CHAPTER 8
Step 3: Rethink Your Personal Space
Your Simple Household Makeover
In chapters 6 and 7, we discussed ways to reduce your obesogen and EDC exposure that are relatively simple and give you large reductions in exposure for relatively modest efforts on your part. Avoiding obesogenic ingredients in your diet and minimizing your use of plastic will go a long way to protect you. In fact, if you focus on just those two goals alone for a while, you can pat yourself on the back. Then, when you are ready to take your cleaner living another step forward, consider the advice in this chapter.
When I was growing up, seat belts (if you could find them) were optional, the drinking age was eighteen, marijuana was illegal everywhere, and people could smoke wherever they wanted, airplanes included. Today these behaviors are either banned below a certain age or totally prohibited. There were lots of other things we did as kids that would be frowned upon today or otherwise seen as unhealthy. Everyone microwaved foods in plastic, ate trans-fat-filled margarine, rode bikes and motorcycles with no helmet, and drank water from the phthalate-and lead-leaching hose in the backyard.
Each generation finds new dangers to regulate, and I expect we will see more chemicals and their associated products undergo scrutiny and testing. Sadly, regulation lags far behind such investigations. This has two main causes. First, the standard that federal regulators must reach to remove a chemical from the marketplace requires that the chemical be demonstrated “to a substantial certainty” to cause harm to humans. This is a virtually impossible standard to meet, because as mentioned earlier, it is illegal, immoral, and unethical to do the types of controlled exposure studies on humans needed to definitively prove that any chemical caused an adverse effect in a human. I have never met a lawyer who could explain to me why the chemical law uses the substantial certainty standard, why chemicals have more protection than people. In civil law, the standard is “by a preponderance of the evidence,” and in criminal law the standard is “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Perhaps you would not be surprised to learn that the chemical industry and industry trade organizations have spent millions, if not billions, of dollars creating doubt about the safety of their products to counter the types of careful science done by independent, publicly supported scientists. For a good discussion of this topic, you would be greatly enlightened by reading Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway.217 As a result of industry doubt-mongering (which you can observe in the recent discussion about the safety of the herbicide glyphosate), it is not wise to depend on government regulations to protect our health and safety. Even if there were adequate regulations, someone would need to be enforcing them, and one wonders who would do this. The EPA has dropped the ball entirely.
Obesogens lurk in some of the most commonly used everyday products, from cleaning solutions and air fresheners to body lotions, cosmetics, and bubble bath. By the time we find out about the potential hazards of a substance (or behavior or activity), many of us have already experienced exposures and their effects. The EPA, European Union, and World Health Organization have promised to speed up their efforts to gather data on “contaminants of emerging concern,” but as already noted, it is very unlikely that any regulations will be implemented fast enough to ensure our safety. It behooves each one of us to shop around, avoiding products that are sources of potential toxins to the body, especially EDCs and obesogens.
YOUR BODY BURDEN
One thing you are likely wondering about now is how many potentially harmful chemicals are in your body. Although scientists have been measuring industrial pollutants for decades in our environment, only recently have we begun the process of monitoring the so-called body burden, the levels of synthetic chemical toxicants in tissues of the human body. This biomonitoring, for which blood, urine, umbilical cord blood, and breast milk are analyzed, is being conducted by several high-profile institutions and research organizations on an ongoing basis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) runs the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which gives us a snapshot of the body burden of about two hundred toxic chemicals in a small sample of the U.S. population (typically a few thousand people statistically selected to represent the approximately 325 million total population). In the last decade, the new Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects in the CDC has established a national system for tracking environmental hazards and the ailments or illnesses they may cause. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, established by the NIH in 1966, also undertakes and supports research, but it is not involved in the biomonitoring.
Bear in mind that body burden studies such as those by the NHANES report averages according to sex, age, and race in a very small number of people. It should be obvious that this neither measures nor predicts body burdens in other individuals and does not consider all possible contaminants or the potential for synergy among chemicals. Everyone reacts differently to external stimuli, including the effects of combinations of various stimuli such as chemicals. As a result, regulatory standards for limiting exposures to known pollutants in food and water will probably not protect uniquely vulnerable populations, such as children or people of any age with chronic illnesses or subsets of the population that may be more sensitive than average. There is also a nearly complete lack of regulation in the manufacturing industry that creates new materials to be used in products. As a reminder, no federal agency tests the toxicity of new materials before they are allowed on the market. Instead they rely on the manufacturers to perform basic toxicity testing, which is a fundamental and unacceptable conflict of interest.
