Top 5 Household Toxins You Must Remove Now To Make Your House Safer

We live in filth!

We are inundated with chemical all day long that are injurious to our health.  From things we spray in our own house (e.g. air fresheners, ironing starch, carpet cleaner, cosmetics) to household fixtures that come pre-treated (carpets, furniture, adhesives) to electromagnetic hazards we are doused in this “toxic goo.”  Many studies indicate that our indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air.  Here are five (5) measures that will help minimize your exposure.

1. Turn off your router every evening

Aside from the ancillary benefit of thwarting your kids from going online at night, turning off your router minimizes the EMF (Electro-Magnetic Frequency) frequency from coursing through your house.  Even if you don’t suffer from Electromagnetic Sensitivity (EHS), numerous studies show that sleeping near a router increases insomnia, tinnitus, chronic fatigue, headaches, concentration, memory, learning and immune system problems, heart palpitations. nausea, joint pain, swelling of face, neck, eye problems, rashes, and even cancer. With the increased use of “smart” TVs, refrigerators, and electricity meters, not to mention the EMF at work, we are doused in this deleterious “soup.”

Solution

• Turn off the router at night.  You are asleep…you don’t need it.
• Keep your phone on “Airplane Mode” and/or away from your body as much as possible.

2. Remove food with food dyes

Food dyes are chemicals placed in food to give them their attractive colors (since most processed foods would look unpalatable without them).  Food dyes (in particular the omnipresent Red #40) have been linked to exacerbating behavioral disorders (such as ADHD), allergies, learning impairment, irritability and aggressiveness.  They have also been linked to bladder, pancreatic, and testicular cancer in rats.  

You will be amazed how much of our processed foods have them. Be vigilant of “Caramel Color” which is a food dye as well. (Most sodas have it.)  In fact most chips, crackers, candies, flavored drinks contain dyes and should be purged from the pantry.

{Listen to our podcast (or read our articles) on converting your fridge and pantry into Clean Eating ones.}

Solution

• Opt for foods that use natural food dyes, like indigo, turmeric, and paprika or
• Go more Paleo or Clean Eating and avoid pre-packaged, processed foods altogether.

(Read our articles on things you must purge from your pantry immediately: food dyes, vegetable oils, & sugary-drinks.)

3. Remove all scented candles.

As much as we love those Oatmeal Cookie or Summer Breeze smells, we all know that a factory worker is not chopping up cookies or capturing beach air to put them into candles.  They are all chemicals mimicking those smells.

Most scented candles contain paraffin wax and fragrances, which when burnt emit benzene, alkans, and alkenes, all of which are known carcinogens.  They also have been linked to asthma, allergies, and developmental issues as well.  Moreover, the wicks in most commercially-sold candles have been found to contain unacceptable levels of lead.

Solution

• Opt for unscented candles; at the best only purchase or make beeswax ones, like these candles.

4. Air out all new furniture

New furniture, in particular mattresses, cribs, couches, and tables are sprayed with chemicals and adhesives either to coat them with a shiny veneer or make them flame-retardant.  These chemicals are collectively called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).  Perhaps most infamous for being in paint, VOCs are linked to respiratory conditions, migraines, liver and central nervous system maladies.  Studies have shown links to cancer in animal testing.

Solution

• Though inconvenient, air out your new furniture for at least a week or try to buy VOC-free items.

5. Remove non-stick or Teflon cookware

Many nonstick cookware boasts a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Studies have shown since the 1950s that PFOA, a form of Poly-perfluoroalkyl substances (or PFASs), have been liked to testicular and kidney cancer, liver malfunction, hormonal changes, thyroid disruption, high cholesterol, obesity, ulcerative colitis, and lower birth weight and size.

Because of these findings The European Union banned non-stick cookware years ago.  The pans’ non-stick lining can scratch or chip off into your food.

Solution

• Use cast iron or stainless steel cookware, and natural, non-stick sprays such as olive oil.
• Luckily, many large retailers sell PFOA-cookware thanks to awareness campaigns regarding these toxins.

Our mission at Naturopathic Earth is to bring awareness to both the toxins replete in our food and air supply as well as promote natural ways of preventing and treating diseases.

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A. Gregory Luna, double-certified Health Consultant.