​3 Ways You Consume Harmful Toxins Every Day

(Source)

The clothes and makeup we wear.

The food we eat.

The air we breathe.

Although we often can’t see them, harmful chemicals exist in many of the everyday items, foods, and even air that we come into contact with.

The negative effects of this exposure range from short-term issues (such as skin rashes and colds) to long-term health complications (such as cancer and liver damage).

Knowing that we are exposed is one thing. Acknowledging the facts is another.

Consider the following…

• We come in contact with over 100 chemicals a day, and according to UCSF, “of the thousands and thousands of chemicals registered with the EPA for use by industry, the agency has regulated only a few.”
• In the last 50 years, there’s been a significant increase in chemical production in the U.S. Concurrently, there’s been an increase in the incidence of conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, childhood cancers, diabetes, and obesity. As Dr. Tracey Woodruff at UCSF explains, “it’s not just genetic drift.”

In order to change our families’ lifestyles and eliminate toxins and decrease our health risks, we need to understand the sources of exposure.

Here are three major ways we absorb or take in harmful chemicals every day...

#1: Ingesting Them

Photo by Prudence Earl on Unsplash

There’s no denying that eating and drinking are important daily actions necessary to nourish our bodies and minds.

Who doesn’t love whipping up a delicious fresh salad full of vegetables on a warm summer day, or exploring delicious dishes at local restaurants with family?

That said, these days, we need to be careful about what we’re ingesting and allowing to enter our bodies.

According to L Chef, “the United States consumes 1 billion pounds of chemical additives each year, averaging out to approximately 6-9 pounds per person.” artificial flavoring, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, sodium benzoate, aspartame, benzoic acid, potassium bromate, sodium caseinate, and other chemical additives.

Additionally, drinking water can contain harmful chemicals, such as chlorine.

To keep you and your family safe, install a filter to remove chemicals from your drinking water.

For example, the Brita Faucet Water Filter helps filter out and reduce the amount of chlorine commonly found in tap water.

It also removes the microbes cryptosporidium and giardia, and reduces the chemicals atrazine, lindane, benzene, trichloroethylene, and asbestos.

#2: Breathing Toxins In

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Whether it be the cleaning products we use or the paint in our office building, inhaling gases, vapors, dusts, or mists is a common way we are exposed to harmful chemicals.

These chemicals enter our nose, air passages, and lungs. The lungs will then absorb the chemicals into the bloodstream, which carries the substances to other parts of the body.

Before you go down the wormhole of “there’s no hope,” when it comes to avoiding chemicals, hear me out.

There are several ways to minimize exposure.

One is to make the switch to natural and nontoxic cleaning supplies in your home.

Another is to use proper ventilation.

Be sure to get fresh air flow in your home or office as often as possible. This means opening your doors and windows whenever the weather allows for it.

This way, you’ll be able to breath a bit more easily (no pun intended) when it comes to chemical exposure worries.

#3: Absorbing Them through Our Skin

Photo by Lucaxx Freire on Unsplash

As the largest organ in our body, one of the main purposes our skin serves is to be a barrier.

It keeps our internal organs and fluids in place while working to keep harmful external factors--such as bacteria--out.

It’s also why we don’t inflate like a sponge when we go swimming--our skin includes water-repelling lipids.

Although large volumes of water can’t penetrate our skin, chemicals can easily surpass this barrier.

Personal care products, from makeup to lotions and shampoos to laundry detergents, are largely responsible for toxic exposure to carcinogens and other harmful chemicals.

As the Environmental Working Group explains, “Women use more products than men, and are exposed to more unique ingredients daily, but men use a surprisingly high number of products as well.”

The average woman uses 12 products containing 168 unique ingredients every day. Men use 6 products daily with 85 unique ingredients, on average.

Fortunately, we’re becoming increasingly aware of these effects and the alternatives that can be used to begin to cleanse our systems and move forward with decreased exposure.

Whether switching to natural cosmetic products or nontoxic laundry detergents, there are many ways to keep harmful chemicals from entering your body through your skin.

A few additional ways to reduce your contact with harmful chemicals include...

• Being aware of any contamination, pollution, or hot spots (areas known to have harmful amounts of contamination) around your home or work.
• Washing your hands regularly.
• Washing fruits and vegetables you plan to eat.
• Following proper disposal guidelines for electronics, batteries, paint, and other harmful chemical-containing products.
• Avoiding cigarette smoke.

At Pure Modern Living, we offer conscious consumers like you a one-stop shop for high-quality products that won’t put you or your family at risk for toxin or chemical exposure.

From cosmetic products to food, shop our selection of natural-based products today!