People living in industrialized nations now have hundreds of synthetic chemicals in their bodies accumulated from food, water, and air.218,219 The vast majority of these chemicals, many of which come from plastic, have never been adequately tested for health effects. Chemicals from plastics can be absorbed by the human body—93 percent of Americans six years of age or older test positive for bisphenol A, which you know now is a chemical derived from plastics and a known estrogen and obesogen. Some of the other compounds found in plastic have also been found to affect hormones or have other potential human health effects. Among the most alarming studies done on the body burden are those that show how vulnerable pregnant and lactating women can be to chemical exposures. My late friend and colleague Professor Howard Bern of the University of California–Berkeley, one of the giants in the field of endocrinology and reproductive biology, first wrote about the concept of the “fragile fetus” in 1992,220 a must-read for anyone interested in this field.
Although we once thought that the placenta acts like a shield, protecting the fetus from most chemicals and pollutants in the environment, we now know differently. Industrial chemicals and pollutants such as residues from cigarettes and alcohol can indeed stream through the placenta. Benchmark studies spearheaded by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group first demonstrated this when they found 287 different chemicals in umbilical cord blood and breast milk. Incredibly, these include 180 carcinogens, 217 central nervous system toxicants, and 208 known to cause birth defects in animals.218,219 Even the blood–brain barrier can be penetrated in utero.
Think about this for a moment: none of these women or their children gave informed consent for being exposed to these chemicals. Those exposures could not occur without informed consent if they represented pharmaceutical drugs or medical procedures. Worse yet, there is no readily available, universal test you can use to determine what your personal body burden is—how many chemicals your body harbors and which kind. While you can probably order blood tests to search for certain chemicals, this is expensive, incomplete, and largely impractical unless you have a good idea which chemicals you have been exposed to. Other, larger studies have reported similar results—contamination of moms, fetuses, and children with toxic chemicals is widespread.221,222 Is this a situation we should accept? How should we deal with this? I think that a major focus should be on preventing more exposures.
A particularly innovative approach to inferring blood levels of various chemicals in small children was developed by Professor Åke Bergman from Stockholm University and Swetox. Åke is an “out of the box” thinker, so he and his PhD student Jessica Norrgran reasoned that while people might be reluctant to have scientists sample their children’s blood, they would have no qualms about having blood samples taken from their pet house cats, which spend much of their time on the floor and in a very similar environment to that of infants and young children.223 Indeed, Jessica and Åke found that there was a close association between levels of persistent organic pollutants they measured in house dust and those in the blood of house cats (and presumably of children in the same homes).
WHEN IN DOUBT, TAKE IT OUT
Your personal body burden is unknown, and there are no practical, economical tests you can take to determine what your current burden is. But what you can do is lessen your exposures and, therefore, your body burdens. In addition to thinking about how and what you eat, think about what you clean your home with, what you spray in the garden, how you furnish and decorate your home, and what consumer products you bring home, including personal care products. Note that natural will not always be the solution, and synthetic ingredients are not necessarily bad. Plenty of all-natural ingredients can do damage. Likewise, just because something is synthetic (for instance, synthetic glycerin and stearic acid in soaps, detergents, and cosmetics) does not mean it is harmful.
The cosmetic and beauty industry is horribly under-regulated, though this could change in the future. Cosmetic companies police themselves and have come under fire lately for misleading customers about their ingredients and their potential hazards. Many cosmetics and personal care products are made with phthalates and parabens and contain a wide array of other undesirable chemicals. In the United States, the FDA oversees cosmetics, but unlike drugs, cosmetics do not require extensive testing and approval before they can be sold.
