top of page
Toxins At Home
Our Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
Our Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
In September 2013, the CDC issued its updated fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, detailing more than 201 chemical substances that have been identified in blood serum and urine levels throughout the U.S. population. These can be ingested, absorbed, stored, excreted, metabolized, or bound to other compounds, potentially interacting with, blocking, or amplifying reactions within the body.
While many elements, including trace levels of certain minerals, are essential nutrients for catalytic conversions and biological functions, alarming concentrations of toxic forms of these elements have found their way into our lives at a pace that’s wildly out of balance with nature and hazardous to our health and longevity.
The Build-up of Toxins in the Body
Science now recognizes that these detrimental health effects are triggered by gradually accumulating, minuscule concentrations of toxins through repeated dietary or environmental exposure.
The tidal wash of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, fertilizers, preservatives, emulsifiers, and additives across the agricultural practices of the entire Western world - and increasingly the developing world - has contributed to the introduction of known toxins into the environment at apocalyptic levels. They interact with and are absorbed by soils, bodies of water, vegetation, fish, and wildlife. They are absorbed and integrated into plant and animal tissues. As humans, we breathe in these compounds, eat them, drink them, and accumulate them in our bodies. We also excrete them, or their
metabolized by-products, back into the environment, furthering the cycle of death and destruction brought on by these toxins.
While further research is needed to expand our understanding of exactly how these toxins interact to produce disease and death, there is little debate about the importance of limiting environmental and dietary exposure to these toxins in the first place.
Prime Sources of Toxins in the Home
Toxins are prevalent in many homes, often found in common household items and products. Some major sources of toxins include:
-
Cleaning products: Many conventional cleaners contain harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, nitrobenzene, and methylene chloride[2].
-
textile products: Both non-polymeric and polymeric forms of PFAS are used to provide properties such as water repellence, oil repellence, stain resistance, durability and thermal stability. Textiles account for approximately 35% of total global PFAS demand.
-
Furniture and carpets: These can release/transmit chemical compounds, be it through contact (e.g. PFAS used for repelling water and grease) or through Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) released into the air[1][2].
-
Dust: House dust can accumulate various toxins, including lead, fire retardants, and pesticides[3].
-
Air fresheners and candles: These often contain harmful chemicals that can pollute indoor air[2].
-
Fabric softeners and dryer sheets: These products may contain toxic substances[2].
Reducing toxins in your home:
-
Use non-toxic cleaning products or make your own using vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide[3].
-
Control dust by vacuuming regularly with a HEPA filter, using wet mops, and leaving shoes at the door[4].
-
Choose furniture and household items made from natural materials.
-
Avoid tobacco smoke indoors[5].
-
Test for radon, a colorless, odorless gas that can increase lung cancer risk[5].
By taking these steps, you can create a healthier living environment and reduce exposure to potentially harmful substances in your home.
Reducing toxins in your home
Prime Sources of Toxins in the Home
The Build-up of Toxins in the Body
Plastic (Phthalates) At Home
Plastics (Phthalates) At Home
Phthalates
“Phthalates are a series of widely used chemicals that demonstrate to be endocrine disruptors and are detrimental to human health. Phthalates can be found in most products that have contact with plastics during production, packaging, or delivery. Despite the short half-lives in tissues, chronic exposure to phthalates will adversely influence the endocrine system and functioning of multiple organs, which has negative long-term impacts on the success of pregnancy, child growth and development, and reproductive systems in both young children and adolescents”.
Phthalates are not chemically bound to the polymer and can transfer to the surrounding media like air, soil and water within the lifespan of the plastic products, which also changes the mechanical properties of the plastics.
As an example, “PVC - amongst the most widely used polymers, contains the highest amounts of additives, with typically about 30% – 35% of phthalates like DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate). The additives are not chemically bound to the polymer and can transfer to the surrounding media like air, soil and water within the lifespan of the plastic products, which also changes the mechanical properties of the plastics”.
The field of environmental hormone disruptors is a relatively new field of research in the world of toxicology. For this reason and in light of the unique property of toxicity even at minute doses of individual particles per million or even a billion (which are very, very low concentrations) - there are still no current standards, nor Sufficiently sensitive and available measurement means, which can give both the manufacturers and us the consumers a benchmark for the product's safety
Toxins from the production process of plastic products:
Monomers and oligomers that did not react in the production process - there is almost always a residual amount of monomers and oligomers (remember? structural units with short and medium molecules), either due to an incomplete chemical process or due to a chemical equilibrium in which there is always a bit of the opposite reaction (decomposition instead of construction) . These substances can have a wide range of toxicity depending on the type of substance due to their high ability to migrate out of the medium of the substance into the food. In the case of the nylons - the monomer caprolactam is found in nylon 6 and is toxic if swallowed, and the monomers found in nylon 6/6 are hexamethylenediamine which is toxic if swallowed, and adipic acid for which there is no indication of toxicity if swallowed (Read More).
