Find out what everyday items are the worst for your health in terms of chemicals and toxins and what you can do about it.
Nobody knows just how much of a risk toxins in our food really pose. Most of the associations between chemical exposures and disease are just that—associations. But we’re exposed to dozens, if not hundreds, of chemicals, and the effects of some multiple exposures may be more than the sum of their parts, say experts. Or, in some cases, they might cancel each other out.
What’s more, toxins get into our bodies through more than just food. We are exposed to them through our carpets, lawn chemicals—even our clothing. Check out these 7 toxins you can avoid in your diet and get simple solutions for minimizing these chemicals and toxins in your diet and life.
Effects of Pesticides
From rat (and bug) poisons to sprays that keep lawns lush and crop yields high, “pesticides” include hundreds of chemicals. Some interfere with animals’ nervous systems; others disrupt hormones, causing abnormal growth that kills the plant or animal. Thus, it’s not surprising that synthetic pesticide exposure is linked with diseases of the nervous system and problems with cell growth, including reproductive problems and some cancers.
What You Can Do to Avoid Pesticides
- Start a kitchen garden! It’s easy to grow your own herbs and worth doing: a 2011 report revealed that cilantro is often laced with pesticide residues.
- Buy organic fruits and vegetables, particularly those with the highest pesticide residues, such as apples, celery and strawberries. (See the full list at foodnews.org.)
- Consider a water filter certified by the Water Quality Association (wqa.org) or NSF International (nsf.org) to screen out pesticides from farms and golf courses that can leach into well water. (Even tap water may contain traces of unregulated pesticides.)
- Remove your shoes when you enter your home—and ask guests to do the same—to avoid tracking in pesticides sprayed on lawns.
- Limit lawn chemicals, insecticides and rodenticides. Find natural ways to eliminate pests.
What Are Dioxins and What Are PCBs?
“Dioxins” are a family of chemicals (including some polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs) with known cancer-causing properties. Dioxins are by-products of combustion—released via industrial processes, volcanoes, forest fires, even backyard burn piles—widespread in the environment but in low levels. They take years to degrade and they accumulate in fat—so they concentrate up the food chain. More than 90 percent of our exposure to dioxins is through food, mostly meat, dairy, fish and shellfish.
What You Can Do to Avoid Dioxins and PCBs in Your Diet
- Trim fat from meats; opt for low-fat dairy products.
- Select lower-fat sources of protein, including meat from grass-fed animals, which tends to be leaner than meat from animals raised on grains.
- Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables and grains to avoid too much exposure from any given source (e.g., meat, dairy).
What Are Phthalates and How to Avoid Them
This group of chemicals is used to make soft, squishy plastics, such as rubber duckies, medical tubing and polyvinyl chloride, a.k.a. PVC. Some phthalates are used to make synthetic fragrances last longer. Research suggests that phthalates act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with the body’s hormone systems and potentially leading to reproductive abnormalities, problems with fertility and increased risk for diabetes.
What You Can Do to Go Phthalate Free
- Choose personal-care products (e.g., shampoos, lotions) and household cleaners free of synthetic fragrance, which often includes phthalates. Opt for those scented with essential oils or nothing at all. “Fragrance-free” or “unscented” on the front of a product sometimes means that the final product doesn’t have an odor; fragrance may have been added to mask another smell. Scan the ingredient list if there is one; if fragrance is listed, it’s often synthetic. (Some manufacturers of safe natural products list natural fragrances this way, too, so if you’re in doubt, contact the company for more information.)
- Make the bulk of your diet minimally processed fresh foods. Processing and packaging can introduce phthalates into your food.
Avoid Perfluorocarbons
Research has suggested that 98 percent of Americans contain trace levels of PFCs (perfluorocarbons), chemicals that are used to repel water, grease and stains and are found in nonstick cookware, clothing, carpeting, furniture and food containers. Our bodies absorb PFCs through food, our skin and via fumes from overheated pans. They’re linked with liver damage, developmental problems, cancer and, according to one 2011 study in theJournal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, early menopause.