Now that your diet and kitchen are cleaned up (I hope), let’s see what you can do in other rooms of the house. I introduced the precautionary principle in the last chapter. It applies here as well: When in doubt, take it out. Following the tips below will be good not only for you and your family, but also for the environment and community in the broader sense. When you choose to buy one item over another, you increase demand on one side and lower it on the other. This affects the economics on a larger scale and induces change in the industry and marketplace. In this way, you can encourage changes in the practices of industry, agriculture, and manufacturing included. Also, remember that you have a voice. You can advocate for change in your local community by speaking up. The parents in Non Toxic Irvine have started a nationwide, grassroots movement to get toxic chemicals out of our schools, parks, and public spaces. Calm logic and reason, rather than hysteria, hyperbole, and scaremongering, have persuaded city leaders in Irvine, San Juan Capistrano, and Burbank, California; Naperville, Illinois; and elsewhere in the world to make legislative changes that provide better choices for their communities. Never underestimate the power of a group of passionate parents, but steer clear of what I call “the lunatic fringe”—the people who blame one or another chemical for every ailment known to the modern world. They may mean well, but ultimately, shrill voices, unpleasant tactics, and shouting about fringe science deprive them of the credibility they so desperately crave and cause legislators and regulatory agencies to ignore them as well as other more moderate and reasonable groups with the same goals. Meaning well is not equivalent to doing well.
The rest of this chapter is organized in a common sense fashion, beginning with some basic recommendations that can make a big difference and then progressing to more specific details regarding household good and toiletries. For more comprehensive lists about specific chemical ingredients and to get brand recommendations, visit the Environmental Working Group website at www.ewg.org.
TAKE SHOES OFF WHEN ENTERING YOUR HOUSE
In many countries, it is customary to remove your shoes upon entering a house. It shows respect for the home and its occupants. However, in many Western countries, including the United States, it is uncommon to leave your shoes at the door (or outside). But leaving shoes outside can be one of the easiest things you can do to avoid exposures to harmful substances, ranging from pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fecal matter to toxic chemicals, including a whole panoply of obesogens, pesticides, and oil or petroleum by-products. Think about what you trek through, albeit unwittingly, while you are outside: you trudge through bird droppings, asphalt sealed with coal tar, dog waste, gasoline and oil residues, pesticides, and herbicides, to name a few things. Your shoes may be even more toxic than your toilet. Your shoes carry contaminated dust from nearby construction sites as well as chemicals recently sprayed on lawns, around the perimeters of houses, near public parks, and even on the sidewalks outside your home, particularly if you live in a board-managed community.
If you have young children who crawl or walk around on the floor all day, it is even more important to not wear your outside shoes inside the home. Children aged two years and under put their hands in their mouths an average of eighty times an hour, not to mention objects they find on the floor. Babies are prone to licking floors and routinely putting their fingers into their mouths; older kids play with toys on floors and find those lost crumbs and fallen foods all the more delicious. Consider getting an inexpensive shoe rack, or keep a large basket by the front door to house your dirty shoes, or carry them to a nearby closet designated for this endeavor. Better still would be to leave the shoes in a foyer or “mudroom” or even outside if they are protected from the weather. Have a clean pair of slippers or socks to put on after you remove your shoes if you prefer not to go barefoot. Ask guests to remove their shoes, too.
WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY
Once you have made a habit of taking your shoes off upon entering your home, make washing your hands the second thing you do when you get home. You should be washing your hands frequently throughout the day—not just after using the bathroom. Handwashing is one of the most reliable steps we can take to limit chemical exposures and to prevent the spread of germs and toxins. Estimates vary, but on average we touch our faces multiple times an hour and hundreds (some say thousands) of times per day without ever realizing it. Every touch transfers substances on the hands into our bodies through our mouths, eyes, and nose. To be sure, not every substance will make us sick, be obesogenic or otherwise harmful to our health, but plenty of nasty substances can find their way to us by hitching a ride on our hands.
Handwashing is even more important when preparing foods. Effective handwashing does not require any fancy or costly products, nor do you need to scrub up as you see doctors do on television. Plain soap and water is all you need, and be sure to rub thoroughly for at least twenty seconds. The emerging consensus is that washing with plain soap is better than using soap with added antibacterials and antiseptic agents. Some of these are problematic (for example, triclosan), and continued use can simply lead to resistant bacteria. Your grandma had it right—a simple soap is just fine.
USE A VACUUM WITH A HEPA FILTER
Some of the following ideas require more effort and money (as in buying new household items to replace problematic ones currently in your home). Until you can consider big-ticket purchases such as new sofas, flooring, and mattresses, get yourself a good vacuum with a HEPA filter if you don’t already have one. HEPA stands for “high-efficiency particulate air.” To qualify as a HEPA filter, the product must remove 99.97 percent of airborne particles measuring 0.3 microns or greater in diameter passing through them. To put 0.3 microns in perspective, by comparison a typical human hair ranges from 17 to 181 microns in diameter. A HEPA filter is trapping particles several hundred times thinner, including most dust, bacteria, and mold spores. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) often adhere to dust, so a HEPA vacuum will help you minimize flame retardants, organotins, phthalates, and other VOCs in your household dust and you will avoid inhaling those toxic chemicals.
