‘Just Say No’ to a Toxic Home

By Amy J. Belanger

Breathing can be hazardous to your health. Even inside your home.

Especially inside your home, according to the EPA. The agency names indoor air pollution as one of the most serious potential risks to human health.

The effects are becoming too obvious to ignore. Childhood asthma has increased 70% over the last 20 years. Asthma, severe allergies, chronic sinusitis, chemical sensitivities, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraines, immune disorders, depression and a host of other illnesses on the rise have been linked to toxins in the home.

Before World War I, the planet was largely free of man-made chemicals. Now more than four million chemicals are registered, 80,000 of them are in common use, and each year, 250,000 new ones are introduced. Less than 1,000 have ever been tested for their effects on the human nervous system. And many of these chemicals are prolific in our homes and office buildings.

In the 1970’s the first energy crisis led builders to construct tightly sealed buildings to keep heating and cooling from escaping. At the same time, they switched from natural building materials to synthetic ones. Without realizing it, modern builders were sealing people and toxic gases from carpets, paints and household products into a tight box together. The next thing you know, indoor air related illness was on the rise, and it wasn’t immediately clear why.

Common culprits include airborne chemicals found in cleaning supplies, perfumes, and bath products; volatile organic compounds found in paints; formaldehyde found in the glues that bind cabinetry and furniture; chemical glues used to affix flooring; tracked-in lawn chemicals, which contain human carcinogens; and various sources of cyanide, acetone, ethylene glycol and crystalline silica, to name a few. The chemicals “off-gas” from their sources, meaning they escape into the air that we breathe.

The good news is, plenty of practical and affordable alternatives now exist. Now is the time to turn the tide, for your own health and longevity, and your family’s.

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