"Dear Lucie,

I would like to share this information with you. It's pretty scary when you think of all those people who use toxic chemicals to clean their home and don't know the dangers. I used to be one of those people who had no clue that the chemicals I was using were so harmful.

More children under four die of accidental poisonings at home than are accidentally killed with guns at home. The average home today contains more chemicals than were found in a typical chemistry lab.

Go into your kitchen and your bathroom and look under your sinks where you keep your cleaning and personal care supplies. What have you found? Window cleaner? Bleach? Dishwashing detergent? Shampoo? Toothpaste? If you read the label on toothpaste, it says not to swallow the paste!

These products can be violent lethal poisons with the potential to kill or seriously injure your child. Most dishwashing detergents include naphta, which is a central nervous system depressant, diethanolamine, a possible liver poison, and chlorophenylphenol, a metabolic stimulant that is considered a toxic substance.

Of all chemicals commonly found in homes, 150 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities. We have a higher rate of kids with cancer and learning disabilities than ever. If that doesn't say we're doing something wrong in our environment, I'd hate to see what it takes!

According to the American Cancer Society, there has been a 26 percent increase in cancer over the last 2 decades!

You should also be concerned about the air that you and your children breathe. Cleaning products and some personal care products release toxic vapors into the air when they are used and even when they are stored.

Children may be particularly vulnerable to chemical fumes. They inhale more air per pound of body weight than adults, and because pollutants are generally heavier than air and collect closer to the floor, small children breath greater concentrations than do grown ups.

Most of us are concerned about the environment, but isn't the environment within our own homes the most important? If the home care and personal care products we are using are toxic and harmful, we are hurting ourselves, our families and the environment.

Indoor air pollution is a suspected culprit in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In 1983, our research team at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, pioneered early research on SIDS & Endorphins. SIDS is higher in the winter because of decreased ventilation!

Points to consider:

• The average home today contains 62 toxic chemicals - more than a chemistry lab at the turn of the century.
• More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since WW II.
• Less than 2% of synthetic chemicals have been tested for toxicity, mutagenic, carcinogenic, or birth defects.
• An EPA survey concluded that indoor air was 3 to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air.
• Another EPA study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.
• CMHC reports that houses today are so energy efficient that "outgassing" of chemicals has no where to go, so it builds up inside the home. ~ We spend 90% of our time indoor, and 65% of our time at home. Moms, infants and the elderly spend 90% of their time in the home.
• National Cancer Association released results of a 15 year study concluding that women who work in the home are at a 54% higher risk of developing cancer than women who work outside the home.
• Cancer is the Number ONE cause of death for children.
• Cancer is the Number ONE killer of women between the ages of 35 and 54.
• There has been a call from the U.S./Canadian Commission to ban bleach in North America. Bleach is being linked to the rising rates of breast cancer in women, reproductive problems in men and learning and behavioral problems in children.
• There are more than 3 million poisonings every year. Household cleaners are the Number ONE cause of poisoning of children.
• Since 1980, asthma has increased by 600%. The Canadian Lung Association and the Asthma Society of Canada identify common household cleaners and cosmetics as triggers.
• Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene, toluene, xylene are found in common household cleaners, cosmetics, beverages, fabrics and cigarette smoke. These chemicals are cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.
• There are 4700 chemicals in tobacco smoke.

 It's important to say that household cleaning and personal care products aren't the only source of chemicals in your home, but they are the easiest ones to replace! What can we do? The answer is to start in small ways at home!"


Dr. George Grant
Toxicologist/Analytical Chemist/Microbiologist
Founder of the International Academy of Wellness
www.academyofwellness.com

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