For those of us who defied the Surgeon General’s warning on the cigarette package for all those years…. We all know,  how valid the warning was and still is.

And now,  research has proven that many products that families are using in our homes around their children and family, can be detrimental to their health.

In a report from the NIEHS (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences), the following statement pretty much sums up what all the research is saying:

Children are highly vulnerable to the negative health consequences associated with many environmental exposures. Children receive proportionately larger doses of environmental toxicants than adults, and the fact that their organs and tissues are rapidly developing makes them particularly susceptible. Research in children’s health looks at the effects of air pollution on respiratory diseases such as allergies and asthma, the impact of lead, mercury, and other environmental contaminants on cognitive development and behavior, and the influence of prenatal and early life exposures on growth and development.

So, what’s stopping you from making the switch over to greener and cleaner products in your home? Money, convenience, not knowing what products are safe to use? I’ve prepared a little survey about these issues and would appreciate each reader taking it for me. It should take less than 5 minutes to complete it!

There are many reputable brands of non-toxic cleaning products available on the market, besides the ones that I distribute. For most of them, it’s fairly easy to find out what the ingredients are and if any of them, can pose some type of health hazard to your family. Two of the websites that I most commonly refer to are:

Environmental Working Group – www.ewg.org

US Dept of Health & Human Services – http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov

You can also obtain a free report that lists many of the commonly used household cleaners and their ingredients by going to: www.4greenplanetsolutions.com. There’s an excellent video called Toxic Brew on that webpage, that talks more about the unseen exposures right in our homes.

Besides the retail products, you already have some natural products right in your cupboard; vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. There are numerous online resources with suggestions of how to dilute and use these products.

Make it a greener and cleaner summer. The changes may very well make a positive health and financial impact to your family. If, you just don’t know where to start, feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but love the chance to research and find them !!