It’s not easy to maneuver through the maze of chemical overload in today’s society. There are toxins everywhere! Everything we eat, use on our personal, or in household has a laundry list of ingredients we know nothing about. The chemical names are foreign to us. We assume they must be safe because they are FDA-approved. Wrong!

Unfortunately, it has become a personal responsibility to become savvy the products we eat and the products that we use. Many of the ingredients below are serious hormonal disrupters, distillates of petroleum (yup, gasoline!), and have significant links to cancers, autoimmune disease, and degenerative neurological problems. Use the following guidelines as a way to keep you and your family as toxin-free as possible.

Ingredients to Avoid BISPHENOL A (BPA): This is not listed on labels. Found in most canned foods, plastic baby bottles, sippy cups, receipts and thermal paper. Cause severe hormonal disruption and cancer.

PVC and VINYL: found in soft plastic toys, shower curtains, flooring.

FORMALDEHYDE: aka DMDM hydantoin or diazolidinyl urea.

TRICLOSAN: found in antibacterial soaps and products.

PHTHALATES: may appear as fragrance or parfum. These are serious endocrine disrupting agents and can damage a child’s brain development.

1,4-DIOXANE: labeled as sodium laureth sulfate, and polyethylene glycol/PEG.

PFOA: found in non-stick pans and stain resistant fabrics or treated fabrics.

PARABENS: found in perosnal care products, including shampoos and lotions.

How to To Protect Yourself from Toxins 1. Don’t use chemical pesticides, period.

2. Use steel or cast-iron cookware. Please avoid NON-stick.

3. Avoid plastics when possible, especially those labeled No 3, 6 or 7. NEVER heat plastic in the microwave, dishwasher, or sun. Find a stainless steel reusable water bottle to carry. Store your food in glass; it’s so much safer. Heat can cause the endocrine disrupting chemicals to leach into food and drink.

4. Avoid handling cash-register receipts and certainly don’t place them in your mouth. BPA transfers easily to the skin and mucosal surfaces. Many stores offer that receipts be emailed to you, a much safer option.

5. Avoid plug-in fragrances at home or work. Keep windows of a new car open until that “new-car smell” (phthalates) is completely gone.

6. Choose household products that do not have warnings of CAUTION, DANGER, or CAUSTIC.

7. Always read the ingredient list. Compare cleaning agents and their ingredients. Choose products that use essential oils for scent.