Some are materials that are not there on purpose but originate from an unclean production line.
Of course, manufacturers would claim that these toxins are not added to their polymer products, but even if these claims are trustworthy (Read here more on how trustworthy they are), the toxins that are the result of unclean production line, can only be discovered with certainty by an analytical test in a laboratory and unfortunately, the authorities responsible for public health do not perform these tests.
Toxins from plastic production process
The Risks
The Risks
This study investigated the associations between allergic symptoms in children and the concentration of phthalate esters in settled dust collected from children’s homes in Sofia and Burgas, Bulgaria. Results: "A higher concentration of DEHP (Di-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate) was found in homes of case children than in those of controls (1.24 vs. 0.86 mg/g dust)"!
Babies are at the highest risk for phthalate accumulation. Not only do they tend to put anything in their mouths, especially toys and plastic objects, they are also small in weight and any toxic molecule that gets in has a greater effect relative to their body weight.
A 2008 study that measured 9 phthalate metabolites in 163 infants who were born in 2000-2005, has found that “Infant exposure to lotion, powder, and shampoo were significantly associated with increased urinary concentrations of monoethyl phthalate, monomethyl phthalate, and monoisobutyl phthalate, and associations increased with the number of products used. This association was strongest in young infants, who may be more vulnerable to developmental and reproductive toxicity of phthalates given their immature metabolic system capability and increased dosage per unit body surface area”.
In a 2013 study published in JAMA Pediatrics, concludes: “Women exposed to phthalates during pregnancy have significantly increased odds of delivering preterm. Steps should be taken to decrease maternal exposure to phthalates during pregnancy”.
Notice! The researchers found that women who were in the upper quartile of phthalates in their blood had more than twice the risk of preterm birth compared to women who were in the bottom quartile.
The study was conducted in a hospital in Boston when most of the subjects were white, educated and non-smokers. Only a minority of them consumed alcohol during pregnancy. (Smoking and alcohol are long known and proven risk factors for increasing the risk of premature birth).
The researchers tested the levels of phthalates in the urine of 482 women. 3 samples were taken from each woman during pregnancy. 130 women gave birth prematurely (birth before week 37 of pregnancy). The
researchers identified a statistically significant relationship between phthalate levels among all preterm infants and in cases of spontaneous preterm birth.
In this 2014 study the authors start by saying: “There is evidence of declining trends in testosterone levels among men in recent decades, as well as trends in related conditions at multiple life stages and in both sexes”.
The study explored the “relationships between urinary concentrations of 13 phthalate metabolites and serum total testosterone levels among men, women, and children when adjusting for important confounders and stratifying by sex and age (6-12, 12-20, 20-40, 40-60, and 60-80 y).”
Results: "Multiple phthalates were associated with significantly reduced testosterone in both sexes and in differing age groups.
Reported In this research: “We found evidence that reduced levels of circulating testosterone were associated with increased phthalate exposure in several key populations, including boys ages 6-12, and men and women ages 40-60,” said one of the study’s authors, John D. Meeker, MS, ScD, of the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, MI. “This may have important public health implications, since low testosterone levels in young boys can negatively impact reproductive development, and in middle age can impair sexual function, libido, energy, cognitive function and bone health in men and women.”
Phthalates "Carriers"
-
Phthalate in medications: This study, analysed US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for the years 1999-2004, of the 7,999 persons with information on urinary phthalate concentrations, 6 reported using mesalamine formulations, some of which may include dibutyl phthalate (DBP); the mean urinary concentration of monobutyl phthalate, the main DBP metabolite, among these mesalamine users was 50 times higher than the mean for nonusers (2,257 microg/L vs. 46 microg/L; p < 0.0001)!
-
Phthalate in cosmetics: This study, examined the association between urinary concentrations of nine phthalate metabolites and breast cancer (BC) in Mexican women, that were exposed to the phthalates “used primarily as plasticizers of polyvinyl chloride and as additives in consumer and personal care products”. They conclude “We show for the first time that exposure to diethyl phthalate, the parent compound of MEP, may be associated with increased risk of BC (breast cancer)”.
