Wellness Foundations: Environmental considerations for health
Considering how to reduce the amount of chemicals around you can feel completely overwhelming. When you start researching toxic environmental exposures, you may feel (like I did) that the best option for you would be to vacuum seal yourself into a container and hibernate for the rest of your days.
Learning about the chemicals, pollutants, and contaminants that surround us in our air, water, food, homes, cleaning products, beauty products and cosmetics, you might be thinking that they are just about impossible to avoid. Why bother trying?
The truth is that it IS impossible to avoid all of the toxic agents that exist in our modern world.
Don’t get discouraged (I am giving myself this pep talk, thank you for listening), there are small ways to start reducing your exposures that will make a big difference!
Every choice you make to eliminate harmful chemicals and pollutants from your life, is a choice that supports your health and longevity, decreasing your exposures to substances that have been linked to the development of cancers and hormone disruptions in the body.
#1 Start with your diet
Pesticides and pesticide residues have been linked to the development of cancers and fertility problems in adults, and exposure in early life is associated with pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function and behavioral problems. Fortunately, research is demonstrating that organic diets can lower our pesticide load by more than half in just one week. Use the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) resource on the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen to guide your shopping trips. These lists are updated annually to reflect the fresh produce items that are farmed with the MOST pesticides and thus should be purchased organically when possible, and the fruits and veggies that require the LEAST amount of pesticides and can be purchased through conventionally farmed practices. Try to move towards meats that are labeled free-range, pasture-raised, grass fed/grass finished, as these practices substantially reduce the chemicals that you are exposed to through your food.
#2 Also going in our mouths, time to talk about water.
Again, the EWG has a resource for looking at the quality of the water in your town/city. Simply enter your zip code into their Tap Water Database to assess your local water quality and discover what contaminates are highest your area. Don’t panic when you see the results, but simply use their Water Filter Guide, and follow the recommendations on the water filters that can reduce contaminant levels. There are lots of options out there to consider, options that may be influenced by the pollutants in your area, your preferences, budget, etc. My results showed 8 contaminants that exceed the guideline levels for health safety (Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, Dibromochloromethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Nitrate, Radium, Total trihalomethanes, and Trichloroacetic acid), all with the potential to increase cancer risk and cause problems in pregnancy. By clicking on the details button on each contaminate, however, you can learn which type of water filter is capable of removing that pollutant. I learned that my activated carbon filter can remove 6 of the 8 offending agents present in my water.
#3 A big one: AIR.
We can’t control the air we breathe when we are out and about in the world, but we can control our home environment. And that might be more important given that the average home is 2 to 5 times more polluted that the air outside. EWG to the rescue (is this an ad? No, it is just an amazing free resource!). They have a Healthy Living Guide that includes a section on indoor air quality, air filters, and recommendations for reducing household dust and proper ventilation. Getting the pollutants and irritants out of the air in our homes can be an important factor in decreasing the risk of developing coughs and respiratory issues and illnesses, as well as lung disease and cancer.
#4 Household products
Shifting from chemically hazardous cleaning products to safer products is a process. Most of us have these items in our homes and don’t realize the carcinogens and endocrine disrupting chemicals that are contained in those hard to pronounce ingredients or masquerading as “fragrance" on a label. The EWG has a Guide to Healthy Cleaning with alternative recommendations for cleaning supplies. Begin swapping out your products for safer laundry detergents, dishwashing soaps, and bathroom cleaner.
#5 Personal care products
As for personal care products and cosmetics, the EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database reviews products for safety and toxicity. You can search brands or products to see their overall rating and a break down of the ingredients and any health or toxicity concerns with each component. Everything from your sunscreen, to toothpaste, to deodorant, to mascara is on that site.
Explore the EWG website to learn more about what interests you. Also, refer to the Dirty Dozen Endocrine Disruptors article to learn about the 12 most common hormone influencing chemicals that exist in things like your plastic food containers and non-stick skillets.
This is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reducing our environmental exposures. It shouldn’t be this way, but I am grateful for the resources that are offering education and solutions for better health.
Every little bit makes a difference, but accept that you will not be able to do it all and that is okay.
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