Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1364104
www.AbbysHealthFood.com | # 45 | Page 15 • Lawn and garden chemicals • Lead • Mold • Mothballs, moth crystals • Newsprint • Paint, paint remover • Permanent markers/pens • Personal care products • Pes cides • Plas cs • Plywood, par cleboard • Polyurethane, varnish • Radon • Room deodorizers • Styrofoam*** • Synthe c fabrics • Tap water • Tobacco smoke • Wood preserva ves *Including scouring pads and powders, oven cleaners, detergents, disinfectants, floor and furniture polish and wax, and pot cleaners ** Gas, oil, kerosene, propane, or coal *** Cups, plates, bowls, meat-wrapping materials Air Purifiers Vola le organic compounds (VOCs) are mostly to blame for making your indoor so toxic. These are among the same toxins found in new cars, giving them that plas cky (and quintessen al) "new car" smell. VOCs, which include chemicals such as acetate, ethanol, and formaldehyde, have been found to have toxic effects, even at low doses. Many are suspected carcinogens. These chemically unstable compounds vaporize (turn to gas) readily and may combine with other chemicals to create compounds that can cause toxic reac ons when inhaled or absorbed through the skin. VOCs can be found in cologne and can be released by many other products in your home: carpet adhesives, glues, resins, paints, varnishes, paint strippers and other solvents, wood preserva ves, foam insula on, bonding agents, aerosol sprays, cleansers, degreasers and disinfectants, moth repellents, air fresheners, stored fuels, hobby supplies, dry-cleaned clothing, and cosme cs. Even though you will be doing what you can to reduce these airborne chemicals in the future by choosing eco-friendly alterna ves wherever possible, invest in a good air purifier for your home. Airborne chemicals pose one of the greatest pollu on threats in the home — and they will pollute you rather easily. There are air purifiers designed for smog, smoke, and par cles; for chemicals, gases, and fumes; and for mold, viruses, and bacteria. Some are designed to handle it all. It just depends on what the main indoor concern may be and how much you want to spend. More than 90 percent of par culates you want to filter are small enough to be handled by a HEPA (high efficiency par cle absorp on) filtering. If you suffer from allergies or asthma, air purifiers can help reduce your symptoms. Also change the air- condi oning filters in your house o en. Get the ducts cleaned yearly. If you don't want to invest in an air filter today, the simplest and quickest way to keep your air toxins low at home is to be diligent about ven la ng your house frequently. Open the windows! Get some cross-ven la on going by opening windows at opposite ends of a room or sec on of the house. Do this for thirty minutes a day and, if you live near a highway or road, avoid peak traffic hours. TIP: Use plants, such as spider plants, Aloe Vera, chrysanthemum, Gerber daisies, fern, ivy, and philodendrons to help filter toxins from your household air and add oxygen. Water Filters Purchase a household water filter or at least install one on each major faucet. You can do this yourself or hire a professional to come in and install a more sophis cated system. Again, let your budget and personal situa on be your guide. There are a variety of water treatment technologies available today, and it's up to you to decide which one best suits your circumstances and the investment you want to make. Obviously, if you live in an apartment building or co-op, you will be limited as to what you can do, but using individual filters on each faucet can work tremendously well. How Bad Is Your Water? Unfortunately, this ques on cannot be answered easily based on how your water looks and tastes. Numerous toxins can s ll be in your water without your sensing it. If you receive your water from a public water supply, you can get a general idea about the quality of your water by researching your community's Annual Quality Report and ask your water u lity (the company that sends you your water bill) for a copy of their annual water quality report. This report will list the detected contaminants, the poten al source(s) of those contaminants, and the levels at which those contaminants were present in the water supply. If you have young kids, are pregnant, or are thinking about pregnancy in the future, you'll want to test your tap water for lead contamina on, since lead is especially dangerous and levels can vary enormously from house to house. Once you know what's in your water, you can find a filter that's geared toward ge ng rid of the specific pollutants, if any, that may be present. Don't forget also to consider addi onal contaminants unique to your home and that may be present in your individual water Don't forget also to consider addi onal contaminants unique to your home and that may be present in your individual water supply, such as copper, which may be leaching from your household plumbing. If you have a well, you can hire someone to conduct private tes ng. Local public health departments frequently offer basic water tes ng services, while private drinking water laboratories can analyze your well water for addi onal contaminants that are of special concern to residents of your region of the country. Common analyses performed on well water supplies include tests for bacteria (total coliform), nitrates, and hardness. In addi on, well water can also be checked for herbicides and pes cides if you live in an agricultural area. You may also choose to have tests performed for radon or arsenic, especially if these contaminants are a common problem in groundwater in your region.