Carcinogens are lurking in each and every corner of your homes. Beware ...

“House-proud women with spotless bathrooms could be twice as likely to get breast cancer,” reported The Sun . This article was based on a case control study funded by The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and published in a peer reviewed journal Environmental Health in 2010.
Almost 10 years have passed since the publication and the number of household chemicals being used in our houses have exponentially increased since then. They are present in each and every rooms of our houses .Indiscriminate use of these chemicals or using them for longer duration than advised can have serious health issues and many of them are known to cancer causing “ carcinogen”.

Details of various chemicals used every day in our houses are

1. Laundry detergents
2. All-purpose cleaners.
   There are numerous "all-purpose" cleaning products on the market. These products usually contain detergents, grease-cutting agents, solvents and/or disinfectants. The specific chemicals in these ingredients include ammonia, ethylene glycol monobutyl acetate, sodium hypochlorite and/or trisodium phosphate. Depending on the ingredients used, all-purpose cleaners can irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat.
3. Detergents for washing utensils
4. Insecticides used in our garden
5. Batteries in our garages
6. Rug/ upholstery cleaners
7. Moth balls
8. Food dye
9. Air fresheners

So what is present in these every day useful things that makes it carcinogenic?
The constituents of the above mentioned daily products which make them carcinogenic are as follows

1. Formaldehyde the most common preservative used in hand wash, body wash and room spray.
2. Glycophosphate – Most common herbicide which is being used indiscriminately to increase production of agriculture products. It is probably present in almost all of the plants and vegetables which are not produced organically.
3. 1-4 Dioxane – one of the most common emulsifier used in soaps and body care products
4. Styrene – a common ingredient of artificial fresheners/ fragrance
5. Lead – used as colouring agents e.g. Lipstick
6. Benzene – Adhesive and degreasers
7. PVC – used in toys and shower curtains

So what is the way out ?
The answer lies in living close to nature and using natural products in our day to day use as far as possible. The indiscriminate use of chemicals in our houses should be restricted. There are lot of natural products which can be used in lieu of the above mentioned chemicals.