In this current age, environmental toxins are everywhere. They are in the food we eat and the water we drink. They are in the hygiene products we use and the air that we breathe. Adults are exposed to more chemicals and other toxins than ever before.
Toxins have been found in beauty products, household cleaners, carpets, furniture, mattresses, house dust, as well as fruits, vegetables, and other foods we eat every day. Being surrounded by chemicals daily can have some harmful effects on health.
Toxins have been found in:
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- Beauty products
- Household cleaners
- Carpets
- Furniture
- Mattresses
- House dust
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- And other foods
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Farmers use pesticides to keep bugs away from their crops, but pesticide residue can remain on the produce, even after washing it. The Environmental Protection Agency has restricted the use of some of the most toxic pesticides, including highly toxic organophosphates (i.e., PCBs), which phased out of farming in the late 1970s and 1980s, but still, many toxins are in use today.
The residue of these chemicals can still be seen in today’s leafy greens. Some of the produce that can contain the highest amounts of pesticides are conventionally-grown strawberries, apples, celery, cucumbers, grapes, spinach, and potatoes. Purchasing these particular fruits and veggies in organic produce sections can be a good alternative to conventionally-grown produce.
Most important produce to buy organic:
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- Strawberries
- Apples
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Grapes
- Spinach
- Potatoes
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Although the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will always outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure, yet, limit your exposure as much as possible.
What about water?
Bottled water, with pictures of flowing streams and mountain springs on the label, can actually be more harmful than you think. In 2008, the Environmental Working Group conducted a study on ten different brands of bottled water. Their results showed 38 pollutants from disinfection byproducts to industrial chemicals and bacteria.
Unlike water utilities, which are regularly checked, tested, and reported to the consumer, the bottled water industry rarely reports should contamination be found. The best solution is to stop drinking bottled water and opt for filtered tap water instead. Not only will you lower your risk of possible chemicals and bacteria, but you will also reduce plastic waste and the burden on your wallet. (16)
Your children may be at even more risk than you are.
Often, children are exposed to more toxins than adults, especially when it comes to their diet. Many companies add chemical after chemical to their ingredient in an attempt to win the selective taste buds of children.
Fortunately, more and more parents are wising up to this and starting to read the food label before they throw it in the shopping cart. As a general rule, try to avoid foods that have long and hard to pronounce words on their ingredient list. Usually, those are chemical additives to improve the taste and lengthen the shelf life of the product. They’re not good for you or your child.
Another important topic to discuss when talking about toxins, especially toxins that children are exposed to, is the controversial issue of vaccines. If you’ve ever read the ingredients in a vaccine, you would wonder how they can be injected into a child and not cause a health issue.
If you take the time to read the vaccine ingredients list, you may find things like thimerosal (a mercury derivative found in the flu shot), aluminum hydroxide, sodium chloride, benzethonium chloride, and even formaldehyde. There are dozens of other chemicals found in other vaccines, and they keep adding more and more vaccines to the schedule every year. (17)
Because our children are exposed to so many toxins every day, you need to make sure to eliminate as many toxins as you can from their diet and hygiene products; this is very important. Try to limit toxic environmental exposure as much as possible.
Don’t miss the next article in this series as we’ll discuss yet another one of the possible causes of chronic diseases in our country. There’s no doubt that the American healthcare system is broken. We must find A Better Way!
Resources:
- National Council on Aging – Approximately 80% of older adults have at least one chronic disease, and 77% have at least two. – https://www.ncoa.org/news/resources-for-reporters/get-the-facts/healthy-aging-facts/
- Children’s Health Defense – https://childrenshealthdefense.org/too-many-sick-children/
- An Empirical Study of Chronic Diseases in the United States: A Visual Analytics Approach to Public Health – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5876976/
- World Health Organization – Top 10 Causes of Death – https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
- Nearly 7 in 10 Americans Take Prescription Drugs, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center Find – https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/nearly-7-in-10-americans-take-prescription-drugs-mayo-clinic-olmsted-medical-center-find/
- World Health Organization’s ranking of the world’s health systems 2000 – https://photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
- National Health Expenditures 2017 Highlights – https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/Downloads/highlights.pdf
- How does health spending in the U.S. compare to other countries? – https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-countries/#item-relative-size-wealth-u-s-spends-disproportionate-amount-health
- Western pattern diet – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_pattern_diet
- American adults are overweight or obese – https://www.healthdata.org/news-release/vast-majority-american-adults-are-overweight-or-obese-and-weight-growing-problem-among
- 6 charts that show how much more Americans eat than they used to – https://www.businessinsider.com/daily-calories-americans-eat-increase-2016-07
- How Much Sugar Do You Eat? You May Be Surprised! – https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/nhp/documents/sugar.pdf
- How Does Too Much Sugar Affect Your Body? – https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/features/how-sugar-affects-your-body
- Lack of exercise as ‘deadly’ as smoking – https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/lack-of-exercise-as-deadly-as-smoking/
- How Lack of Exercise Affects Health – https://www.priorityhealthyorkville.com/how-lack-of-exercise-affects-health/
- Environmental Toxins and Your Health – https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/transcripts/1622_environmental-toxins-and-your-health
- Vaccine Excipient Summary – https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/b/excipient-table-2.pdf
- Tech Neck – How Technology Is Affecting Your Posture – https://www.ivyrehab.com/news/tech-neck-how-technology-is-affecting-your-posture/