Some sources of VOCs in your household:
Building materials (walls, floors, carpets, vinyl blinds, and furnishings)
Paints, particularly those with antifungal additives
Aerosol sprays
Air fresheners
Hobby supplies (such as glues, adhesives, and permanent markers)
Dry-cleaned clothing
Office equipment (for instance, copiers and printers)
Pesticides
When buying these products, look for low VOC or no VOC; they will be labeled and marketed as such.
People in developed nations often spend more than 90 percent of their time in indoor environments. These environments can be more toxic than the outdoors in many ways. Numerous studies over the past decade, including one meta-analysis published in 2016 by a consortium of U.S. institutions, have definitely shown that household air can be a toxic cocktail—often filled with dust that contains chemicals known to be toxic to the immune, respiratory, and reproductive systems, VOCs such as formaldehyde, low oxygen and high carbon dioxide levels, and combustion by-products such as soot and carbon monoxide.224 Collectively, these are associated with cognitive and behavioral impairment in children, asthma, and chronic disease. The authors in the 2016 report write: “The indoor environment is a haven for chemicals associated with reproductive and developmental toxicity, endocrine disruption, cancer and other health effects.” The culprits are largely PVC vinyl building materials (as in vinyl flooring and vinyl blinds), chemically treated home furnishings, wall coverings, personal care and cleaning products, synthetic fragrances, and electronic equipment that contain plastics. Many of these chemicals are also obesogens.225,226
If you have carpets, try to vacuum thoroughly and as often as you can (at least once a week). You can also consider adding HEPA air purifiers to rooms that you spend the most time in (living room, den, bedrooms, and so forth). There are lots of options now on the market to fit any budget, but I advise not to go for the cheapest filters. You can find quite a few reviews of product quality on the Web. Purchase from reputable companies that have been making HEPA filters for years. Some advertise they use ozone to purify the air, but that is not necessary and ozone can be toxic to your health (notwithstanding the fact that we need ozone twelve miles up in the atmosphere). Don’t buy into that.
Other ways to reduce indoor air contaminants:
Use exhaust fans wherever you have them in rooms such as the kitchen (while cooking), bathroom (while bathing, showering, or spraying personal care products), and laundry areas (while doing the laundry).
Ban smoking indoors.
Minimize use of candles and wood fires with synthetic logs. When purchasing candles, look for those made from organic beeswax, which are not petroleum based like most traditional candles. Use a snuffer to extinguish candles to avoid creating a sooty cloud when you blow them out. Better still, buy candles in glass jars that have lids and simply put the lid on when you want the candle to go out.
When possible, naturally ventilate your home or apartment using open windows. Obviously if you live in a big city, there is a balance between indoor and outdoor pollution that you need to consider. City dwellers might want to keep the windows closed during the day when pollution from vehicle exhaust is high and open them at night to reduce indoor pollution.
Ban air “fresheners,” spray, plug-in, or wick, from your home. These are laced with phthalates and other chemicals.
Wipe windowsills with a damp cloth and vacuum blinds regularly. Damp-mop tile and vinyl floors and vacuum or dust-mop wood floors regularly, weekly if possible.
Keep any toxic materials that you feel are necessary, such as glues, paints, solvents, and cleaners in a shed or garage—away from your living quarters.
To enhance the air quality when it is very dry, add a humidifier to each bedroom. This can help you sleep better as well as keep your skin, nose, throat, and lips moist, which in turn helps your body be a stronger barrier against dust and germs. Beware of antimicrobial additives in humidifiers; some of these are known to be toxic. Steam humidifiers do not require microbicides. I use a few drops of bleach per gallon of purified water in cool mist humidifiers.
HOW GREEN IS YOUR GARDEN?
For many homes, the lawn and garden are ground zero for the most toxic and obesogenic substances. The same holds true if you live in an apartment or condominium. Some tips:
If you have Roundup or any other synthetic pesticides or herbicides in your garden shed or garage, it is time to get rid of them. Now. There are few more illogical things one can do than spraying herbicides that are probably human carcinogens for purely cosmetic purposes. Would you rather have weeds or cancer? There are also a variety of less toxic organic herbicides that will get rid of weeds without giving you or your dog cancer. Look for ingredients that do not sound like synthetic agrochemicals. Some of the organic herbicides use citric acid, clove oil, cinnamon oil, lemongrass oil, and vinegar.
Adding a thick layer of mulch (such as ground-up cedar bark) on your flower beds and gardens reduces weeds and decreases water use (it also improves the appearance, in my opinion). When mulching to smother or inhibit weeds, do not use plastic or treated products. Instead, cover the soil with organic matter such as compost, bark, natural wood chips, grass clippings, or straw.
While it may seem quick and easy to spray toxic chemicals to kills pest insects, or to use a toxic chemical to kill garden snails, these are bad for you and for the environment. They have unintended consequences on birds and beneficial insects. There are many organic alternatives, such as salt, vinegar, and even beer. Don’t forget the use of beneficial insects you can release into the garden that feast on aphids, mites, caterpillars, and other plant-consuming bugs and are harmless to people, plants, and pets.
Avoid plastic pots and watering cans; choose pottery that is either unglazed or uses lead-free glazes and colors. Remember grandma’s old metal watering can? Get one like it.
Use organic soils, compost, and fertilizers, especially for areas where you are growing plants that you will eat, such as vegetables, fruits, and herbs. If you have the space and time, start your own compost pile to add to your soil (you will find lots of resources online to help you start the perfect compost bins).
Replace your traditional garden hose (that leaches lead, BPA, and phthalate) with an NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) certified, phthalate-free potable water hose. If you can get PVC-free, so much the better.
Organic gardening is easier than you think and is not costly; many of the tools and resources you need are likely already in your own kitchen. Once you have replaced your soils, fertilizers, and pesticides with wholly organic varieties, you will be well on your way to a safer, obesogen-and EDC-free garden. Have a look at the Sustainable Food Trust website for more information and ideas about how you can garden organically and sustainably.183
TOILETRIES, MAKEUP, AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS
When it comes to toiletries, deodorants, soaps, and beauty products—most of which you put on your skin—aim to switch brands when it is time to buy again. While our skin serves as a barrier of sorts to the environment, its primary function is to prevent water loss and help control body temperature. Many chemicals can be absorbed through the skin, going directly into your circulation, bypassing first-pass metabolism in the intestines and reaching much of the body before being metabolized in the liver. Chemicals can also enter the body through other routes. Chemicals in eye makeup, for example, can get into the body through mucous membranes in the eye. Volatile chemicals (fumes) from hair spray, hair dyes, powders, and perfumes can be inhaled into the lungs, where they quickly get into the bloodstream. Lotions, sunscreen included, are absorbed through the skin. Lipstick is easily swallowed, and shampoo can gain entry through the skin and eyes.
Look for the genuine USDA Organic Seal and choose products that are safer alternatives (go to the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database for more information and resources).227 Beware of the word “natural” used on items. Currently, this word is unregulated to the point of being meaningless—it does not guarantee the product contains only natural or organic ingredients. And it bears repeating: Choose products sold in glass rather than plastic whenever you can.
Your first step should be to avoid the following ingredients, many of which are potential EDCs or are otherwise unhealthy:
Triclosan and triclocarban: In 2016, the FDA banned these antimicrobial chemicals from hand and body soaps because they appear to have the potential to disrupt the endocrine system, particularly thyroid hormone signaling, and they were subsequently associated with adverse health effects in humans.228 To my knowledge, this is one of the first examples of a chemical being banned from personal care products for being an EDC. While triclosan and triclocarban have vanished from commercial antibacterial hand soaps, they are still found in a wide variety of personal care and household products such as toothpastes, mouthwashes, facial cleansers, dishwasher soaps, deodorants, and cosmetics. Read the ingredients. Avoid cosmetics and body care products labeled “antibacterial”—remember that your skin has a microbiome that is better not disrupted. Instead of using antibacterial soap, wash your hands with normal soap and warm water. If you use skin disinfectant when it is not feasible to wash, select an unscented alcohol-based product.
