How do harmful chemical ingredients in our household products affect our health?

Did you know that the air in our homes can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air outside? Crazy right!  And scary.  And it is at its worst right after you clean (depending on what products you use of course).

There really is a surprising lack of awareness of indoor home air toxicity in New Zealand, however, overwhelming scientific evidence in both the US and Europe indicates that the air within our homes is polluted, and that illness caused by exposure to these pollutants can be a serious threat to our health. 

Aside from the assault of chemicals that surround us constantly in our workplaces, water, food and the air that we breathe, perhaps of the most serious concern is the widely unknown toxicity in our home environment.

Modern day living has certainly made life a lot easier and more convenient with the advances in technology, disposable products and the use of chemicals to get things done.  However, we are now becoming aware of the impact that these conveniences are having on our planet, and on our health.

Common Household Pesticides 

Ever walked down the garden product aisle at your local garden centre and been overwhelmed by the strong smells of herbicides and pesticides?  If you can smell them, you are breathing them - and that means you are ingesting them into your lungs.  These are sealed containers.

Products such as fly spray, bug repellent (DEET), ant, flea, spider and roach killers, lice shampoos along with chlorine bleach and non alcohol based disinfectants (which contain EPA registered pesticides), emit extremely toxic chemicals - even from sealed or partially used containers. 

The toxins emitted are known neuro-toxins, carcinogens and endocrine disruptors that over time can start to cause a number serious health concerns.  

Household Cleaners

The next unsuspecting offenders are your common household cleaning products - the latest research from the University of Bergen has found that household cleaning can be as bad for you as smoking for your lung function (!) 

Visit our Nasty Ingredients List here to learn which ingredients you should avoid and absolutely eliminate from your home as soon as possible. Some of these ingredients are found in a few of New Zealand’s biggest brands, including some eco brands - ‘Safe for the Planet’ does not necessarily mean it is safe for You.

The toxic residues left behind on surfaces from cleaning products containing these ingredients (and the storage of these products), create highly polluted air within your home that you and your family breathe in.  

Laundry Detergents 

This includes the stuff you wash you clothing and linen in - Bed sheets and pajamas - you spend all night in those, on and next to your skin which is at its warmest and most relaxed and open during your sleep.  Your skin is the largest organ of your body, and everything it absorbs is then processed by your liver and subsequent organs of the body.

A common ingredient in laundry detergents is Sodium Hydroxymethlglycinate - this is an irritant and can break down into formaldehyde - a known carcinogen.   You’ll also find it in cosmetics, shampoos, baby wipes, cleaning agents, cleansing bars, lotions and many other household products.

Your home should be a healthy safe-haven of rejuvenation and regeneration, not an environment that forces your body into continuous detoxification.  The only environment you can control is your home, so why not make it as healthy as possible?

Read more about how to reduce the toxicity in your home.  For the sake of the health of our people and our planet, it’s time to learn about and take action to eliminate toxicity from our environment, especially our homes.

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