Asthma and allergy symptoms in young children and really every age person can be pretty scary. Whether you have to fight for every breath if you have asthma or your allergy symptoms get in the way of your life (annoying) – it’s not fun to have either of these health conditions.
What’s the connection between environmental toxins and asthma or allergies?
You may have a family history of asthma, or you may have a weakened immune system that resulted in having respiratory challenges. If neither of those are the case, the other reason is environmental toxins.
Listen to this audio presentation by Sloan Barnett, wife of Shaklee Chairman & CEO Roger Barnett – who had a very real scare with her young son.
Chemicals in your environment
Here are some concerns about chemicals that are found right in your home – that should be the safest place in your world:
Chlorine bleach can cause severe irritation to the eyes and skin, and its vapor or mist can cause damage to the respiratory tract and aggravate asthma, allergy, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory conditions.
Disinfectants may contain any of several toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde, cresols, ammonia, phenols, and chlorine bleach, all of which should be kept away from the skin and some of which can be hazardous to internal organs and the central nervous system. Also may contain triclosan, which may create resistant bacteria.
Many All-Purpose cleaners contain solvents and surfactants suspected of causing or aggravating asthma and allergy symptoms. These include phthalates, formaldehyde, and ethylene glycol butyl ether that has been shown to cause reproductive problems such as testicular damage, reduced fertility, death of embryos, and birth defects in animal studies. Some contain morpholine, which can cause liver and kidney damage, and butyl cellosolve, a neurotoxin.
Aerosols: Lots of household products come in aerosol form.. air fresheners, window and counter cleaners, deodorants, hair spray, furniture polish, and more. What they spray (sometimes propelled by butane) can include formaldehyde, phenols, toluene, and phthalates, among other toxins or carcinogens. Aerosols like these can and do cause skin, eye, and throat irritation and may also damage your lungs.
Many degreasers contain butyl cellosolve, a chemical that irritates mucous membranes. It may also cause kidney or liver damage or depress the nervous system. Industrial degreasers are often diluted with kerosene, which can damage lungs and dissolve essential fatty tissue around cells.
It really is scary to think about the exposure to these chemicals, day after day, year after year. The short term effects like when it’s hard to breathe the fumes that come from some of these products, and the long term effects of the chemicals building up in your body – both are potentially dangerous.
We can’t control all of the toxins and chemicals in our environment, and even in our homes. There are just too many and they are everywhere. We do have choices though. We can purchase home cleaning products and personal care products that don’t have toxins and chemicals. That way we won’t bring them into our homes or put them on our skin to be absorbed in our bodies.
To learn more about all-natural products that don’t have harmful chemicals and toxins, visit: Toxin Free and click around the site to look at the Home Care items and daily, personal care products.