Lots of chemicals According to recent research, nearly half of all people will get a diagnosis of cancer sometime in their lives. In countries such as China, the chances are higher than average. This disease, in all its horrible forms, is probably the biggest health threat most people will face. Over the last 30 years, cancer rates in most industrialized countries have been steadily increasing. Increased longevity explains part of this increase (older people are more prone to cancer), but it does not explain all of it. There is something about our modern lifestyles and living conditions that leads to higher cancer rates. Alarmingly, rates of certain cancers among children are rising with no clear explanation.
Research suggests that environmental factors, in addition to behavioral contributors (such as diet and level of physical activity), play an important role in the development of cancer and other illnesses. Among these environmental factors, chemicals in the home are seen as an key contributor to high cancer rates. Children are especially vulnerable. But there's so much we don't know. What is clear is that the chemicals we use in everyday life can have a negative impact on us, even in small quantities when we are exposed over long periods of time. Each year we discover that yet another group of routinely used chemicals is carcinogenic. The list will keep growing. According to the U.S. government, only about 2% of chemicals on the market have been tested for carcinogenicity. What's more, the poor and less well-off tend to have more exposure to these chemicals due to the sorts of jobs they do, their lower levels of education and awareness, and the inability to pay for safer products. Consequently, they have higher cancer rates.
Research suggests that environmental factors, in addition to behavioral contributors (such as diet and level of physical activity), play an important role in the development of cancer and other illnesses. Among these environmental factors, chemicals in the home are seen as an key contributor to high cancer rates. Children are especially vulnerable. But there's so much we don't know. What is clear is that the chemicals we use in everyday life can have a negative impact on us, even in small quantities when we are exposed over long periods of time. Each year we discover that yet another group of routinely used chemicals is carcinogenic. The list will keep growing. According to the U.S. government, only about 2% of chemicals on the market have been tested for carcinogenicity. What's more, the poor and less well-off tend to have more exposure to these chemicals due to the sorts of jobs they do, their lower levels of education and awareness, and the inability to pay for safer products. Consequently, they have higher cancer rates.
The focus of this posting is on the link between household chemicals, especially home-cleaning products, and cancer and other diseases. There is quite a bit of data on this topic, including books like the well-researched No Family History (see image at right), which documents the hazards of the chemicals we use in our daily lives and the lopsided response of health care systems that focus on fighting cancer and it's symptoms, but not on prevention. These systems functions the way they do, to some extent, because treatments for illness are more far more profitable than public education and prevention strategies. Also many industry groups, including industries producing and using chemicals, fight efforts toward regulation. Research investment goes toward new product development, not toward determining safety.
The fact is, we are exposed to toxic chemicals every day. For example, every time we use conventional cleaning products to clean the house we release toxins into the air, often onto our skin, and leave chemical residues on surfaces. It's rather ironic to think that we clean our homes to keep them healthy places but when using most household cleaning products we instead decrease home safety and in fact seriously increase health risks. A growing number of scientists believes that routine exposure to chemicals such as those found in home-cleaning products may be having an impact on cancer rates, with especially strong evidence linking their use to breast cancer. Because of the paucity of research in this area, a good guess is that the link between cleaning chemicals and breast cancer is only the tip of an iceberg. Much more research needs to be done.
A 2010 U.S. government report, Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk, states that “the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated.” Exposure to environmental carcinogens can occur in the workplace and in the home. It has long been known that exposure to high levels of certain chemicals, such as those in some occupational settings, can cause cancer. There is now growing scientific evidence that exposure to lower levels of chemicals in the general environment is contributing to society’s cancer burden.
The fact is, we are exposed to toxic chemicals every day. For example, every time we use conventional cleaning products to clean the house we release toxins into the air, often onto our skin, and leave chemical residues on surfaces. It's rather ironic to think that we clean our homes to keep them healthy places but when using most household cleaning products we instead decrease home safety and in fact seriously increase health risks. A growing number of scientists believes that routine exposure to chemicals such as those found in home-cleaning products may be having an impact on cancer rates, with especially strong evidence linking their use to breast cancer. Because of the paucity of research in this area, a good guess is that the link between cleaning chemicals and breast cancer is only the tip of an iceberg. Much more research needs to be done.
A 2010 U.S. government report, Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk, states that “the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated.” Exposure to environmental carcinogens can occur in the workplace and in the home. It has long been known that exposure to high levels of certain chemicals, such as those in some occupational settings, can cause cancer. There is now growing scientific evidence that exposure to lower levels of chemicals in the general environment is contributing to society’s cancer burden.
'Clean' and 'safe' should be synonymous Removing harmful chemicals from our homes is one of the easiest ways we can improve our health and lower our risk of disease. I wonder why something so simple isn't done more commonly. Education surely plays a role. Most people just have no idea they are adding health risks by using conventional cleaning products. Another problem may be a misconception that it's not really possible to thouroughly clean without these sorts of products. We've also become accustomed to the connection between 'clean' and some strong scent or fragrance. People feel that without that fragrance the house just isn't clean. Finally, in some countries, safer products are significantly more expensive than harmful ones. This is not because safe products are by nature expensive. In fact, in many countries today, safe products are inexpensive and affordable for all.
Once we understand the risks of the chemicals in home-cleaning products it should be easier to change behavior. But it seems we have a tendency to spend a lot more time and money on dealing with health problems and their symptoms rather than on preventing illnesses in the first place. If we were to just spend a tiny fraction of what we do on medications, herbal supplements and health care on safe products for our home and other preventative health measures (such as healthy diet and exercise), I'm sure overall health care spending would decrease significantly.