Phthalates: Again, this class of chemicals is often added to personal care products to carry fragrances and helps lubricate other substances in the ingredients. It is found in perfumes, hair gels, shampoos, soaps, hair sprays, body lotions, sunscreens, deodorants, and nail polish. Look for the word “phthalate” in the ingredients list (though it can be hidden within the “fragrance” label). Beauty companies are starting to voluntarily remove these compounds from their ingredients and will say so in their marketing.
Parabens: As defined in chapter 1, these chemicals are obesogens due to their effects on the endocrine system. They are used as preservatives in many personal care products. Look for the words “methylparaben,” “ethylparaben,” propylparaben,” “isopropylparaben,” “butylparaben,” and “isobutylparaben” in the list of ingredients. Choose paraben-free products. Often, a company that removes phthalates also removes parabens and will say so on the label (“phthalate-and paraben-free”). During the summer months, be mindful of the types of sunscreens you are using on yourself and/or your children. The EWG keeps a guide to sunscreens that will help you make the best decision. This can be tricky terrain, because “organic” sunscreens can lead to nasty burns if they do not do their job. Just because a sunscreen contains chemicals does not make it a bad sunscreen; but you do not need the parabens and phthalates to create a sunscreen that effectively blocks or filters UV radiation.
A Note About Sodium Lauryl Sulfate:
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), also known as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and its siblings, sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS): There has been a lot of debate in the blogosphere about these chemicals, and it has been claimed that they can be contaminated with cancer-causing solvents such as ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane.xii Sodium lauryl sulfate is a detergent, surfactant, and emulsifier used in thousands of cosmetic products, as well as in industrial cleaners. It is present in nearly all shampoos, hair color and bleaching agents, body washes and cleansers, makeup foundations, liquid hand soaps, and laundry detergents. While technically not an obesogen, it may have other health consequences and can be an irritant and cause skin rashes in some people. If you are sensitive, use caution when buying products with these chemicals and consider switching to cleaners and personal care products with natural soaps in them (made from organic oils) rather than synthetic detergents.
GENERAL HOUSEHOLD GOODS IN BEDROOMS, LIVING ROOMS, AND CLOSETS
I would not expect you to move out of your house after you finish reading this book and embark on a total remodel with new furnishings, striving for a chemical-free home. Having said that, I know at least one writer who moved her entire family to the backwoods of Maine and is living off the grid in an attempt to avoid chemical exposure as much as possible. Here are some general tips to keep in mind for when you are able to implement them:
When refurbishing your home, start with flooring. Carpets, even natural wool carpets, are magnets for dust and whatever toxic chemicals are adhered to them. Go for natural hardwood or ceramic tile for the lowest potential exposure. If you insist on carpets and have pets or small children, it is worthwhile to invest in natural fibers that have not been treated with stain-resistant chemicals. Synthetic carpets can off-gas chemicals for years that can affect the health of sensitive people, so select low VOC products. Hire an expert to remove the old carpet. The padding may contain polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). If you are a do-it-yourselfer, protect your health by using gloves and an air-filtering mask. Vinyl flooring is less desirable than old-fashioned linoleum, which is made from natural ingredients including cork and linseed oil; importantly, linoleum does not contain PVC.
The next time you can invest in a new couch or bed, choose goods made without toxic adhesives and glues (such as those containing formaldehyde), plastics, synthetic wood or particleboard, and treated wood. I realize that it can be difficult, if not impossible in many instances, to know exactly what is in your household goods and furniture because manufacturers will not necessarily disclose their presence (and your salesperson may not know or have full access to such information). This is why it is important to buy from reputable brands that have long-standing track records. Look for a statement on the company website or sales literature that the product is certified to be low in VOCs. Ask for it in writing if you have any doubts. When you see a crazy bargain price that is too good to be true, proceed with caution. My daughter will be very angry when she reads the next statement because she is a devout vegan, but one way to reduce your exposure to chemicals found in furniture padding and stain-resistant treatments is to buy furniture covered with leather. This is largely impermeable to releasing materials from the padding, although you should be cautious about what types of dyes were used to color the leather—choose vegetable-based dyes whenever you can.
Until you are financially prepared to buy a new mattress made from organic materials, the best you can do is purchase a barrier cover made of 100 percent organic cotton or wool. This will not block gases since it is a fabric, but it is better than using a plastic barrier that will itself off-gas. Your next best alternative is to look for a mattress cover made with a specially formulated polyethylene that has been tested and confirmed to block off-gassing and will not off-gas itself. And use hypoallergenic pillows filled with natural fibers such as cotton, wool, or feathers.