-
A study done at the prestigious Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and published in 2010 examined the relationship between the mother's exposure to phthalates during pregnancy and the children's behavioral problems and cognitive function, years later, when the children were 4-9 years old.
-
This study concludes: “Behavioral domains adversely associated with prenatal exposure to LMW (Low Molecular Weight) phthalates in our study are commonly found to be affected in children clinically diagnosed with conduct or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders”
Phthalates Removal
-
Use only products that are 100% natural for baby hygiene where the line of ingredients is as short as possible! Do not use synthetic products.
-
Be careful with cosmetics. Purchase organic cosmetics and makeup products.
-
Prefer the purchase of games for children made of wood and not plastic and try to make sure that these are unpainted wooden products or those that have been used with ecological paints.
-
Avoid industrial foods that come packaged in plastic packaging. (also good for other reasons),
-
Try to avoid consumption of dairy products (and especially butter in relation to phthalates).
-
Reduce consumption of meat. When eating meat, it is highly desirable that it be organic meat. As mentioned, animal food products are the main source of exposure to phthalates.
-
Try to “cut down” the use of plastic bowls, plastic plates, kitchen utensils, etc.
-
Limit the purchase of new ones, to ones that are made of stainless steel, glass, wood or bamboo (with the hope that the varnish coating the wood and bamboo products does not contain toxic substances).
-
Limit the use of plastic bags for storage, starting with foods (e.g. foods that you put to the frigidaire).
-
Avoid long duration storage of “things” in plastic bags - Phthalates “leakage” is intensified as the bags grow “older”.
More about Plastics at Home
-
Bisphenol A (BPA) - Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in some hard, clear plastics such as water bottles and baby bottles and in the lining of food cans. Bisphenols -A and -S are most widely publicized for, and commonly associated with, causing endocrine disruption in living things both human and animal.
-
Disposable Paper Cups: Disposable paper cups are coated with plastics. This study found that:
-
Exposure of the paper cups to hot water triggered the release of microplastics.
-
Ions were added into the water through the hydrophobic liners of the paper cups.
-
The analysis of the liners indicates the presence of heavy metals in them.
-
Surface properties of the liners deteriorated after exposure to hot water.
-
4 out of 5 disposable paper cups were lined with HDPE grade of plastic.
-
-
Mineral Water: A study done in Germany and published in 2009 examined the safety of drinking mineral water that comes in plastic bottles, testing if there is no leakage of the plastic components into the water itself. What were the results of the study?
Increased estrogenic activity was found in 7 out of 9 of the water samples that were in plastic bottles.
In contrast, only 3 of the 9 water samples in the glass bottles were found to have increased estrogenic activity.
All the water samples that were in the cartons (coated on the inside with a layer of plastic) showed a very increased estrogenic activity.
A surprising discovery - out of the 4 springs from which the samples were taken, in 2 springs, the water showed estrogenic activity regardless of the type of packaging (plastic or glass).
More about Plastics at Home
Phthalates Carriers
Phthalates Removal
The Danger of Cooking and Baking Bags
The Danger of Cooking and Baking Bags
What Material is Used for the Bags
What material is used for the bags
First and foremost, to avoid any misconception, these bags are made out of plastic, and the question discussed below is: Are these bags safe to use? Given that most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals?
Most of the cooking/baking bags are made of polyamides (nylon) of two main types: nylon 6 (polycaprolactam) or nylon 6/6 (a completely different material despite the similar name).
These types of nylon were chosen for the job due to being resistant to high temperatures (melting temperature of 218 degrees and 264 degrees Celsius for nylon 6 and nylon 6/6 respectively), due to their high vapor permeability and due to their ability to actually absorb water during use (a feature that gives them more strength). The manufacturers of the baking bags do not bother to indicate, neither on the packaging nor on their websites, what exactly they add to the production of the baking bag, therefore we do not have information about this or that brand, but information about baking bags in general.
Beware the nanoparticles leakage: Nylon cooking bags and plastic-lined cardboard cups are conveniences many people rely on!,
A new study (Published - April 2022) in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology suggests that they are an underappreciated source of nanoparticles. They report that the plastic in these products release trillions of nanometer-sized particles into each liter of water that they come in contact with. That sounds like a lot, but the team notes that these levels are under the regulatory limits for consumption.
