Many pride themselves on a spotlessly clean and fresh as a daisy house. Upon closer look, it’s likely that the products commonly used every day are creating a toxic, chemical warfare zone in the home. News reports about contaminated toys and food products cause us to avoid those things for our health and safety. What’s rarely discussed are the thousands of chemicals, many known to be hormone disrupters and cancer-causing agents, that are present in the every day products used, including toothpastes, shampoos, and skin care products.

Bathing in Toxins
What is put on the body is as important as what is put in it. Skin is the body’s largest organ that does much more than just keep our insides from falling out. It breathes and eliminates toxins from the body. It also absorbs nutrients and, unfortunately, toxic chemicals. Studies have shown, in fact, that skin absorbs 60 % of the chemicals in products that it comes into contact with.

Exposure to toxins contained in every day household and personal care products has been linked to cancer and many other diseases, including immune disorders, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, reproductive and endocrine disorders. They have also been linked to physical and mental development issues in children. Those suffering from sinus problems, allergies, asthma, persistent rashes or skin irritations, acne or other incurable, sometimes mysterious health issues, the culprits may just be the toxin-laden household and personal care products.

In an average day, most have absorbed, swallowed, and inhaled, hundreds of chemicals before ever leaving home in the morning. The morning grooming routine involves soap, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, cologne or aftershave. This is often followed with skin creams, nail polish, and make-up. Those dangerous chemicals are absorbed and inhaled.

Natural and Organic Personal Care Products
Many are unaware that there are no FDA requirements or oversight on the ingredients used in personal care products. Manufacturers can put anything they want into soaps, shampoos, skin creams and beauty products. Consumer pressure is the only control.

Think about the products used in the bath or shower when the warm water opens the skin pores wide, inviting the chemicals into the body. There are over 100 known toxic chemicals that are used in shampoos, with most popular brands containing over 20 of them, including Sodium lauryl sulfate ( SLS ) that has been linked to neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and cellular level changes. It has also been demonstrated to slow hair growth by damaging hair follicles.

Most personal care products contain synthetic chemical fragrances. Over 4,000 different chemicals are used to create fragrances, including those made from petroleum waste products. Synthetic fragrances have been implicated in cancer, birth defects, infertility, and central nervous system degenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s.

Commercial beauty creams and other personal care products contain preservatives and chemicals to increase their shelf life. Among these chemicals are sulfates, ureas, and parabens (methyl, ethyl, butyl, and propyl). Parabens absorbed through the skin from creams, deodorants, antiperspirants, and body sprays have been strongly linked to breast cancer in studies.

Exposure to chemicals found in personal care and household products can result in symptoms including headaches, allergies, chronic fatigue, asthma, dizziness, and nausea. Children can be particularly vulnerable, suffering from learning and behavior problems, attention deficit, and hyperactivity.

Fortunately, consumer support of organic and natural products is increasing, making more of these products available and affordable. Read the labels on all of the personal care products used so you know what you are putting on your skin. Look for organic skincare products. For added assurance that the ingredients used on your skin are toxin free, many products can be made at home with only organic, natural ingredients. Making skin-healthy herbal lotions and organic skin cream is very simple and much less expensive than commercial products.

Safer Alternatives to Live Chemical Free
There are few household or personal care products that can’t make from safe, non-toxic ingredients or replace with natural, organic products that can be purchased now in many stores or online. But do beware that there are many scams popping up due to the increasing demand for organic products. Learn what the organic labeling means and be careful not to pay top dollar for products that claim to be organic but that are, in fact, just more of the same toxic products with a “green” label.

source: http://pollution-control.suite101.com/article.cfm/green-living-in-a-toxin-free-home

Couple quick tips for going green at work and home, green transportation, and tips for green kids.

- A two-stroke, gasoline-powered lawn mower releases as many hydrocarbons into the atmosphere in 30 minutes as a car does in 90 minutes. Switch to an electric mower.

- An LCD flat panel TV uses as little as a third of the electricity of conventional tube-based models.

- Buying organic produce grown within 100 miles of your home will help reduce the amount of diesel fuel needed to ship food.

- If you feel woozy after painting with latex-based enamel, choose a product low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) instead. New designer colors and improved quality make these safer paints.

- Manufacturers of low-flow toilets use advanced computer modeling to deliver more flush power with less water.

- Like to linger in a hot shower? Stand under the pulse jet guilt-free with a solar hot water system.

- Replacing old light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones can trim 5 percent from your monthly electrical bill. Go for the premium fluorescents that cast a pure white or buttery golden light.

- Skip the pesticides and use nature’s method of bug eradication: other animals. Install birdhouses to shelter feathered friends who dine on pesky beetles and grubs.