Will we someday have to live in a Bubble?

Once again I write about the chemicals in our environment that are destroying our health.

Some we cannot avoid, that is true, but some we use deliberately and don't realize how much harm they are doing to us and those around us.

I am talking about scented candles and oil diffusers.

In the past week, I have been exposed to both and both of them caused me to become ill for several days.

This is what studies have found out about scented candles: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/16/scented-candles-toxic-safer-options_n_7536410.html

 

Tests have proven that the scented candles emit toxic chemicals that are harmful for people with respiratory problems and can cause cancer and other diseases in anyone. Prolonged breathing of these chemicals can bring on serious health problems later on. Many people cannot even go into a candle shop. The problem is the hundreds of chemicals used to make the fragrance. We fool ourselves when we smell cinnamon and spices, and we don't realize that the odor does not come from spices but from petroleum based chemicals.

 

Before WWII fragrances were not made from petroleum. Since the 1950s we have been bombarded with products filled with unsafe elements that we don't even know about. Our laws for this type of thing have not been updated for 80 years! We have become complacent and believe it would not be on the shelf of a retailer if it were not safe. Not!!

 

The only word on the label to indicate the use of chemicals for fragrance is Parfum or fragrance. Nothing tells the buyer what is used to make the parfum or fragrance. It is not flowers or herbs. It is not green and pretty.

 

 

The following is a quote from a Health Nut blogger.

Scented Candles and Air Fresheners Pose Dangerous Health Risks

"I used to love candles, especially in the autumn and winter. If I wasn’t making cookies that day to make the house smell good, lighting a candle was so easy. I even went to and purchased warmers and candle holders from one of those home party companies. However, the more research I did the more I realized that what was being burned off and was then lingering in my home, wasn’t good for me. Researchers are now finding that too.

And it’s not just the candles but those plug-ins, as well. Oh, and don’t forget the aerosol scented cans. Throw them all away- now."

 

Sadly, this blogger went on to recommend using essential oil diffusers instead.

Essential Oils seem to be helpful to some and dangerous to others.

A woman came out of her office to speak to me in another room. Immediately I reacted to an odor that emanated from this friend. 

"What kind of perfume is she wearing?" I thought. I didn't recognize the scent.

 

She left the room and I sat down for the class I was taking. Within a few minutes my head hurt, my eyes itched and would not focus, I felt pressure in my neck, face, sinuses and ears. I knew these symptoms. I was getting sick from the scent that came from the woman I had been talking with.

My friend, Mary Mike, who sat beside me had begun having sneezing episodes. She said to me, "You are having trouble, aren't you?"

"Yes," I said. "I think it was the fragrance that Linda was wearing."

"She has an oil diffuser going in her office all the time."

"That is it! She has that odor of the oil diffuser in her clothes, her hair and on her skin. No wonder I feel bad." That was why I didn't recognize the scent. My reaction lasted for the entire two hours of class. Even after I reached home and was able to breathe clean air, I still suffered the next day.

Linda had just been complaining about her sinuses hurting all the time. I would bet that her sinus problems are from breathing that oily air filled with toxic chemicals she ingests all day long. When sellers of these products tell people that the oils are "good for you" they don't tell the whole story.

 

My niece informs me she uses a lavender essential oil at night to help her sleep. But she says some oils turn her off immediately. I wish everyone who uses the oils would consider that others might not react favorably to a certain oil. One person loves the eucalyptus oil, and I am highly allergic to eucalyptus.
 

If people only used these oils in their own homes, perhaps people like me and many others would not have to leave offices or public buildings to prevent becoming very  ill.  They have become trendy it seems and the public is falling for them hook, line and sinker.

 

If those who use the diffusers all day in an office knew that they carried that oil on their person wherever they go, they might rethink how they use essential oils. Massage therapists who use the oils often smell of those oils for a long time. Like perfume, the oils are ingested through your skin.

