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> Chemicals That Can Cause Sickness, in our furbabies and us
Furkidlets' Mom
post Dec 10 2007, 06:34 PM
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Group: Pet Lovers
Posts: 1,208
Joined: 21-June 05
From: Canada
Member No.: 961



Potentially dangerous chemicals are everywhere today. I'd just tried searching in Petsmart for some safe alternatives to the usual (dangerous & even often cruelty-based, animal by-product....think feathers, leather, fur) cat toys, and out of the hundreds there, found only one (some balls) which used non-toxic materials and dyes. Most, while distributed from other countries, very often the U.S., are still made in China....not the cleanest nor most animal-friendly place in the world, as we've recently seen. But our own countries aren't models of safety, either. This is why I most often MADE my own cat toys, so I'd know better what was in the materials.

So when this e-letter came today, I wondered if others know as much about the lurking dangers in common substances and products in the home as I've learned over the years.....including toys, furniture, and other things we use for our beloved babies. So in the interest of education, I'm posting this information here so everyone can learn what we might need to avoid or eliminate from our households, as best we can. Naturally, when our animals are getting sick at record rates, just as humans are, we need to become more aware of all that may be causing this. Think of all the things our animals put in their mouths, are exposed to in their home's air or pick up on their feet and bodies, inside or out.....and often then lick off.

As well, if I re-find the website I'd come across this year that sells only very safe toys for cats (and maybe dogs, too?), I'll post that later, too. I also noted, as usual, the horrid animal testing that's been done in the name of science, and not even really in the name of safety, as these products still 'passed', right into the market place. We can't avoid them all, but we can minimize some of the worst ones.
This is an e-letter from Al Sears, M.D. Read on about all-too-common chemicals....

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Your body absorbs them through the skin and soft tissue membranes of the eyes, nose, mouth, throat, and lungs. Manufacturers use these chemicals in literally thousands of plastic products because they make it clear, soft, and durable.

Two of the worst pthalates (pronounced “thall–ates”) and bisphenol-A are hormone-like chemicals called “endocrine disruptors.” For instance, they can fool your body into thinking they’re estrogen, the female hormone.

They can cause severe and irreversible physical deformities in animal studies, especially in the developing reproductive systems of young males. Some of these included undescended testes, malformed or undeveloped genitals or prostate glands, reduced sperm counts, and even permanent damage to the nervous system.

These things spell trouble…

What To Look For In Your Home
So what should you look out for? This is an easy answer.

Since World War II, manufacturers and chemical companies have introduced about 72,000 new chemicals into everything from carpets and cleaners to medical equipment. Less than 2% of them have been studied for potential health problems.

It takes time to figure out how dangerous these chemicals are. And there are no incentives for companies to do that. Studies show that we’re now at a point where the average home contains 62 toxic chemicals.

Here’s a shortlist of some of the most dangerous household chemicals my Wellness Research Foundation has identified over the years. They’re in more places than you’d think: your kitchen, your living room, your bathroom, your bedroom, and your children’s playroom.

Chemical Products / Found In / Health Hazard
Poly-brominated flame retardants. Pajamas, furniture, crib linings, bedding, carpeting, consumer electronics / Cancer
Perfluorinated chemicals. Water and stain repellents, non-stick cookware / Liver, thyroid, and nerve damage
Bisphenol A. Water bottles, plastic food containers and food packaging, baby bottles, dental fillings / Prostate cancer, birth defects, reproductive abnormalities, brain damage
Pthalates. Toys, rattlers, teethers, car interiors, medical devices such as tubing, catheters, intravenous bags / Infertility, sterility, genital defects, reproductive cancers. (note from me: if your baby needs sub-cu. fluids, never allow the vet clinic to pre-warm the fluids in the microwave, as some do, as this will leach even more of these chemicals into the fluids, and directly into your baby's bloodstream. Have them simply soak the fluid bag in some warm water instead. (here, we can only do what we can, as glass I.V. containers are pretty much non-existent)
Lindane / Pesticides Breast and other cancers
Limonene, pinene. Perfumes, cosmetics, lotions, soaps and other scented products. / Cancer
Perchloroethylene. Dry cleaning. / Cancer
Formaldehyde. Home insulation / Cancer
Glyphosphate. Pesticide found in many foods / Organ damage, sore throat, intestinal bleeding

Even Babies Found to Carry Toxins
The presence of so many chemicals in nearly everything in our lives has led to a new science called “bio-monitoring.” What it means is simple: we’re trying to figure out which chemicals the body absorbs, and what effects they might have on health.

So far, the news isn’t good. One group of government experts estimated that the average American is carrying around 700 chemicals in their bodies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention screened 2,500 Americans for 148 different toxic chemicals. They found amounts of all of them in the bloodstreams of everyone tested.

Even newborn infants are loaded with trace amounts of these poisonous substances. The CDC found an average of over 200 chemicals in the tissue of newborns, including flame retardants, pesticides, and the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) a cancer-causing agent used in non-stick cookware. (note from me: these chemicals are even released into the air when this cookware is heated to a certain, common cooking heat level)

Many of these enviro-toxins cause cancer. Others have been linked to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease. If you suffer from unexplained symptoms like chronic asthma, coughing fits, nose bleeds, or even flu-like symptoms, there may be a connection to these “everywhere chemicals.”

Because so many of them penetrate the skin and the soft tissues of your body, it’s hard to keep track of which one might be causing a particular health problem. It’ll be years before we have all the information, simply because of the sheer number of “everywhere chemicals” out there.

I’ve always known that the rising rates of prostate cancer in this country are at least in part caused by these “endocrine disruptors” driving down testosterone and causing prostate cells to grow.

Ten Steps to Take Right Now
You have to do your best with the information we currently have. Here are 10 things you can do right now to help protect yourself and your family:

Use only stainless steel, glass, or cast iron in the kitchen. Avoid plastic cooking utensils and all “non-stick” cookware.

Never store food in plastic containers. Remove plastic wrapping from foods immediately.

Buy toys made of natural materials – wood is best.

Don’t let your child chew on plastic teethers, rattles, or pacifiers. Buy glass baby bottles and use them with care rather than risk exposing your children to plastic.

Look for clothing, bedding, carpeting and furnishings made from unprocessed, natural fibers whenever possible.
Don’t use stain-repellents like “Scotch Guard.”

Choose cleaning products that specifically use natural ingredients only. Many health food stores carry them these days. Or you can buy them on line. (note from me: but still read the labels as even many of these carry warnings)

Avoid bleached paper products – these contain chlorine, a noxious chemical that irritates the eyes and lungs.

Buy a water filter. Most municipal water systems have toxic substances, including chlorine, which has also been linked to colon cancer.

Go organic. There are fewer pesticides in organic foods. If that’s not an option, wash produce thoroughly or remove the skins. And with meat, trim the fat off. That’s where a lot of enviro-toxins are stored.

Purify the air in your home with plants. They absorb a lot of potentially poisonous gases and replace them with oxygen. (note from me: but make sure any plants you may keep aren't toxic to your animals)


--------------------
"I dropped a tear in the ocean. The day you find it is the day I will stop missing you."

[center]~Anonymous~


<div align="center">"Not flesh of my flesh, Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute,
You didn't grow under my heart - but in it"[/center]

~Fleur Conkling Heylinger~


>^..^< >^..^< >^..^< >^..^< >^..^<


"For one species to mourn the death of another is a noble thing"

~Aldo Leopold~

<span style='font-size:9pt;line-height:100%'>Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage. ~Sri Aurobindo

Spay now or pay later, the interest is killing us.


</span></div>
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