Once we understand the risks of the chemicals in home-cleaning products it should be easier to change behavior. But it seems we have a tendency to spend a lot more time and money on dealing with health problems and their symptoms rather than on preventing illnesses in the first place. If we were to just spend a tiny fraction of what we do on medications, herbal supplements and health care on safe products for our home and other preventative health measures (such as healthy diet and exercise), I'm sure overall health care spending would decrease significantly.
The good news is that we have a high degree of control over the chemicals we introduce into our homes. We may not be able to control the pollution in the air we breathe, but we can quickly eliminate toxic products from our daily lives at home. Toxic chemicals in the house probably present a greater danger to families than external air pollution.
We can begin by taking inventory of the products we use and getting rid of those with any obvious harmful chemicals, such as those in the list to the left. This may mean eliminating almost all the home-cleaning products we presently use. Most of these products are totally unnecessary, as we really need only a few products to clean every part of the house.
What's more, you can easily make safe home-cleaning products for yourself (I will write about this in an upcoming posting). But if you prefer to buy, there are safer options out there. Here are some simple guidelines.
AVOID PRODUCTS WITH:
1) no listed ingredients
2) complex chemical ingredients (especially those in the above list)
3) fragrances (fragrances are potentially very harmful)
4) antibacterial properties
BUY PRODUCTS WITH:
1) no fragrance
2) only natural ingredients, derived from plants and natural minerals
We can begin by taking inventory of the products we use and getting rid of those with any obvious harmful chemicals, such as those in the list to the left. This may mean eliminating almost all the home-cleaning products we presently use. Most of these products are totally unnecessary, as we really need only a few products to clean every part of the house.
What's more, you can easily make safe home-cleaning products for yourself (I will write about this in an upcoming posting). But if you prefer to buy, there are safer options out there. Here are some simple guidelines.
AVOID PRODUCTS WITH:
1) no listed ingredients
2) complex chemical ingredients (especially those in the above list)
3) fragrances (fragrances are potentially very harmful)
4) antibacterial properties
BUY PRODUCTS WITH:
1) no fragrance
2) only natural ingredients, derived from plants and natural minerals
I believe that safe household cleaning and personal care products are a new frontier of urban environmentalism. Up to now most urban environmentalists, such as myself, have focused on external environmental quality. But no matter how many trees we plant in our cities, if we continue to use unsafe products in our homes we will continue to see increases in the incidence of serious illnesses, including cancer. Unfortunately, as with most urban environmental problems, the burden of these risks tends to fall on those of lower income and education. Using hazardous chemicals is a bit like playing Russian roulette. We just don't know when these substances will trigger a negative reaction in our bodies. It's time to make a change.
Sources
* Cancer Research UK, on cancer rates in the UK. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/press-release/2015-02-04-1-in-2-people-in-the-uk-will-get-cancer
* Can China Tackle Soaring Cancer Rates? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-29610059
* Cancer Research UK, Science Blog. http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2015/02/04/why-are-cancer-rates-increasing/
* Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualReports/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf
* Household Bleach Tied to Respiratory Illness in Children. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/household-bleach-tied-to-respiratory-illness-in-children/?emc=edit_hh_20150414&nl=health&nlid=26281548&_r=0
* Roundup and Risk Assessment: The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/roundup-and-risk-assessment?mbid=nl_041115_Daily&CNDID=18218698&mbid=nl_041115_Daily&CNDID=18218698&spMailingID=7656439&spUserID=MjQ0MTcwMjQwNDYS1&spJobID=661052614&spReportId=NjYxMDUyNjE0S0
* No Family History: The Environmental LInks to Breast Cancer. http://www.amazon.com/No-Family-History-Environmental-Formations/dp/0742564096
* Physicians for Social Responsibility: Cancer and Toxic Chemicals. http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/confronting-toxics/cancer-and-toxic-chemicals.html
* 8 Hidden Toxins: What's Lurking in Your Cleaning Products: https://experiencelife.com/article/8-hidden-toxins-whats-lurking-in-your-cleaning-products/
* The dirt on toxic chemicals in household cleaning products: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/the-dirt-on-toxic-chemicals-in-household-cleaning-products/
* Cancer Research UK, on cancer rates in the UK. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/press-release/2015-02-04-1-in-2-people-in-the-uk-will-get-cancer
* Can China Tackle Soaring Cancer Rates? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-29610059
* Cancer Research UK, Science Blog. http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2015/02/04/why-are-cancer-rates-increasing/
* Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualReports/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf
* Household Bleach Tied to Respiratory Illness in Children. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/household-bleach-tied-to-respiratory-illness-in-children/?emc=edit_hh_20150414&nl=health&nlid=26281548&_r=0
* Roundup and Risk Assessment: The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/roundup-and-risk-assessment?mbid=nl_041115_Daily&CNDID=18218698&mbid=nl_041115_Daily&CNDID=18218698&spMailingID=7656439&spUserID=MjQ0MTcwMjQwNDYS1&spJobID=661052614&spReportId=NjYxMDUyNjE0S0
* No Family History: The Environmental LInks to Breast Cancer. http://www.amazon.com/No-Family-History-Environmental-Formations/dp/0742564096
* Physicians for Social Responsibility: Cancer and Toxic Chemicals. http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/confronting-toxics/cancer-and-toxic-chemicals.html
* 8 Hidden Toxins: What's Lurking in Your Cleaning Products: https://experiencelife.com/article/8-hidden-toxins-whats-lurking-in-your-cleaning-products/
* The dirt on toxic chemicals in household cleaning products: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/the-dirt-on-toxic-chemicals-in-household-cleaning-products/
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