A grandmother was keeping her grandson and when she put him to bed at night, he began having a serious asthma attack. He had to go to the hospital and several days later he was sent back to the grandmother. She had cleaned the house and done everything she thought to prevent her grandson from having another asthma attack. But when the boy went to bed, he had another very serious attack and had to go to the emergency room. After much questioning, the grandmother finally told the doctors that before her grandson climbed into bed, she sprayed his sheets and pillows with Febreze. That is what many hotels spray in their rooms to make them "smell better." I have to call ahead and ask hotels not to use these products in the room where I will stay.

Read what a medical doctor said about using essential oils and the oils used in Febreze. 
"it’s not necessarily about an allergic reaction. People with asthma can have airway sensitivity caused by a variety of substances, and a common known trigger is volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are simply carbon-based molecules that diffuse into the air. This is a broad category of chemical that includes many compounds from industrial solvents to plant-based oils, any of which has a potential to trigger asthma.
While it’s true that Febreze has other chemicals in it, their toxic effects are disputable, and far less likely to trigger an asthma exacerbation. My money is on the fragrance."   (italics and bolding  are mine)

When researching for this post, I saw where many people said essential oils triggered asthma attacks rather than helped their asthma. Because of this, I wish more medical offices would not use essential oils where they could affect the general public. And other businesses open to the public should not use the diffusers just because some people like them. About 1/3 of all the people in the United States have serious reactions to synthetic fragrance. The folks selling the oils don't tell that fact.

 

Just because someone says the oils are natural does not mean they are safe for everyone. Due to poor regulations (protections) by the government we are exposed to thousands of chemicals that are not on labels. In many cases it could be the carrier oils or other chemicals used to create the formula you buy off the shelf. No matter how expensive the oils, there are other chemicals in these products that can be unhealthy.

 

It is not recommended that children be exposed to essential oils even though someone on the Internet has suggested parents forego the medications that are proven by long time studies and use the oils that have little if any oversight on their manufacturing and no studies on the use of them for children.

 

I am an advocate for clean indoor air, and I speak out on this subject because if we ignore the health issues caused by the pollution of our environment, if we don't make the effort to learn about what we ingest, what we breathe and put on our skin, our children and our elderly will endure symptoms of illnesses we can't cure or manage. No one wants his/her child to have to live in a "bubble" or have to be homeschooled because of the unclean air in the classroom. That is happening, and I have talked with parents who had to make this decision.

 

Please speak up if you are exposed to use of scented candles, oil diffusers or "air fresheners" in public places.  Our voices are the best tools  we have to make others aware of these dangers.

https://profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com/2013/01/hats-off-to-marriotts-grande-ocean-for.html

https://profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com/2017/04/may-multiple-chemical-sensitivity-month.html

 

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A Visit to Church Made Me Sick

While I have been recovering from back and leg problems, I developed a mean respiratory illness that has sapped my energy. Having multiple chemical sensitivity, I know I can't go to church or any place with tight crowds of people. But I thought I could and should go to a service the Friday before Memorial Day. 

The  fragrances worn by everyone in that church, mostly women, of course, but men also, hit me really hard and by Sunday I was sick. If you are at all familiar with MCS, you know there is no medicine that I can take that will stop the reactions I get from triggers such as perfume. I wore my charcoal lined mask most of the time I was in church, but it only takes a small amount of chemical toxin to set off problems for me and others who have these sensitivities. 

Now I am  taking antibiotics which may be helping a little, but I am not well yet. Over the counter drugs don't help me at all. In fact, the doctor said the nasal spray I used probably worsened my condition. 

I think I get it now. God is telling me to stay out of churches when people are there. 

In a discussion with my niece who is around fifty, we tried to figure who buys perfume and what kind do they use? People my age use the ones they wore when they were young. Young people wear the new fragrances promoted by celebrities, I'm told.  My niece said she nor her friends use perfume on a regular basis. I think my generation was brainwashed to believe they had to layer scents with bath powder, body lotion and  then spray themselves with the same smell so they leave a wave of chemicals in their wake. 

