Simple hints to help avoid every day pollutants
Welcome to the first of the 2010 occasional naturopathic newsletters. The aim of these enewsletters is to present health information relevant to common health problems we see in clinic. However when appropriate, we are also interested in educating patients about how to be at the peak of their health. Today’s is about avoiding modern pollution.
Invisible Pollutants in our Everyday Lives
Significant exposure of modern day pollutants comes through food and personal care items due to pesticide use, chemical ingredients and through contact with the containers that hold them. The problem lies in simultaneous exposure to multiple chemicals, so whilst they pervade our lives completely, the most effective and simple way of significantly limiting exposure and accumulation of these chemicals is by educating yourself about them and making reasonable decisions to avoid them in your home.
How they affect our health
Of particular interest are plastics, antibacterial ingredients and pesticides. Many of these products are ‘endocrine disruptors’ or ‘hormone mimics’. This means that they can mimic our natural hormones and in particular our reproductive hormones and have been linked to reproductive cancers and sexual function. (The World Health Association has published a comprehensive ‘Global assessment of the State of the Science of Endocrine Disruptors’ in 2002).
http://www.who.int/ceh/risks/cehemerging2/en/index.html
Plastics - Many plastics contain plasticizers, which are used to make hard plastics soft and are used commonly in personal care products due to their ability to help lubricate other substances in the formula, which allows lotions to penetrate and soften the skin. They are called Phthalates and due to their small molecular structure, they are easily absorbed through the skin, and are free to migrate into food that the plastics are in contact with and can subsequently be ingested. This process is made more possible if the plastics are heated, washed in detergent, or the foods in contact with them are oil based or acidic (such as tomatoes). There are many varieties of Phthalates and one of particular interest is Bisphenol A (BPA).
Antibacterials - Cleaning products for personal hygiene and the home that say ‘antibacterial’ will in most cases have a chemical in them called Triclosan (although alcohol based hand cleansers don’t). Problem products include toothpaste, facial cleansers, shave gels, deodorant, liquid soap and dish liquids.
Pesticides - We are exposed to consistent low levels of pesticides through day to day reside on foods, dust and neighborhood gardens.
Reasonable guidelines on how to minimise exposure for your family
Reassess your choice of personal care items
Avoid personal care products with heavy artificial fragrances, especially those with ‘Fragrance’ or ‘Parfum’ listed in the ingredients, as manufacturers don’t list Phthalates among the ingredients. Read the labels and choose the product with the simplest ingredient list that you can, and reconsider if you really need each product or application. Some quality non-toxic personal care items can be purchased at the supermarket, however shopping in health food shops and markets for these products is a better starting point. Consider every product that touches your skin during the day, starting from shampoos, conditioners, hand and body soaps (bar and liquid), moisturising lotion, perfume, toothpaste and makeup. These habits will help you avoid antibacterials as well.
Use simple and effective cleaning solutions such as soap and bicarb
Wash your hands the good old fashioned way, with a lather of quality soap and water, and use simple cleaning and clean smelling solutions in the kitchen and bathroom such as borax, baking soda and vinegar, or natural household cleaners from health shops. Hang dried herbs to eliminate odours. This will minimise Phthalates, antibacterials and a host of other nasties.
Reduce the use of plastic receptacles; your water bottle, canned foods, plastic wrap and containers
The epoxy resin used to line cans contain Phthalates, so eat fresh food to minimize canned goods. So does polycarbonate, a PVC which is used in some cling wrap and plastic water bottles as well as food storage containers and baby bottles. Store food and liquids in glass, lightweight stainless steel or tin and ceramic and never heat food or liquid in plastic. Replace your plastic water bottle with light weight aluminium or stainless steel. When buying items in plastic containers, remember this mantra: use numbers 4, 5, 1 and 2, as all the rest are bad for you. Choice magazine (Feb 2010) have just published a comprehensive review of plastic packaging
Eat local and/or organic, it tastes much better and if you buy local you are reducing the pollution created by the fossil fuel used to transport your food. To minimize cost, consider a farmer’s market, or boxes delivered to your door at no extra cost. (The extra cost of organic is then offset by less time shopping.) Try joining a co-op of families that work collaboratively to buy in bulk. Find out what foods are best to buy organic; some suffer from particularly excessive pesticide. Information about this can be found on www.foodnews.org/wallguide.php
Copyright Jacqui Fee 2010