sunday life: how to detox your house (and trust me, you need to)
This week I detox my apartment
It may not be evident from where you sit, but I’m currently experiencing slow death by tinned lima beans. I’ve been eating a stack lately, in seemingly benign ways – tossed through stews, in soups. It was always bound to catch up with me. And if it doesn’t, my Capricornian habit of efficiently freezing said meals in plastic containers ready for convenient reheating on busy weeknights most certainly will.
On Friday I invited “building biologist” Nicole Bijlsma into my apartment to do a toxic report on my two-bedder flat. She took a three-hour look at the way I live using a bunch of beeping devices. The report card came back: veritable marinade of toxins. Everything from the pot plant in my bedroom (a fungal breeding ground) to my lip balm habit is overloading my system. Our bodies are great detoxers, says Nicole, but the sheer quantity of pollutants we collide with today has pushed us to our limits. When we tip, an increasingly familiar host of “unexplainable” disorders – cancer, ADHD, fertility issues, auto-immune disease – kick in.
Oh. Dear.
But tell me, what’s more oh-deary for you: the feeling that, once again, you can’t do anything right these days (I mean, tinned lima beans…?!). Or the fact your gut has kind of known things aren’t right for a while? And you’ve erroneously ignored it?
This week I trawled through the conflicting, highly charged debates as to whether “science can prove” pollutants kill folk. It’s not conclusive, but the proof is trickling in. Canada has outlawed baby bottles made from BPAs, Teflon is being phased out voluntarily (!) in response to consumer demand, and the US National Academy of Sciences says 25 per cent of neurological and developmental problems in kids stem from everyday pollutants. It’s taking a while because this new form of dying is rather new and it’s the longterm, cumulative effects that matter.
Most of the detracting research focuses on short-term effects and is often – sigh – funded by large chemical or telecommunication companies. Until more of us die from prostate issues, more of our kids become addled with ADHD, and more of us fail to fall pregnant, I’m choosing to go with my gut. Mine says, listen up.So, back to the lima beans. Nicole says almost 100 per cent of food tins are lined with BPAs, a known hormone disrupter that leaches into food and causes just as many freaky issues in low levels, as in high. And tinned tuna? Brace yourself. Bruce Lourie, author of Slow Death by Rubber Duck, ate the stuff for three days and more than doubled his mercury levels to well above US government “guidelines”.
Do you store your food in plastic, too? OK, all is not lost. Look for the number inside the little triangle displayed on your containers and remember this mantra:
keep 4, 5, 1 and 2, all the rest are bad for you.
But never freeze or microwave plastic. Non-stick pans? Turf them, especially if they’re scratched. My microwave is a disgrace. That door mesh doesn’t do a thing, as Nicole’s beeper screamed at me. So stand at least 1.5m away when it’s on, she says. When microwaves first came out I used to glue my nose to the door to watch the magic happen. Which makes me despair for my brain wiring. So does news that my wireless router is frying my immune system. Nicole rattles off some instructions: stand 1.5m from your microwave when it’s on, get a hard wire, don’t use a cordless phone and limit mobile use.
On the upside, my IKEA couch doesn’t contain flame-retardants (those Swedes are so on to it). Plus I have a stupidly strong sense of smell. This means I can’t abide smelly stuff. “Good,” says Nicole. “Anything perfumed, unless it’s pure essential oil, contains phthalates which disrupt hormones causing obesity, ADHD, early puberty and fertility issues. Avoid anything that lists ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’…it’s mostly code for phthalate.”
This detox was confronting. And I’m bracing myself for the sceptics who’ll claim it’s all ridiculous and that I’ve been hoodwinked. I counter with two words: hand sanitiser. For me the stuff emblemises our predicament. It’s made from triclosan which is now in thousands of products that you never knew needed sanitising (pizza wheels and shower curtains). Thing is, it’s a proven endocrinal disrupter, studies are emerging to show it’s contributing to bacterial resistance (ergo, the rise of “superbugs”) and recent research shows it doesn’t work and we don’t need it. We’re just told we do, says Bruce Lourie… by campaigns funded by triclosan manufacturers and detergent associations. Hoodwinked, much?
Every day I deal with fertility issues due to toxic lifestyles. Just as you said, can we do anything right? Educating ourselves and making decisions based on this, is a step in the right direction. Im going to re-tweet this. Thank you.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Simon Thomsen, sarah wilson and Natalie Kringoudis, Lisa Burley. Lisa Burley said: RT @_sarahwilson_: sunday life: how to detox your house (and trust me, you need to) http://bit.ly/a0MKC7 …..easy, remove the TV #insiders [...]
