Avoiding toxic chemicals is extremely challenging considering that over 85,000 chemicals are used to make products we all use daily when cooking, cleaning and caring for our bodies. Of further concern is the fact that 90% of the chemicals in use have NOT been tested for safety.
Women are especially susceptible to exposure through the use of beauty products which can have an average of 14 chemicals per product. It is estimated that women typically use 9 different products daily resulting in exposure to 126 chemicals before even walking out the door.
In personal care products take caution to avoid parabens and phthalates which have been studied to be endocrine hormone disruptors. Parabens are preservatives and often listed on labels as methylparaben & propylparaben. Phthalates are ubiquitous and hard to identify but you should at least be aware that “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” can contain over 200 chemicals that are not required to be labeled according to trademark protection of ingredients. Therefore, look for products labeled as paraben and phthalate free in addition to checking the ingredients label for fragrance or parfum.
An excellent source of information are the consumer guides on the Environmental Working Group website.
The Skin Deep database rates the safety of 80,000 personal care products on a scale of 0-10.
Another must have guide is the Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen guide to pesticides in produce. Eating a purely organic diet is best but if you are on a budget, carrying a copy of the guide with you to the market can help you decide how to spend your money wisely.
When buying fish http://www.slowfood.com/slowfish/pagine/eng/pagina.lasso?-id_pg=94
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Women with a high phthalate level have 200 x’s more risk for cancer than low phthalate group.
Dr. Monique Mazza - Naturopathic Physician 