whole thing together myself. I was pretty proud of myself for purchasing my first piece of furniture and assembling the whole thing unassisted.

There is no question however, that I would have preferred a solid wood desk. I felt I could only afford a build it yourself model but that it was still cheap and tacky. Since that time I have made a point of furnishing my home with solid wood furnishings if at all possible. They just give me a better feeling which is a basic premise of feng shui.

As it turns out my instincts were right on target again. It turns out that both particleboard and plywood are made with formaldehyde of all things. This formaldehyde “offgasses” from porous surfaces and you breathe the result. Particleboard is made from a particularly toxic form called urea formaldehyde and it contains a large percentage of formaldehyde-containing glue.

Apparently you can buy sealants to prevent offgassing from dangerous surfaces but doesn’t it make more sense not to fill your home with this junk in the first place? Go a step further and purchase someone else’s used furniture made from quality non-toxic materials and reduce waste in the world.

Microwave
Other than making microwave popcorn, I have long despised microwaved food and beverages. I think they taste like crap. Even water that has been boiled by stove top or kettle vs. heated in a microwave tastes totally different to me. (I don’t know why the popcorn never bothered me).

About a year ago I found a study somewhere on the internet that showed a rise in white blood cell counts in people after eating microwaved foods. The interpretation? That your body sees microwaved foods and beverages as invaders rather than food. I took my microwave to the curb immediately and I refuse to eat or drink from a microwave since.

I have since read of people who do a simple “science experiment” with two plants. They water one plant with tap water or stove heated & cooled water and one plant with water that has been boiled in the microwave and then cooled. The result? The microwaved water plant dies. Check out this link to see photos of the alleged science experiment. In all fairness, check out this link which refutes the microwave water theory. Google “microwave water plants” and check out other people’s experiments for yourself.

Interestingly, most people I mention this to seem to think I am some kind of wacko conspiracy theorist and they are willing to risk raising their white blood cell counts for a bit of convenience. Even if I am wrong what did I lose? I am erring on the side of caution. Please dont forget that microwaved food still tastes like crap whether it is safe or not.

What is the moral of this story? If you are serious about taking an active and conscious role in your health and vitality then pay attention to your gut instincts. They could be right on.

www.whatstoxic.com
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Now we can go back outside (if we believe the sun is dangerous to begin with) or at least avoid a sunburn, with the help of Skin Deep’s new sunscreen report. Skin Deep cuts through the mystery ingredients and thousands of brands to bring us a simple and easy to understand rating system for beauty and personal care products.

Zero is the safest product rating they offer, 1 the second safest and so on, with 10 being the most hazardous. Stick with zeros and ones and you will have no problem. The ten safest sunscreens they report are:

1. (0)Keys Soap Solar Rx Therapeutic Sunblock, SPF 30
2. (0)Trukid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum, SPF 30+
3. (0)California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+
4. (0) Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30
5. (1) Marie Veronique Skin Therapy Sun Serum
6. (1) Lavera Sunscreen Neutral, SPF 40
7. (1) Vanicream Sunscreen, SPF 35
8. (1) UV Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
9. (1) Sun Science Sport Formula, SPF 30
10. (1) Soleo Organics Sunscreen all natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+

Check out the Sunscreen Report for 2008 at Skin Deep to learn more about specific products and the top 10 recommended brands.

This is a must see video if you have dangerous mercury amalgams in your teeth, particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive.