Chemicals and Your Health

Filed in archive General Health on April 22, 2007

What ever would we do without our chemicals, the fertilizers and weed killers that keep our lawns green, the insecticides that keep our homes bug-free?

Perhaps a more important question is what are all these chemicals doing to our health, and, in particular, to women's health? An article in this morning's Pittsburgh Post Gazette says:

Conclusive scientific studies have linked exposure to pesticides, herbicides and a wide range of chemical pollutants in the water and air to cancers, miscarriages and a shortening of women's fertile lifespan, but the public isn't getting the message, conference keynoter Dr. Sandra Steingraber told an audience of 2,200 women at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Downtown.

Even chemicals in common household cleaners are to blame for many health problems. Natural Health News reports:

SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) is one of the most common toxic ingredients in household and bathroom products, and has been linked to all sorts of health problems, including infertility, precocious puberty and cancer.

It might be a good idea to cut back on chemical usage as much as possible. Use natural cleansers, like vinegar, for cleaning. And what if our lawn isn't as green as the neighbor's? Is a green lawn more important than our health?