Okay the hand sanitizer thing is concerning. Community nurses visited our home daily for over three years, to dress serious slow healing surgical wounds, and the majority of them ONLY used hand sanitizer .. a few opted for the soap and hot water in the bathroom .. but most not! It always concerned me what germs were coming from the previous patient and how many germs the last person on the days list were getting added to their wound … hmmm
The Plastic 4,5,1, and 2 rhyme …. is on my refrigerator door …. it is one thing i am very careful of ( now that i am aware) . A concerning thing I discovered recently is one manufacturer, who was using Plastic 5’s in their cordial bottles have now changed to No. 3 WHAT ? How does this happen ? I am looking now for an alternative and intend writing to them and asking for answers.
Having had a son with multiple chronic AI illness for over 5 years now , we all should look a little closer at our homes and just what is in them. I am starting today.
Thank you Sarah
Did she talk about how some essential oils are harmful to the body?
Do you know of alternatives to plastic containers for freezing? Glass bothers me because it may shatter, and while some things can be wrapped in foil, what do we do with soups and other liquids?
Hurrah, so glad you are writing about all these nasties! Honestly, what is up with people and that hand sanitizer any ways? If she didn’t mention regarding the exposure to your router, cordless and cell etc there are plugins for your electrical outlets in the home that minimize or neutralize a certain volume of the exposure depending on how many you have thru the house. I need to research this more but it is one solution over choosing to abandon the luxury of using your laptop wirelessly in bed if you so choose to! How did living on this planet become so complicated?
Thank you for sharing your experience. I think I need my house done too! ps. did she mention mercury dental fillings at all? -terrifying!
Thanks for sharing this Sarah…really useful..I only the other day reverted to using earphones for my mobile. It’s a bit of a nuisance but better than having the device stuck to my ear when talking to people.
Fantastic article Sarah. BPA and phthalates are especially important because they’re in so many baby/child products (think of all the babies whose BPA plastic bottles are heated in a microwave eight times a day!) Another general rule to follow is if it smells new, the particles are still reactive so you’re likely to be absorbing harmful chemicals – whether it’s a new car, new clothes, baby toys.
Another to look out for… The main ingredient in most toothpastes, shampoos etc is Sodium Laurel Sulphate, a known carcinogen. The big Australian supermarkets now sell a ‘natural’ toothpaste which is Sodium Laurel Sulphate free, and you can find a range of products in health stores and some pharmacies.
The best high end brand for chemical free, organic cosmetics and toiletries is Jurlique, although it’s pretty expensive. Many Australian pharmacies now stock Natural Instinct which is great, and cheap, and even uses ethically sourced palm oil, so you’re not harming any orang-utans while washing your hair!
And if there weren’t enough everyday things poisoning us already, a new one to look out for is nano-particles (particles that are so small they can penetrate your cells, and haven’t been around long enough for people to know what effects that may have). They’re found in many sun creams and don’t have to be mentioned on the label. To find out if your sun cream is nano-free, visit: http://action.foe.org/content.jsp?key=3060
“It’s taking a while because this new form of dying is rather new and it’s the longterm, cumulative effects that matter.”
It is the same way that we have been dying for millennia, we simply haven’t been as aware of the harmfulness, or even the existence of certain substances, organisms and so forth, as we are today.
It wasn’t very long ago when tobacco and black stout were promoted as salubrious essentials, and heroin hydrochloride was marketed as a “non-addictive” alternative to morphine.
With each age comes new discoveries, and in time to come, there will probably be a link established between lima beans and some of the pressing illnesses that, today, have researchers puzzled!
I have, for better or worse, become rather fatalistic in my approach to microbes and chemicals, and the consequences of being exposed to them. Like spiders, I have learned to live with them!
Sarah thanks for the opportunity for allowing me to audit your abode. There are some great questions being asked by people on this blog which I would like to respond to.
Alternatives to plastic containers to freeze food in are glass, ceramic, porcelain and pyrex. The safe plastics (2, 4 and 5) are also fine for most foods and beverages except meat, tomatoes and dairy.
As for cookware, stick to stainless steel, porcelain, Pyrex, copper (with a stainless steel interior), anodized aluminium, enamel coated iron and cast iron (however avoid cooking acidic foods such as tomatoes in cast iron).
As for ingredients in cosmetics – where would Istart? The best advice I could give is to avoid fragrances (parfum) – most are skin irritants and many contain phthalates (known hormone disrupting chemicals). As for sodium lauryl sulphate – it is the detergent commonly found in your shampoo, body wash, liquid hand soaps, dishwashing liquids, car washes and so on. It is a skin irritant and a common cause of dandruff (just look at the material safety data sheet of the ingredients in your personal care products and you’ll wonder what on earth the marketing companies mean by ’skin care’)… a good book on this is the Chemical Maze by Bill Statham (apparently its available as an iphone ap which you can use when you are out shopping!)
