THE ILLUSION OF SAFE

You might say to yourself, “Well, if something is harmful to me, then it will be listed on the product’s warning label. We also have government organizations that regulate the chemicals going into our household products and foods.” The problem is that not all ingredients that are harmful are listed as active ingredients. Furthermore, organizations such as the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) can only approve products AFTER they emerge on store shelves.

Cory McKee is a 27-year old mother who was made aware of environmentally safe products through her daughter’s celiac sprue disease.  Though celiac sprue is not a toxin-related illness, the diagnosis prompted Cory to look into health topics.  She no longer uses chemically- based cleaning products since she found that the products did not list all their ingredients and she did not understand those that were included.  She found that the ingredients on environmentally safe products were familiar and safer for her family.

Warning labels do not tell us the possible long-term affects that inhalation causes with the product’s use.

Warning labels are required for products containing known carcinogens and or harmful ingredients if ingested or inhaled. However, they do not tell us the possible long-term affects that inhalation causes with the product’s use. They don’t tell us that the very ingredients necessary to kill germs or remove odors are the same chemicals that can cause our immune systems harm when absorbed or inhaled. These warning labels do not say that reactions, inflammation, irritation and illness can last anywhere from a year to several years. And they don’t list all of the ingredients or chemicals used in the product; so supposedly inactive ingredients that can cause a reaction are not visible for consumer review and awareness.

Most product labels will acknowledge potential “minor” irritations, but these may include skin and eye irritations that can progress if not cared for immediately. Minor chemical reactions can also trigger diseases such as Reactive Airway Dysfunction System (RADS) or Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS).

Barbara is from Queensland, Australia. Thirty years ago she and her husband ran a Pest Control business for 18 months. During that time she was exposed to a range of chemicals and pesticides classified by the government as safe to use. However, she gave birth to her child six weeks prematurely after the exposures and believes the pesticides were a contributing factor. Yet Barbara also began to see a decline in her health over the next twenty years including extreme sensitivity to perfumes and fragrances, migraine headaches and fibromyalgia. She made many visits to many doctors and discovered that she had become chemically sensitive. Her immune system had become weakened after continued exposure to irritants. As a result, she had to remove many of the chemical cleaners from her home and products containing perfumes and fragrances. Barbara continues to struggle with the health challenges brought on by prolonged chemical exposure.17

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