DOES ANYONE IN YOUR FAMILY SUFFER FROM:

* Allergies
* Fatigue
* Depression
* Headaches
* Skin Rashes
* Flu-like symptoms
* Respiratory Problems
* Birth Defects
* Cancer

Did you know that your house or apartment is probably full of everyday products that are made from substances which can cause these and many more common symptoms; and that these can be related to exposure to house hold toxins?

Do these household toxins have to be swallowed to poison you or your family? NO! If the chemical "out-gases" or gives off fumes (many do this even when the containers are tightly closed) and you breath them, they are absorbed into your body. The largest organ of your body is your skin. If you get chemicals on your hands or skin, you absorb them.

Are all of these symptoms noticed immediately? Some are. However, many slowly break down your health and weaken your immune system over a long period of time, leaving your body vulnerable to many kinds of diseases and infections. When you have an illness of any type, even a minor cold, your tolerance for household pollutants decreases. Even the amount of stress you are under affects your body's ability to process toxic chemicals.

CAN STORES SELL PRODUCTS THAT ARE NOT SAFE ?
Cleaning products fall under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act which require labels with certain warning "signal words" on them. However, this act focuses only on the immediate effects that products can have if not used according to instructions.

Many of these chemicals can have devastating effects over time and these warnings are not required on the label. The New York Poison Control Centre found that 85% of the product warning labels studied were inadequate. Can't the government do something about this? It has tried many times, but the economic interests have won out. One federal official said "Today about 4.5 million chemicals are known, 45,000 are in commercial distribution and it takes a team of scientists, 300 mice, two to three years and about $300,000 to determine whether one single suspect chemical causes cancer".

WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN ?
They are especially vulnerable to household toxins. Why? "Children, because of their size and physiology, are exposed to more indoor pollutants than adults standing in the same room! Children inhale more air per body weight than adults, their respiratory rates are ten times faster than those of adults, and since pollutants are generally heavier than air, they are at greater concentrations at the height of a child's nose than they are at the height of an adult's. Even when children are exposed to the same amounts of chemicals as adults, their bodies are much smaller, so, relatively speaking, the proportion of their chemical exposure to body weight is greater than ours. But slow contamination is by no means the only hazard for children in the house. Every year 5 to 10 million household poisonings are reported.

Many are fatal, and most of the victims are children. These poisonings are the result of accidental ingestion of common household substances. If you are thinking about conceiving a child, or are already pregnant, consider the effects toxic chemicals might have on your unborn baby. Many common household chemicals are known to cause birth defects. Indoor air pollution is a suspected culprit in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which will take about 5,000 lives this year. The incidence of SIDS is higher in the winter, perhaps because decreased ventilation in the cold months traps air indoors, where contaminants become concentrated. It's no coincidence that SIDS was recognized after the introduction of synthetic chemicals according to Nancy Green Sokol, the author of Poisoning Our Children (Noble Press, 1991).

A TOUR OF YOUR HOME
Which are the most hazardous products found in your home? Cleaning products! A scientific paper presented by a Vancouver consulting firm at the Indoor Air '90 Conference in Toronto reported that, because of household cleaners, women who don't work outside the home have a 55% higher risk of contracting cancer! We are so accustomed to using these products that we forget they may be dangerous. Most cleaning products can be harmful during actual use, even when label directions are followed. Toxic fumes can produce skin rashes, headaches, fatigue and burning eyes. Even if you don't have immediate reactions, exposure day after day, year after year, can cause cancer, heart disease, lung problems, immune system breakdown or liver damage. According to a 1989 report by E.P.A.

(Environmental Protection Agency) the air INSIDE our homes is two to five times more toxic than air outside!

The Occupational Safety and Health Agency states that Formaldehyde should be handled carefully because it is suspected of causing cancer in humans and is an irritant to eyes, throat, skin and lungs. Exposure to formaldehyde has been shown to cause headaches, depression, joint pains, chronic fatigue, chest pains, ear infections, dizziness and loss of sleep. It can also aggravate coughs and colds and trigger asthma.

