Reducing Your Toxic Load

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Reducing Your Toxic Load!

• Michele Hallahan
• Environmental Health and Safety, UT Austin

(This presentation is an introduction to chemical
toxicity of household products. Information
contained within this presentation is not
representative of the Environmental Health and
Safety office of UT Austin.)
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• Did you know that every day you are exposed to
  possibly hundreds of toxic materials?

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The Shocking Truth

• Do you automatically think of the outside air and
  all of the pollution??
• Well think again! Im talking about all of the
  toxic materials you are exposed to in YOUR OWN
  HOME!

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The Chemical Body Burden!

• Before we are even born, we begin accumulating
  synthetic materials and heavy metals in our
  bodies! ?
• We can accumulate these toxic materials by
  inhalation, swallowing and absorbing them through
  our skin. Pregnant women can pass them on to the
  child via the placenta.
• Scientists estimate that every human alive today
  carries at least 700 contaminants.
• More information www.chemicalbodyburden.org

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Living Downstream

• Sandra Steingraber's book documents powerful
  informationBreast cancer rates are 30 times
  higher in the USA than in parts of Africa.
• International Agency for Research on Cancer has
  concluded that 80 of all cancer is attributable
  to environmental influences (including exposure
  to carcinogenic chemicals).
• During our lifetime, 40 of all Americans will
  get some form of cancer - 50 of men and 30 of
  women.
• One-half of the world's cancers occur among
  people in industrialized countries, even though
  these people are only one-fifth of the world's
  population.

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Air Pollutants

• Allergy sensitivities have doubled over the past
  29 years, and the number of self-reported
  asthmatics has increased about 74 percent since
  1980.
• A 2003 study published in Environmental Science
  Technology and conducted by the Silent Spring
  Institute, an environmental health organization,
  found 66 endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs),
  which interfere with reproductive function in
  animal studies, in the vacuum-cleaner dust of all
  the 120 homes studied.

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Tell Me More!

• Many every day products contain parabens,
  phthalates, and dioxin
• air freshener, dishwashing detergent,
• plastic containers, nail polish,
• food (agrochemical grown)
• linked to such health problems as cancer, asthma,
  psoriasis, eczema, and endometriosis.

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What are They??

• Parabens
• synthetic antimicrobial preserving agents found
  in shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers, and
  deodorants (13,200 cosmetic products)
• linked to cancer and skin allergies, also a
  suspected endocrine disrupter (may interfere
  with, mimic, or block hormones)

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What are They??

• Phthalates
• family of chemicals used to give flexibility to
  plastic products
• found everywhere from plastic containers and
  childrens toys to nail-polish and perfume
• can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled through
  fumes, ingested when present in contaminated
  food, and when children suck or bite on toys
• Banned for use in childrens toy manufacture by
  the EU in 2005
• Linked to lung, liver, and kidney damage as well
  as harm to developing male testes

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Phthalate Free Commercial
http//www.nottoopretty.org/images/Poison_Small.mp
g
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What are They??

• Dioxin
• unintentional by-product of industrial process
  involving chlorine incineration
• found in food, chlorine bleached paper, and
  insecticides
• known carcinogen, also can cause liver and kidney
  problems or severe birth defects.

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What are They??

• PVC polyvinyl chloride, the poison plastic
• Common plastic, used to make rigid plastics such
  as plumbing pipe, window frames
• Medical equipment (IV lines),
• Waterproof coating, plastic utensils, and cell
  phones
• When burned, releases dioxins
• Cause of new car smell and the smell of your
  shower curtain

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Endocrine Disrupters

• Chemicals which mimic the various hormones in our
  body (endocrine system)
• Disrupt the natural hormonal interactions
• Takes only a few parts per billion for an effect
• Have detrimental effects on fertility, health

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Dioxin Effects on Human Health (1997)

• Cause decreased sperm counts
• Increased cases of testicular cancer and
  testicular abnormalities,
• Premature puberty in females and increased cases
  of endometriosis
• An increase in reproductive cancers

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Endocrine Disrupters

• Our Stolen Future by Theo Colburn revealed the
  problem in 1996
• No legislation existing to prevent them from
  being included in common household products
• PCBs, dioxins, chlordane, toxaphene, other
  organochlorines

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What else is there?

• Many household cleaners and pesticides contain
  other materials that can be toxic as well.
• Ammonia (in glass cleaners) causes eye and lung
  irritation
• Nitrobenzene (in furniture and floor polish) has
  been linked to cancer and birth defects
• Hydrochloric acid (toilet bowl cleaner) can burn
  skin and cause vomiting

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Other Problem Areas.

• Modern furniture made out of pressed wood
  products and glues emit formaldehyde and other
  gases.
• Carpeting made of synthetic fibers that have been
  treated with pesticide and fungicide

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WOW!

• A recent EPA study showed that the air inside the
  average home contains 2 to 5 times more the
  amount of common organic pollutants than outside.

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Sources of Contamination

• paints, paint strippers, and other solvents
• wood preservatives aerosol sprays
• cleansers and disinfectants
• moth repellents and air fresheners
• stored fuels and automotive products
• hobby supplies dry-cleaned clothing.

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Whos doing something about this?