I have to admit that I am somewhat skeptical (and probably on the same page as Aplomb, above). But perhaps I’m just in denial…I think of my grandfather (now 91) and my great-grandparents, who lived to nearly 100, in good health. My grandfather smoked during the war and beyond. They drank. On the farm, they used tons of incredibly toxic fertilisers. When they painted or repaired things they did not take precautions with toxic substances (i.e direct skin and respiratory exposure). For sure, we are using a greater variety of chemicals in what we live with now, and yes, definitely, we have more to fear from the damage we have done to the oceans, etc., but a small part of me thinks that we’re missing the essentials by focusing on the minutiae. In writing this, don’t get me wrong – I consciously buy things without packaging, buy only local produce, cook everything that I eat from scratch, etc., mostly because I know it’s the right thing to do for both the planet and those around me (and also because I enjoy the self-care!) – but I almost think that paranoia will kill us before anything else will.
As the evidence continues to pile up I find myself living more and more off the grid. If you can find dried beans you can cook them and then store them in glass containers in your freezer.
I, too, have shunned antibacterial products. I highly recommend Savon de Marseille soap. It’s made in the South of France using time-honored methods and comes in glass bottles. It’s lovely.
Thanks for posting about such evils.
The challenge I find, is with what to replace all the plastic, when it comes to herbs and other dry stuff, most of it is kept in glass containers. I have some smaller, cheaper ones in which I store chillies, garlic, … in my fridge. But where do I find something good to keep all the rest in, as well as freeze in. Almost every container box on the market is plastic, makes it a bit harder to find good glass ones…
Wow, it is truly amazing the shit we eat all the time. I think it is really hard though (impossible?) to know weather stuff are good or not good for me…
Jenny
Thank you, Stephanie! Indeed, I avoid deliberate exposure to substances and materials that are understood to be harmful, (save for the occasional wee dram), and particularly, foods that contain artificial additives of ANY kind. However, I tend to find credence in the theory that attempting to eradicate the presence of every microbe, upon discovery, has the potential to reduce our immune capacities, thus possibly making us, and future generations more vulnerable to their adverse influences.
That said, I am always very appreciative of information, as shared by people like Sarah and Nicole. There are concerns with certain compounds that are used in an array of household products which are legitimate concerns, but one would be at a loss to find any product that is entirely devoid of some risk.
Scepticism is good. As a Cancerian, it occurs to me naturally!
Triclosan is present and actually advertised as being beneficial in several skin cleansers – Dermalogica and Clearasil are the main offenders from memory (it’s been a while since I worked in the beauty industry.) Anything that is advertised as “cooling” or gives your skin a tingly or hot/cold feeling probably contains this. It sells well as the cold tingly feeling gives people the perception that the skin is really being cleaned. It is completely unnecessary and fuels the irritating perception that the body’s natural functions are “dirty” and in need of purifying, but there you go.
Do you think the lack of fresh air, sunshine and proper fruit and veggies most of us get has made us more susceptible to this stuff?
[...] the toxic audit on my apartment that I wrote about on Sunday, two rather big things. I have to move out of my apartment. And [...]
Speaking of perfume, Eco Yogini blogged about this awesome, eco-friendly Etsy retailer called “5 Seed” that sells these little tins of solid, vegan aromatherapy “perfume”. You can customize your scent and everything. I thought that was such a brilliant idea!
I’ve been trying to find new “green” cookware- seems that ceramic coating is a good non-stick, environmentally-friendly option….please let us know what you end up buying!
Sarah, now you’re feeding into my consumerist tendencies – this electromagnetic pollution thing is the perfect reason to buy a Hulger retro phone handset to plug into my mobile! I’ve wanted one of these shiny black phones since I first watched “Get Smart” as a child.
Drool over the gorgeousness: http://www.hulgershop.com/view?category=Penelope_Phone
I’m confused now! It seems like nothing’s safe D:
So is general parfum bad for your health too? (the one we spray on ourselves) or is just referring to other products that have parfum added?
Sorry for my English -_-
[...] other week I posted about getting a toxic audit on my flat (cough, cough…I have to now move out, such is the dire state of my bedroom). And also about [...]
Phthalates can cause obesity…. I knew there was something other than m&m’s making me fat! Joking aside, I wish it was easy for me to embrace clean living, I’ll have to start with baby steps.