by Cherie L Dreves
Let’s face it – It’s a busy world. It’s hard to keep track of who’s doing what, let alone what chemicals are coming into your home. There are drawers, shelves and cabinets full of them. These products might have ended up in your home because some friend recommended it “worked great”, a coupon you redeemed or a store display you came across. You’re pressed for time, it swears to save you time, so you buy it.
Most of us, the American consumer, think that if we see it in a store that the product must be safe. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is most products available today haven’t been safety tested by a reputable third party. Most approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been approved based on the manufacturers own “study” information.
My question lately has become; Safe for whom? Cleaning, laundry and personal care products are loaded with chemicals that are not natural, nor proven to be safe for human use, today or over time. Some of the chemicals in common products have been proven to be dangerous but manufacturers have not been forced to eliminate them from their products. These chemicals can be the cause of allergies, asthma, reproductive problems and ADHD. Our food system is racked with processed food made from GMO crops; corn, soy and canola, none of which have been tested for long-term safety.
So what’s a mom or dad to do?
Take a stand for the health of your family – Vow that you are going to do the best thing for your family and eliminate harmful chemicals from their diet and their surroundings.
Be educated – in today’s world information is just a few clicks away. So do your own research. Find out what chemicals are in your food. Find out what chemicals are in your personal care items. It was a shock when I found out what was in baby shampoo. Cleaning products are the hardest to get accurate information on because they don’t have to be labeled. Their ingredients are considered “trade secrets” Common searches you can use to get started: toxic chemicals in food – toxic chemicals in cleaning products – toxic chemicals in shampoo, makeup or skin care.
Be weary – If you have not heard of “greenwashing” here’s the definition in a nutshell: Companies use marketing, product names and confusing labels to give the impression their products are natural, eco friendly or safer than other products. Usually spending millions on deceptive advertising instead of R&D to actually clean up their products. Read labels carefully, when in doubt look it up… right there in the store, on a smart phone or tablet.
Be a voice and educate others – after you have the facts and have started making some changes for the good of yourself and your family. Educate your friends. Tell them what you’ve been up to. Show them were they can find the resources they need to become educated and make changes for their family.
It takes a community to eliminate harmful chemicals from a community, one home at a time.