Skin Care Event: from Walsh Natural Health

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

~Andy Warhol

Did you know that 6 billion pounds of chemicals are dumped into the environment every year? Did you also know that many of these chemicals come not just from factories and cars, but right from our own homes? We are all victims of advertising--the TV, radio, newspaper and Internet have told us that we need to have our homes sparkling clean, that sudsy action equals effective cleaning, and that germs are the enemy. Not so!!

Many of you have heard us talk about how there is is no governmental body that regulates skin care products, and the same is true for cleaning products. Manufacturers of household cleaners are not required to test their products for safety to humans, nor are chemical manufacturer's required by the EPA to conduct human toxicity studies on their products. There is currently nobody that looks at the chemicals that are used in these products and determines their safety! Not only are these products contributing to health problems ranging from allergies to cancer, but they are injuring the ecosystems on this planet---choking off water supplies, causing mutations in marine life, and contributing to the disappearance of certain species from the planet.

There are numerous reports of chemicals being found in the environment where they don't belong. In a recent study, babies' umbilical cord blood was found to have over 200 chemicals foreign to the human body. Mothers are passing these chemicals to their unborn babies just by virtue of being on this earth! Babies and small children who play on the ground or on carpeting in our homes can be exposed to hazardous fumes and residue from our cleaning supplies. Chemicals can stay in the environment for very long periods of time, as evidenced by the continued discovery of DDT in bird and animal tissues over 30 years after its ban from use in this country!

Here are the main ingredients you want to avoid in your cleaning products and why you want to avoid them:

Phosphates--Cause a phenomena called eutrophocation in lakes and rivers, algae blooms that take over the water, suffocating marine life and filling water with dead organic matter. Phosphates are common in dishwasher and laundry detergents. Phosphates can also make the water too soft, causing dishware to erode.

Chlorine--Commonly found in bleach, solvents, and glass cleaners, chlorine is readily absorbed by the skin and has been known to cause burning of the skin and eyes and induce asthma.

Ammonia--Is a toxic cleaner. It is irritating to the skin, eyes and respiratory system and can easily be replaced by natural cleaners.

Glycol ethers--Used for their ability to dissolve dirt, glycol ethers are commonly found in solvents and glass cleaners. These compounds have been found to cause birth defects in lab animals. They can also damage red blood cells and bone marrow, causing anemia.

Petroleum distillates--Used to solvate many cleaning products, they can cause tumors and are made from non-renewable sources.

Synthetic fragrances-If you see this item on a label, it often masks the presence of a group of chemicals called phthalates that are known to cause cancer and harm to the reproductive system, particularly in males.

Synthetic dyes--Can irritate the skin and cause asthma.

Alkylphenol ethoxylates--Are suspected hormone disrupters that don't readily biodegrade.

One problem with looking theses ingredients is that some manufacturers do not list all ingredients or may put them in very general categories. Terms like "organic", "natural" and biodegradable mean little in terms of the product's safety. "Organic" on cleaning products simply means it contains carbon-based compounds, many of which can be dangerous. Alkylphenol ethoxylates and petroleum oils are examples of compounds that are organic but not safe. Calling a product "Natural" has no standard and is therefore meaningless. Almost anything will biodegrade over time, but the length of time it takes to biodegrade and the compound or compounds it degrades into may be unacceptable. "Fragrance" is definitely a term to look out for as it often masks phthalates, a very dangerous class of chemicals.

So what should we look for? First, use your common sense. If you see anything on a bottle that says "WARNING" or "DANGEROUS" or "CORROSIVE" or even "CAUTION", this indicates a product that can have toxic effects on humans, particularly children. These are not products that should be going down our drains because they are getting into our water supply and having damaging effects on the environment, wildlife and ultimately ourselves.

National Geographic's Green Guide (www.thegreenguide.com) suggests that It may be easier to look for products based on what they exclude rather than what they include. We carry the Biokleen cleaning products, which exclude a long list of ingredients. In addition, their ingredients are tested and verified by an EPA approved, third party laboratory. Specifically, they state that their products have: no synthetic dyes or fragrances, are biodegradable and do not degrade into more harmful compounds, have no carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, or pollutants, are non-corrosive, non-flammable, non-reactive, have no human toxicity, cause no eutrophocation, and are not endocrine disrupters. They contain no chlorine, ammonia, petroleum solvents, alcohol, butyl, glycol ether, sodium laurel or laureth sulfate, EDTA or DEA. These standards conform to what is required by Green Seal, a not-for-profit that sets standards for cleaning and other products based on environmental safety (www.greenseal.org). As always, you can let us do the research for you!

Companies that make truly natural cleaning products may include some of the following legitimate natural ingredients:

Enzymes-enzymes derived from plants that are in cleaning supplies essentially decompose dirt and other matter in the same way that nature does; they extract plant enzymes and use them to break down food, dirt and other organic materials.

Essential oils-these natural plant oils have excellent anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties in addition to their wonderful scents. Truly natural cleaning agents may add these oils to help with disinfecting as well as to add a pleasing scent.

Mineral and soy-based oils-eliminate the need for petroleum oils, and are great as furniture polish.

Coconut or palm oil-used as surfactants (this is what makes the "sudsing action") and eliminates the need for more dangerous ingredients like SLS and SLES.

If you are so inclined, you can also make your own cleaning supplies cheaply and effectively with common household ingredients. A book we carry called "Better Basics for the Home" has recipes for everything from furniture polish to glass and toilet bowl cleaners. According to its author, the key to letting these homemade mixes work is to leave them on dirty surfaces to let them work their magic. Throw something on a stain, go have your lunch, come back and rinse! Many of the recipes are easy and inexpensive to make.

According to the Green Guide, these eight items make up the basic ingredients for nearly every do-it-yourself cleaning recipe. To find recipes, go to www.thegreenguide.com/home-garden/cleaning/diy-cleaners.

Baking soda: provides grit for scrubbing and reacts with water, vinegar or lemon by fizzing, which speeds up cleaning times
Borax: disinfects, bleaches and deodorizes; very handy in laundry mixes
Distilled white vinegar: disinfects and breaks up dirt; choose white vinegar over apple cider or red vinegars, as these might stain surfaces
Hydrogen Peroxide: disinfects and bleaches
Lemons: cut grease; bottled lemon juice also works well, although you might need to use bit more to get the same results
Olive oil: picks up dirt and polishes wood; cheaper grades work well
Vegetable based (liquid Castile) soap: non-petroleum all-purpose cleaners
Washing soda: stain remover, general cleaner, helps unblock pipes; should be handled with gloves due to its caustic nature. Washing soda is usually found in the laundry aisle of grocery and drug stores.

Don't forget to pick up an empty spray bottle at the hardware store, and keep those old rags and used toothbrushes for wiping up and scrubbing!

Now that you have a guide for safer cleaning products, should you dump everything you have and start over? The Green Guide says no. Many of the cleaning products we have in our home need to be disposed of as hazardous materials. You will need to find how to get rid of wastes safely in your community. Alternatively, if you want to use the rest of your supplies before replacing them with safer ones, it is much safer for small amounts to be going down the drain as you use them rather than dumping them all at once. The fish will be happier and ultimately so will you!