When purchasing clothes, fabrics, upholstered furniture, or mattresses, choose items that are free of stain-resistant and water-resistant coatings (and avoid using sprays to make your purchased items stain-resistant and water-resistant/water-repellent). Many of these contain perfluorinated chemicals that are obesogenic and may be hazardous to your health. Avoid reupholstering foam furniture. Try to avoid all foam if you can, though this can be tough. At a minimum, try for foam without flame retardants that are labeled as low or no VOC.
Cleaners are often loaded with chemicals, many of which are linked not only to obesity, but also to cancer, allergies, asthma, and other respiratory ailments. When you buy household detergents, disinfectants, bleaches, stain removers, and so on, select green cleaning products with simple ingredients that have been around forever (for instance, white vinegar, borax, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, soap). Be cautious when you see labels that say “safe,” “nontoxic,” “green,” or “natural,” because as I already mentioned, these terms have no legal meaning. Read labels carefully, identify the ingredients, and pay special attention to warnings. Obviously, you should try to avoid products labeled “poison,” “danger,” or “fatal” if swallowed or inhaled, particularly if you have young children in the house. Avoid anything with the following ingredients: diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, 2-butoxyethanol (EGBE), and methoxydiglycol (DEGME). For more details and product information, EWG is a good place to start.229 You can accomplish a lot with harmless and highly economical ingredients to make your own cleaning products. There are thousands of easy recipes online that use old standard, nontoxic ingredients.
Remember the “fragrance exception.” According to federal law in the United States, the components of any substance labeled as “fragrance” do not need to be disclosed to the EPA, FDA, or any regulatory agency. If you want the inside story about this, rent the movie Stink!, which documents Jon Whelan’s quest to discover whether there may have been chemicals in household products that caused or contributed to the breast cancer that killed his wife at a very young age.230 Note also that one of the industry-favoring characters in the movie, former U.S. congressman from California Cal Dooley, is now president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council—the most prominent chemical industry trade group that works tirelessly to prevent regulations that restrict chemical use.
When looking for a dry cleaner, choose one that uses “green” technology. The main solvent used in conventional dry cleaning, perchloroethylene (or “perc”), has been deemed a hazardous air pollutant by the EPA and when disposed of must be treated as hazardous waste. Green, or non-perc-based, methods are better for you, for the employees of the dry-cleaning plant, and for the environment.
A Note About Flame Retardants:
Chemical flame retardants are common in consumer products. By law, they are added to a wide variety of household items such as furniture, electronics, appliances, mattresses, carpeting, clothing, and even baby products such as car seats, changing table pads, portable crib mattresses, nap mats, and nursing pillows. Flame retardants were required to be added to consumer products as a result of people burning themselves or their children in house fires caused by cigarette smoking. This was well-intentioned but ultimately deleterious to everyone, particularly firefighters, who breathe the toxic smoke these flame retardants produce while they battle fires. You can learn more about the industry-waged campaign to get flame retardants into many consumer goods in Merchants of Doubt, which I mentioned earlier.217 The movie version has a particularly enlightening section about flame retardants. Many flame retardants are known or suspected obesogens, among their other deleterious effects. Worse, rather than remaining confined to the products that contain them, flame retardants migrate out of products and can contaminate house dust, which accumulates on the floor where children play and babies crawl. Flame retardants are nearly impossible to avoid completely, but there are simple precautions you can take to minimize exposure.
Reminder: Use a vacuum cleaner fitted with a HEPA filter.
Replace foam products made before 2005. Older foam items commonly contain PBDEs, highly toxic fire retardants that were taken off the U.S. market. Newer substitutes for those PBDEs, however, may not be any better, so try to buy products totally free of flame retardants.
Choose clothes made from natural fabrics, and always wash new clothes before wearing them. When buying baby and children’s clothing, be extra mindful because children are more sensitive to the effects of chemicals found in flame retardants. Look for clothes specifically labeled as organic or chemical-free.
