Your toxic house

Everybody is more or less aware of external pollutants, the thick black smoke coming out of old exhausts, the greyish fog cloud over big cities..etc..

However, the inside of a building can be as polluted and in most cases between 5 to 10 times more polluted than outside. Interiors, where we spend more than 80% of our time contain toxic elements in the carpet or wooden flooring, within the walls and ceilings and the cleaning materials we use can be pretty nasty too. You have to think that any material within a building can under certain conditions emit or form particulates which could then be inhaled and possibly lead to health risks (carpets, fabrics, ceiling tiles, printers...)

VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds are a known interior pollutant. Some VOCs are carcinogen, suspected carcinogen or known irritants at typical levels. Building materials and cleaning products are the most common sources of VOCs. The paint on your walls could be toxic, the cleaning liquid you use on the bathroom or kitchen too…

Formaldehyde, one of the big nasty players in terms of VOCs is considered carcinogen and also found in a wide range of building materials and furnishings and this is why levels indoors are much higher than outside. The construction industry is slowly making efforts to eliminate formaldehyde from its materials and with things such as Sick Building Syndrome and Building related illness (Legionnaire’s Disease,…) as well as allergic or asthma numbers growing  it really needs to. It is estimated that indoor air pollution is costing the american industry alone tens of billions of dollars every year.

So with all this being a bit daunting,I hear you ask,what can I do !!!???

There are simple steps you can take to ensure a higher quality of indoor air without having to demolish your house or office:

• Ventilate your indoors regularly

• Use cleaning products that are kind to the environment and therefore kind to you

• When you next choose a new paint,fabric,mattress…question the environmental qualities,what does it contain ? What effect will it have seeing I will be surrounded by it most of the time ?

• If you happen to have mold somewhere then get a professional to look at it asap

• Plants are can clean the indoor air

A NASA study has found that plants can be huge benefit to interiors, purifying the air by absorbing the toxic components and alleviating stress.  These are easy-to-find plants such as the Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) which is a very good overall depolluting plant. The spider plant (Chlorophytum) as well as the Peace lily (Spathiphyllum) are the other very easy-to-find very effective plants that will help clean and purify your indoors on a regular basis. This website has a very clear listing of all beneficial plants

So, the construction industry has a lot to answer for and needs to make rapid change in their process.

If you happen to be a designer,builder or architect, then please take this into account for every single project. You are responsible for specifying materials and therefore should know the ins and outs and long term effects of every single one of them.
We are talking about people’s well-being here and the possibility of diminishing the risks of cancer which is a great responsibility to have and improving everybody's life quality.

Stay fresh, Stay clean , Stay natural !

Common deodorants including big brand names contain aluminium and a number of other chemicals whose effect on the human body are not entirely known, and according to some could be linked with breast cancer.

Every morning, you will apply deodorant or worse, antiperspirants to your armpits.  Aluminium is what gives antiperspirants their wetness-fighting ability, and they're highly effective. Commercial deodorants can contain up to 25 percent aluminum salts by weight. The problem is nobody really knows what effect aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium has on the human body or the numerous other aluminium salts, parabens or triclosan found in all deodorants. Also, something to take into consideration is that these aluminium salts will be washed away into sewers and then eventually back into nature after your shower.

Also consider what chemicals, coloring, chemical scents were used in the process of making these deodorants before this arrives on the shopping aisle and what effect this has had on the environment and will have when you wash it away everyday.

Natural deodorants contain 100% all natural mineral salts, nothing else ! All of these deodorants are hypoallergenic, contain no aluminium chlorohydrate, are paraben free, alcohol-free, non-sticky, and won´t leave a white stain on your clothes like other deodorants can. I know some of you might be sceptic about the effectiveness, so I´ve taken it upon myself to test one of these in the rugged environment of South America J. There are many different types of salt crystal salt deodorant available and I guess since they all contain the same ingredients, they should all have the same effect. Some are lightly scented too. I´ve been using the Salt of the Earth Natural deodorant and I have to say it works wonders. I´ve been doing a lot of physical work, so sweating buckets and it´s been very effective in these type of situations.

www.crystalspring.co.uk

Here are some other untested products which might be of interest too :

Another crystal salt brand -  
www.thecrystal.com

Oil of sage is the main active ingredient for this range - 
 www.global.burtsbees.com

A well-regarded line of non-aluminum products featuring zinc ricinoleate and natural ingredients - www.tomsofmaine.com

Please also take into consideration where these are produced according to where you are in the world !

Stay fresh, Stay clean , Stay natural !

Propolis, the natural antibiotic made by bees

Propolis is a natural antibiotic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory medecine. It is is a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. For centuries, beekeepers assumed that bees sealed the beehive with propolis to 

protect the colony from the elements, such as rain and cold winter drafts.
Propolis is now believed to prevent diseases and parasites from entering the hive, and to inhibit bacterial growth prevent putrefaction within the hive. Bees usually carry waste out of and away from the hive. However if a small lizard or mouse, for example, found its way into the hive and died there, bees may be unable to carry it out through the hive entrance. In that case, they would attempt instead to seal the carcass in propolis, essentially mummifying it and making it odorless and harmless.

Although this doesn't sound very appealing, I recently tried propolis here in Bolivia where it is very popular (and cheap!!) and it worked wonders. Propolis comes in various formats (gum,lozenges..) but I brought it in liquid format. All you do is put 30 drops in a glass of lukewarm water with a bit of honey for the taste and then drink it.
I used it for a dodgy stomach and the effects were felt straight away but propolis can be used to treat various ailments. Basically it helps you create antibodies. It is also believed to promote heart health, strengthen the immune system and even reduce the chances of cataracts.

I highly recommend it to everyone. There are various websites you can buy it from, or
try your local health store or I can bring some back with me, but do try it !

Click here for the health benefits of bee propolis explained