• In the United States , the FDA has banned only
  nine personal care ingredients in the past 67
  years, compared with the EU, which has outlawed
  450. (SOURCE ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP)

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• WHAT CAN I DO???

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Interactive Household Map

• National Geographic October 2006 Issue
• Check this website to see what chemicals you have
  in your house

http//www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0610/featur
e4/multimedia.html
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Start Slowly

• Gradually replace everything in your house rather
  than all at once.
• Focus on the positive steps you are taking to
  minimise exposure for you and your family.
• Create a plan of attack and make small changes
  over time.

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Start Slowly

• Determine the areas that pose the most risk for
  you and your family, and replace those items
  first.

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Take an Inventory

• Food and drink containers
• Personal care products
• Household cleaning agents
• Cosmetics
• Gardening chemicals

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Prioritize

• Eliminate food related products first
• Use a glass or metal water bottle where possible
  for drinking water
• Dispose of excess or old household and gardening
  chemicals at the City of Austin Hazardous Waste
  collection site
• http//www.ci.austin.tx.us/sws/hhw.htm

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Food and drink containers

• Even if the plastic doesnt contain PVC, it is
  still made using chemicals that could harm our
  (and our loved ones) immune and endocrine
  systems. Yikes!
• Plastic may be convenient, but it is not always
  safe for our health.

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Plastic Bottles NAY ?
Glass Bottles YAY!!
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Microwaving.

• Avoid microwaving food in plastic containers.
  This can result in the leaching of chemicals into
  food. Avoid using saran wrap in the microwave.
• Use glass bowls with plates as covers.

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(No Transcript)
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Less Plastic Packaging

• Products wrapped in plastic and filled with
  plastic spacers dominate our shelves.
• Choose products that come with as little
  packaging as possible to help stop the amount of
  PVC being added to our dumps.
• Buy in bulk at stores and reuse bags
• Use cloth shopping bags
• for groceries

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Focus on Ingredients!

• Read the fine print on all household cleansers
  and cosmetics. You might be surprised at what you
  find!

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Save Your Nose

• Avoid products with added fragrances and go easy
  on perfumes and colognes. These products tend to
  contain large amounts of phthalates and parabens.

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Go Natural

• Women who wear mainstream cosmetics could be
  applying up to 175 different chemicals to their
  skin everyday! Several websites, including
  www.ewg.org/skindeep or www.thegreenguide.com,
  offer natural alternatives to cosmetics and
  household cleaners, and shopping guides and
  suggestions.

Brands that have reformulated products to remove
some phthalates include Avon, Cover Girl, Estée
Lauder, L'Oréal, Max Factor, Orly Revlon
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Alternatives!

• Think of our parents and earlier generations
  they lived perfectly normal lives without using
  all of the cleaning products, plastics, and
  cosmetics that clutter our lives today.

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Alternatives!

• We dont need to return to the past, but we can
  take some lessons for a better future!
• Buy safe substitutes, like a soap based garden
  insecticide instead of a chemical based one.

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Alternatives!

• Baking soda can be used to deodorize, and to
  clean and polish aluminum, plastic, and silver.
• Lemon juice is a safe glass cleaner alternative
  and can remove stains from clothes, aluminum, and
  porcelain.

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Alternatives

• To get rid of ants, sprinkle red chili powder or
  paprika on the bed or point of entry.
• Egg yolk, milk, olive oil, and oatmeal can all be
  used as safe moisturizers and conditioners.

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Alternatives!

• Recipe for a natural and safe all purpose
  cleaner
• ½ cup of vinegar
• ¼ cup of baking soda
• ½ gallon of water
• Mix all of these ingredients, store and keep in
• a reused spray bottle for regular use!

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Alternatives!

• To fix a clogged drain pour a ½ cup of baking
  soda, followed by a cup of vinegar. When it
  starts to fizz cover the drain, then a few
  minutes later rinse the drain with a boiling salt
  water mix.

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Alternatives!

• Instead of using air fresheners, you can place
  bowls of vinegar or baking soda around the house
  (out of reach of kids and pets!) or use natural
  oils
• Use a small box of baking soda in your fridge to
  absorb smells
• Open your windows! Let fresh air in

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Alternatives!

• Several companies make natural housecleaners,
  bath products and cosmetics.
• Shop at Whole Foods, Central Market, Sun Harvest
  and Wheatsville Co-op (30th Guadalupe)
• Some HEB stores carry these product lines

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Use Chlorine-free Bleach

• Features and BenefitsUltra concentratedColor
  safeNon-toxicBiodegradableHypo-allergenicNo
  dyesNo fragrancesNo chlorine bleachNo phosphate
  sNo optical brightenersSafe for septic and
  greywater systemsNot tested on animals

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Sources/More Information

• http//es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/safe-fs.html
• http//www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
• http//www.sustainlane.com/article/431//MakeYour
  OwnHouseholdCleaners.html
• http//www.parentingbookmark.com/pages/Enviroment0
  1.htm
• http//www.ourlittleplace.com/nontoxic.html
• http//www.chemicalbodyburden.org/cs_phthalate.htm
  
• http//www.besafenet.com/pvc/about.htm
• http//www.nottoopretty.org/
• http//www.organicconsumers.org

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Tell Others!

• Let your family and friends know what youre
  doing and why. Help them take the necessary steps
  to create a healthy home.