What is amazing to me is how many people I talk with hate the fact that every product we use these days is scented. Have you ever been in a nice restaurant where you are eating a great meal, then pick up your cloth napkin and the smell of laundry detergent or dryer sheets hits you right in the face? Scented Gain or Tide doesn't add to the taste of  your steak, does it? 

My niece said someone she works with insists that before parents come into the day care center where she works, the tables and everything must be wiped down with Clorox. Clorox is a terribly strong chemical that  is not good for anyone, especially children, to breath. The day care worker is not concerned about the germs, but about how the parents will feel about the center. "If they smell Clorox, they immediately think the place is very clean." 

See what the advertisers have done to us? They have brainwashed us into believing that certain smells mean clean. A young man detailed my car and I insisted he only use vinegar and water which will leave no smell in my car. But when he finished he asked, "Do you have anything we can spray in the car to make it smell clean?"

This result of research suggests that over ten million Americans are suffering from MCS. That's a number larger than the population of the state of Michigan in 2010.

We are killing ourselves and especially our children and those with fragile immune systems by dousing our homes and our bodies with petroleum based chemicals. Sadly, the American people think they have to accept it even if they don't like it. But if we quit using those products, we could make a statement. Go to the Environmental Workers Group, a research group that tests the products on the market, EWG.org, and see which products are safe and have the fewest dangerous  chemicals in them.

Save money by using a simple mix of vinegar and water along with plain old baking soda for household cleaning. It cleans as well as anything you purchase in a bottle or box. The odor of the  vinegar dissipates quickly and no harsh chemicals are left on your surfaces. Make  a  cheap but effective laundry detergent with unscented soap, Borax and Washing Soda. I use it  all the time and my clothes are clean with no synthetic odors. Contact me by email, Nightwriter0302@yahoo.com for recipes.

SAFER SUBSTITUTES RECOMMENDED

Did you know that your lipstick and other make up contains formaldehyde?

In my endless search to make life cleaner and less toxic, I saw an article on this site that I want to share. Dr. Philip Landrigan, of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine is quoted. You can read about his specialties online.
The following is only a portion of the article, so I urge you to go there and read the entire post. Among things that cause cancer are the cosmetics we use or personal body care products we use.
This includes the chemicals to make fragrance.

Cosmetics

Your makeup bag and medicine cabinet may be hazardous to your health, containing chemicals that are known carcinogens.
Philip Landrigan, dean of Global Health at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, advises avoiding the “dirty dozen” toxic chemicals in skin care listed in National Geographic’s Green Guide, including:

• Antibacterials
• Formaldehyde
• Hydroquinone
• Mercury
• Lead
• Parabens
• Phenylenediamine
• Coal tar
• Diethanolamine
• 1,4-Dioxane
• Nanoparticles
• Petroleum distillates

According to Landrigan, chemicals belonging to a class called phthalates are among the biggest culprits in beauty products because they mimic the action of our natural hormones. Phthalates such as dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and diethyl phthalate (DEP) are used in beauty products as “plasticizers,” to harden nail polish, help hair spray adhere to the hair, and fix scent in perfumes. 
Phthalates are also found in the flexible plastic bottles in which shampoo, lotion, and other beauty products are stored, and they can leach into the contents.

Another of the worst offenders is lipstick, which may contain lead, known to cause numerous health problems, including cancer.

In response to a public health effort by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, the FDA recently conducted two separate investigations testing lipsticks for lead, and the results were pretty scary.
Lead was detected in every single one of the lipsticks tested, and not in small amounts. The first FDA test revealed lead levels up to 3.06 ppm (parts per million), and the second test found lead levels up to 7.19 ppm.

Safer substitute: The generic term “fragrance” can cover a lot of chemical additives; choose fragrance-free products or fragrances made from botanical ingredients. Natural skin care and beauty companies sell natural and organic skin care lines that list their ingredients transparently and are free of phthalates, heavy metals such as lead, and other toxic chemicals.

The above information came from:
http://blackdoctor.org/13764/everyday-things-that-cause-cancer