Another Note About PVC Items:
PVC items, many of which contain obesogenic contaminants, are ubiquitous in most households. Items commonly containing PVC include vinyl flooring and blinds, wallpaper, imitation leather furniture, rain-protective coating (including rain gear), T-shirts with shiny PVC prints, mouse pads, toys, and shower curtains. PVC contains toxic organotins that are often found in house dust, along with many other toxic and obesogenic chemicals.226,231 That quintessential smell of these soft plastics is the off-gassing of phthalates that were added for flexibility. You have to decide how much you need these items and find out if there are alternatives. Balance your risk versus benefit. You probably drive a car, which is risky, but the benefit outweighs the risk. I do not need vinyl shower curtains, window blinds, or floor coverings. When I buy baby gifts for friends, I go with natural materials such as wood and untreated fabrics. Use common sense. Make incremental changes to limit your exposure—and that of your loved ones—and you will be well on your way to a safer, cleaner, leaner environment.
OBVIOUSLY, QUIT THE HABIT
The number of people who smoke has declined in the United States in recent years, at least in part because of the settlement between the Justice Department and big tobacco companies, requiring the latter to educate the public on the dangers of smoking that were deliberately hidden in their pursuit of profits. You should also be aware that smoking still remains among the leading causes of preventable disease and death, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, including more than 41,000 deaths from secondhand smoke exposure (a multimillion-dollar campaign by the tobacco industry attempted to manufacture doubt about the dangers of secondhand smoke).217
Overall, one of every five deaths is attributed to smoking tobacco products. The chemicals in cigarette smoke increases one’s risk not only for lung cancer, but for virtually every other disease imaginable, from heart disease to dementia. On average, nonsmokers outlive smokers by ten years. If you want to really see what smoking does to your lungs, visit one of the Body Worlds exhibitions when it appears in a nearby city.232 This exhibition uses a unique plasticization technique to reveal the intricate and beautiful details of the human body, as well as the blackened, tar-clogged lungs of habitual smokers.
While it should be obvious that smoking is not a healthy habit, few people consider the obesogenic power of this bad habit—especially when a woman smokes during pregnancy. In fact, one of the earliest links between human fetal development and obesity arose from studies of exposure to cigarette smoke in utero.233 Although secondhand smoke exposure has decreased by more than half over the past twenty years, an estimated 40 percent of nonsmoking Americans still have nicotine by-products in their blood, showing that exposure remains widespread.234 Now there is talk about the effects of thirdhand smoke, defined as residual nicotine and other chemicals left on a variety of indoor surfaces by tobacco smoke. This residue, which clings to and builds up on surfaces over time and is not easily wiped away by normal cleaning, is thought to react with common indoor pollutants to create a toxic, cancer-causing mix.
Do not think that if you vape, or use so-called e-cigarettes, you are reducing your risk from inhaled chemicals. At this writing, there are few, if any, regulations on what sorts of chemicals can be in vape or e-cigarettes, so you are in completely unknown, and very likely toxic, territory.
There are numerous smoking cessation programs today, including the use of drugs to wean one off the craving for nicotine. I smoked cigarettes when I was young and kicked the habit in my mid-twenties. I found that while quitting was not overly burdensome, modifying my behavior was very difficult. For me, the hardest time to avoid picking up a cigarette was when having a drink with friends. On the other hand, my dad, who was like a force of nature, was unable to quit smoking despite many attempts and died as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by a lifetime of smoking. Perhaps there is no greater gift to a child than a smoke-free environment beginning with conception and continuing onward.
PHARMACEUTICAL OBESOGENS IN YOUR MEDICINE CABINET
Before we move to the last chapter, let me offer some final words for those who take pharmaceutical drugs that have obesogenic side effects. As noted in chapter 5, many contemporary antidepressants and antipsychotics, for example, can trigger weight gain. While I should hope that future medicines can omit this unwanted side effect, until we have better drugs at our disposal, each of us needs to ask how badly we need these drugs and if there are any other alternatives to try that may not have obesogenic side effects. I do not want to undermine the value—and sometimes necessity—for certain drugs when warranted. But I do want people to be aware of all the potential consequences so they can make informed decisions. Doctors frequently fall far short of disclosing the complete suite of drug side effects (especially if multiple drugs are being prescribed, which is often the case). You will probably learn more about the side effects of various drugs from nightly television ads than from the few minutes you spend with your doctor, or even your pharmacist. Fortunately, you can learn a lot from the Web. I like RxList and WebMD for their discussion of drug side effects. If your doctor prescribes a drug for you that has weight gain as a side effect, you need to ask if there is an alternative that lacks this side effect, or search it out yourself and ask the doctor whether the alternative will accomplish his goals!