In summary of the above - the common cooking/baking bags have a high potential for leaking very problematic toxins most notably Phthalates that are endocrine disruptors - acting in the body like hormones!
Leakage of plastic nano prticles
Toxins "Spilled" from the Plastic Bags
Cooking/baking bags alternatives
Toxins "Spilled" from the Plastic Bags
What did studies that looked for spillage of specific materials from baking bags find?
In a 1998 study that was done to test the migration of materials from baking bags of the nylon 6 and nylon 6/6 types, the meat, skin and cooking juices of chicken cooked in the above types of bags were sampled. They tried to identify both volatile and non-volatile substances that migrated from the bags to the food. The study found a significant concentration of monomers and oligomers (seven predefined types of monomers and oligomers were identified) originating from the bags in the chicken meat which accounted for 16% of all the non-volatile substances identified, as well as the presence of a volatile compound - cyclopentyl cyclopentanone! In 1997, The same group of researchers has identified a long list of volatile substances emitted from the aforementioned cooking bags [Cyclopentanone (31.7 mg/bag), cyclopentyl cyclopentanone (17.4 mg/bag), hexadecane (2.6 micrograms/bag), heptadecane (3.2 micrograms/bag), octadecane (3.0 micrograms/bag) and epsilon-caprolactam (5.0-35.5 mg/ bag)], and also that the monomers and oligomers found in the first study mentioned, migrated in a high amount to olive oil heated in the baking bags.
Another study from 2007 that examined a specific leakage of antimony (heavy metal) used as a catalyst in the production process of PET plastic used for baking bags, found that half of the products tested released levels of antimony that exceeded the then permitted level of antimony in contact with food.
Note, what WIKI writes "An oven bag, cooking bag or roasting bag is a bag used for the roasting of meat or other food in an oven. They may be made of heatproof nylon or sometimes with food grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET)"
To sum it up: The studies as presented above show that there is a leakage of toxic substances from cooking/baking bags.
Cooking bags alternatives:
Oven roasting using heat-resistant dishes with lids such as pyrex, coated clay pots or cast iron pots, tagine, and more, after validating that they comply with the standard for heavy metals and are of high quality. You can also use cotton fabric bags for cooking (with adjustment of the amount of water that you add to the stew).
Microwave Oven
Microwave Oven
Section Content:
Self experimenting the MICROWAVE OVEN dangers:
-
Fill two small cups of water,
-
Put one of the cups in the microwave oven and boil the water.
-
Pour the other cup into a kettle
-
Boil the water, and pour the water back to the cup.
-
Take two small leafs of parsley and put one in each of the cups.
-
Watch for yourself how long each of the leafs preserved its refresh look in each of the cups.
-
When we did it, the leaf in the cup with water from the microwave oven lost its fresh "look" real fast!
Microwave Oven Dangers
Excerpts from the book "Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation" By: Andreas Moritz, Posted: November 20, 2011 — updated 2017
"Did you ever wonder what microwaves can do to water, food and your body? Russian researchers have found decreased nutritional value, cancer-making compounds and brain-damaging radiolytics in virtually all microwave-prepared foods. Eating microwave-prepared meals can also cause loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability and a decline in intelligence, according to the research. The Russian scientists also found decreased nutritional value – or significant dimming of their ‘vital energy field’ – in up to 90 percent of all microwave-prepared foods".
This website publishes another article from Andreas Moritz that says: "Microwave Cooked Food Is Nutritionally Deficient ‘Nuclear Waste'. Read this review for more information ,
In addition, the B complex, C and E vitamins linked with stress-reduction and the prevention of cancer and heart disease, as well as the essential trace minerals needed for optimum brain and body functioning, were all rendered useless by microwaves, even at short cooking durations. Microwave-cooked food is basically reduced to the nutritional equivalent of cardboard. If you don’t want to develop nutrient deficiencies, you may be better off throwing this appliance out of your kitchen. The radiation has been found to accumulate in the kitchen furniture, becoming a constant source of radiation in itself.
Microwave usage in the preparation of food has been found to lead to lymphatic disorders and an inability to protect the body against certain cancers. The research found increased rates of cancer cell formation in the blood of people eating microwave-cooked meals. The Russians also reported increased rates of stomach and intestinal cancers, as well as digestive and excretive disorders, plus a higher percentage of cell tumors, including sarcoma.