Ammonia is a poison. It can cause rashes, redness and chemical burns. Being very volatile, it's fumes are extremely irritating to lungs and can be especially harmful to anyone with respiratory problems, especially children. It can also cause severe eye damage.

Chlorine is toxic as a skin irritant and by inhalation. The greatest danger is when chlorine is mixed with other products, especially ammonia or vinegar.

Phenol is suspected to cause cancer and when it comes in contact with skin can cause it to swell, peel, burn or break out in hives. Even a small amount taken internally can cause circulatory collapse, convulsions, cold sweats, coma and death!

Kind of frightening isn't it? And, these are just four of the thousands that are on grocery shelves! Here are some other products that you and your family use daily which contain these and other harmful chemicals.

Glass and Multi-surface cleaners - Major ingredient is generally ammonia.
Oven cleaners - Major ingredients are lye and ammonia.
Furniture and floor polish - contain phenol and nitrobenzene which is very toxic.
Mould and mildew cleaners - May contain phenol, formaldehyde, and kerosene.

Germ killing disinfectants - Many contain phenol, formaldehyde, ammonia, chlorine and also cresol which is easily absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. It can also damage liver, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, spleen and effect the central nervous system resulting in depression, hyperactivity and irritability. Many use disinfectants when someone is ill, just when the sick person is the most vulnerable to toxic effects.

Many people, concerned about cleanliness, are constantly spraying these in the air and on many surfaces. Air fresheners - can include phenol and formaldehyde. Did you know that most air fresheners don't actually freshen the air, but rather cover up the offensive odour with a more pleasant one? Or, actually interfere with your ability to smell by releasing a nerve-deadening agent or coating your nasal passages with an undetectable oil film?

Carpet and Upholstery Shampoo - The active ingredient is usually perchloroethylene, which is a known human carcinogen. Immediate effects can be light-headedness, dizziness, sleepiness, nausea, and disorientation. Long term exposure may result in damage to the liver or central nervous system. May also contain naphthalene which according a chemical dictionary is "toxic by inhalation" and is suspected of causing cancer. Sometimes contains ammonia.

Dishwashing Detergents - Most contain chlorine in a dry format that, when it comes in contact with water in the dishwasher, releases chlorine fumes into the air that leak out into the kitchen. Dishwasher liquids often contain ammonia.

Chlorinated scouring powder - Contains chlorine bleach. When mixed with water produces chlorine fumes. When mixed with ammonia produces chlorine fumes which can be deadly! For example, ammonia is not listed on many all-purpose cleaning products, so you may not be aware and use it in the toilet bowl and then sprinkle in some scouring powder with it----Watch out!!

Laundry detergents - can contain many caustic chemicals, residues left in clothing, sheets and towels can cause severe skin rashes.

Feminine douches generally contain ammonia and phenol.
Hair sprays, styling mousses and shampoos commonly use formaldehyde hidden under the name "quatemium-15"
Fluoride toothpaste - Many contain ammonia, formaldehyde and ethanol.
Deodorant soaps - Many contain ammonia, formaldehyde or phenol.
Deodorants and antiperspirants --May contain formaldehyde, ammonia and aluminium.
Perfumes and aftershaves - Often contain formaldehyde, phenol and cresol.
Pet care - Flea collars, sprays, powders and shampoo can place your pet near very harmful pesticides and can also effect you and your children.

Many people die each year due to exposure to pesticides, more than half the fatalities are children. Pesticides can remain active for days, weeks, even years!!

CONCERNS
Where do most of these toxic chemicals end up? - - They go down the drain or into the garbage where they return to pollute the environment and eventually you and me.

WHAT'S THE SOLUTION ?
You have a choice. You can be an informed consumer and make a difference in your health, that of your family and the environment by simply switching brands! There are companies that are just as concerned as you are about the environment and health. They manufacture products that are environmentally sensitive, biodegradable, non-toxic and made with no animal testing. Many even cost less to use than the brands you are currently using!

We have switched brands and made a difference in our lives. Contact us so that you to can protect yourself and your family with these exceptional non Toxic products.

E-mail:  Inge