How to avoid environmental chemicals

by | Dec 3, 2015 | Health Conditions

meditation-teacher-melbourne

How to avoid environmental chemicals

  • Aim to reduce exposure to all of those chemical exposures listed.
  • Use water filters for all drinking and cooking water. Ideally use a high quality water filter such as Alkaline Water Filter
  • Never microwave, serve or store food/water/drinks in styrofoam or plastic. Ideally use ceramics or glass.
  • Minimise processed foods, including chemical additives. Avoid smoked foods.
  • Always rinse any rinsable foods (e.g. fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, rice, etc.) before consuming/cooking. See wash recipe below.
  • Avoid shark/flake, swordfish, broadbill, marlin, orange roughy (sea perch), catfish, and barramundi, which are among the most contaminated fish regarding mercury. Salmon, sardines and herring are among the cleanest fish sources in Australia.
  • Eat organic foods whenever possible, especially meat.
  • Never get amalgam (mercury containing) fillings put in your teeth.
  • Avoid aluminium containing deodorants/antiperspirants/antacids. Do not cook in aluminum foil/pots or drink from aluminum cans. Use aluminum-free baking powder.
  • Don’t smoke and don’t let people smoke in your home or car.
  • Keep your house/car clean from mold (including old moldy books, fridges, etc.), dust, insect waste, etc. Wipe dusty surfaces clean with a sponge or wet cloth, rather than dusting them.
  • Address water leaks (e.g. pipes), and flooded or damp areas in your home/work/car as soon as they appear. Wash all moldy items/surfaces in diluted bleach or hydrogen peroxide.
  • Use non-synthetic, biodegradable and perfume free laundry powder, shampoo/conditioner/moisturizer/dish-washing liquid (e.g. Adobe or EnviroCare), soaps (vegetable oil based), cleaning agents, cosmetics/sanitary products/dyes (try health food stores), fertilizers, pest control products, diapers (use cotton), etc.
  • Ensure good ventilation in your home and work place. Keep windows open as much as possible.
  • Don’t spray insecticides or other chemical sprays inside or outside your home or workplace.
  • Avoid using perfume, mothballs, air fresheners, stain removers, dryer sheets, hair sprays, essential oils, aftershaves, fabric softeners, deodorizing products, scented products, and other synthetic fragrances, as they pollute the air you breath.
  • Minimize exposure to nail polish remover, nail polish, glues, paints (use water-based and the least odorous paints and adhesives), smelly plastics, plastics generally (including furniture), shaving cream, waxes or finishes, degreasers, spot removers, urethanes (e.g. hardwood floor covering), varnish, flea sprays for pets, pest strips.
  • Use indoor house plants (avoid moldy plants) which have been documented by NASA to help purify the air we breath or ideally use a HEPA filter (see our Vornado air purifyers) in your bedroom.
  • Avoid flame retardant materials, pressure treated wood and wood preservatives.
  • Do not use kerosene, wood, oil, coal, formaldehyde, phenol or pentachlorophenol for heating/cooking/cleaning.
  • Install a water purifying showerhead
  • If you live in a heavily polluted or swampy area, plan to move when possible. Ideally live away from freeways, industrial areas, heavy traffic, factory air pollution, swampy areas, airports, dump sites, mold-prone houses, etc.
  • Never sleep in a freshly painted, wall-papered or chemically treated room.
  • Use 100% cotton bedding (pillows, pillow covers [blessedearth.com.au], sheets, etc.), mattresses, clothing (especially pajamas) and rugs. Wash all bedding, drapes and upholstered items regularly. Avoid plastic waterbeds. The ideal bed-frame is made from metal or untreated solid wood.
  • Avoid “wrinkle-proof” clothing or cotton clothing which states it does not need to be ironed (chemically treated).
  • Avoid carpets and vinyl flooring or wall covers in your home if possible, especially in bedrooms.
  • Replace battered or scratched plastic utensils and non-stick fry pans with new ones. Ideally use wood and metal utensils and avoid Teflon (non stick) fry pans.
  • Avoid pressboard, plywood, particleboard or fiberglass and foam rubber found in furniture/mattresses.
  • Hang newly dry-cleaned clothes outside until they lose that chemical smell and don’t store in your bedroom.
  • Before approaching heavy traffic put your cars circulation system on recirculate or ideally install a car air purifier.
  • Clean the duct work in your home (with non-toxic chemicals) at least every six months.
  • Avoid exposure to any chemicals you know you have reacted negatively to in the past.
  • Consider unique chemical exposures at your home and work place and aim to minimize them.
  • Consider moving if you live near chemical sprays from farms or golf courses or a Round Up happy neighbor.

Wash Your Non Organic Fruit and Vegetables

Lemon/Baking Soda Wash

1 Tbsp. lemon juice – (natural disinfectant) 2 Tbsp. baking soda (neutralises the PH level of pesticides)

Vinegar/Salt Wash

1/4 cup vinegar (cleans the fruits and vegetables and neutralizes most pesticides)
2 Tbsp. salt (draws out dirt and insects)

Lemon/Vinegar Wash

1 Tbsp. Lemon juice – (natural disinfectant) 2 Tbsp. Vinegar (cleans the fruits and vegetables neutralizes most pesticides)
Just fill a sink or a large bowl with water and the above ingredients (depending on the method you choose) and let the vegetables sit for about 20minutes then rinse or else you can fill an empty water bottle and spray onto your produce and then rinse and wipe.