The Microwave Heating Action
Microwaves rip apart the molecular bonds that make food to be ‘food’. Microwave ovens hurl high-frequency microwaves that boil the moisture within food and its packaging by whipsawing water molecules dizzyingly back-and-forth at more than a billion reversals per second. This frantic friction fractures food molecules, rearranging their chemical composition into weird, new configurations unrecognizable as food by human bodies. By destroying the molecular structures of food, the body cannot help but turn the food into waste; but not harmless waste, rather ‘nuclear waste’.
Microwave Side effects
Microwave ovens produce strong microwave radiation. In case that the oven is not highly "encapsulated" to eliminate radiation emission, other than just making food useless and ‘wasteful’, there is a broad spectrum of microwave side effects, as listed in this extensive scientific studies review. To name a few:
-
Adverse neurological effects in the offspring
-
Damage to Mechanisms underlying learning and memory
-
Oxidative stress and apoptosis
-
and the list goes on....
The Russian government had banned microwave ovens for over 50 years, but they were recently introduced to the Russian market (for ‘economic’ reasons). Microwave ovens have taken over the cooking chores in 9 out of 10 American homes, and American and Chinese microwave manufacturers hope that the same will happen in Russia.
Reporting for the Forensic Research Document of AREC Research (Agricultural Research and Education Centre), William P. Kopp states: “The effects of microwaved food byproducts are long-term, permanent within the human body. Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.”
The Microwave Heating Action
Microwave Side effects
Microwave Oven Dangers
Aluminum Foil Health Risks
Aluminum Foil Health Risks
Exposure To Aluminum
Aluminum Health Hazards
Cooking without aluminum foil
Aluminum Detoxification
Exposure to Aluminum
“Aluminum is the twelfth most common element in the Universe”, found almost everywhere in low background concentrations that do not pose a health hazard. There are also sources of pollutants of human origin from mining sites and the materials industry.
The aluminum ion is a very reactive ion, therefore it cannot be found in nature in a pure form but bound to other substances. Generally speaking, all the foods we eat have aluminum from a natural source that comes from the soil. These are average concentrations of less than 5 mg per kg of food in unprocessed foods, and concentrations of 5-10 mg per kg of food in processed foods. But due to the reactive properties of aluminum, we are also exposed to it from other sources.
The aluminum foil is a thin sheet made entirely of pure aluminum metal. So thin that it can reach a thickness of 0.2 mm and even a thickness of 6 microns.
There is almost no home that does not have this roll of aluminum foil, not even suspecting that this is another one of these products that poisons our food.
Wrapping our foods with that foil leads to disturbing results: aluminum ions migrate very easily from the aluminum foil to the food that comes into contact with it! It takes just a little bit of moisture and a chemical reaction is formed that releases aluminum ions which rapidly (depending on acidity, alkalinity, temperature, etc.) react with the organic molecules around them.
This 2012 study tested the degree of migration of aluminum from aluminum foil to minced meat that was used to prepare six different food solutions using tomato juice, citric acid, apple vinegar, salt, and spices.
The researchers conclude: “Aluminum foil used in cooking provides an easy channel for the metal to enter the human body. The increase in cooking temperature causes more leaching. The leaching is also highly dependent on the pH value of the food solution, salt, and spices added to the food solutions. Aluminum foil is not suitable for cooking, especially with acidic food. It is also possible that excessive consumption of food baked with aluminum foil may carry a serious health risk”.
Aluminum Health Hazards
“Aluminum contamination of food represents an important issue to find relationships between aluminum intake and certain serious illness such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, dialysis encephalopathy, bone disorder, human breast cancer, and it is also considered to be a neurotoxin; aluminum salts can be accumulated by the gut and different human tissues (bones, parathyroid, and brain). Aluminum is diversely affecting the growth rate of human brain cells. (Read More [1], [2], [3]...).
Aluminum Detoxification
It was found that Citric Acid is the best chelating agent on the toxicity, distribution and excretion of aluminium. Additionally, to boost this process, it is recommended to boost your meals with polyphenols. Use spices, Cocoa Powder, nuts, Flaxseeds, berries (that are also low in calories and high in vitamin C, and fiber), Vegetables, Olives, Coffee and Tea (Read more).
This polyphenol boosting is important as It was found that polyphenol molecules encourage the attachment of metal ions and facilitate their removal by the kidneys.
Cooking without aluminum foil
When baking in the oven - use a Pyrex with a lid, or a pot with a lid, the dish will turn out even more successful.
For roasted vegetables in the oven, steam them for a few minutes in order to soften them before baking.
bottom of page