CREATE A safer AND HEALTHY HOME KNOW
YOUR ABC’S
      INDOOR POLLUTION     
By Dr. Joyce M. Woods

Dr. Joyce Woods worked as a medical/surgical nurse, public health nurse, nurse educator, nursing school administrator, occupational health consultant.  She holds Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of  Arts (Specialist), Master of Education degrees, and has completed her doctoral degree in the area of  “Indoor Air Pollution, and ...it's effect on your health"

1. Begin by thinking of your home as a toxic waste dump. The average home today  contains  62 toxic chemicals -  more than a chemistry lab at the turn of  the century.

2. More than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced since WW II.

3. Less than 2% of synthetic chemicals have been tested for toxicity, mutagenic, carcinogenic, or birth defects.

4. The majority of chemicals have never been tested for long-term effects.

5. An EPA survey concluded that indoor air was 3 to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air.

6. Another EPA study stated that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.

7. CMHC reports that houses today are so energy efficient that "outgassing" of    chemicals has no where to go, so it builds up inside the home.

8. We spend 90% of our time indoor, and 65% of our time at home. Moms, infants  and the elderly spend 90% of  their time in the home.

9. National Cancer Association released results of a 15 year study concluding that women who work in the home are at a 54% higher risk of developing cancer than women who work outside the home.

10. Cancer rates have almost doubled since 1960.

11. Cancer is the Number ONE cause of death for children.

12. There has been a 26% increase in breast cancer since 1982. Breast cancer is the Number ONE killer of women between the ages of 35 and 54. Primary suspects are laundry detergents, household cleaners and pesticides.

13. There has been a call from the U.S./ Canadian Commission to ban bleach in North America. Bleach is being linked to the rising rates of breast cancer in women, reproductive problems in men and learning and behavioral problems in children.

14. Chemicals get into our body through inhalation, ingestion and absorption.

15. We breathe 10 to 20 thousand liters of air per day.

16. There are more than 3 million poisonings every year. Household cleaners are the Number ONE cause of  poisoning of children.

17. Since 1980, asthma has increased by 600%. The Canadian Lung Association and      Asthma  Society of Canada identify common household cleaners and cosmetics as triggers.

18. ADD/ADHD are epidemic in schools today. Behavioral problems have long been linked to exposure to toxic chemicals and molds. Use of Ritalin has skyrocketed since 1990.

19. Chemical and environmental sensitivities are known to cause all types of headaches.

20. Labeling laws do not protect the consumer -  they protect big business.

21. The New York Poison Control Center reports that 85% of product warning labels were either inadequate or incorrect for identifying a poison, and for first aid instructions.

22. Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene, toluene, xylene are found in common household cleaners, cosmetics, beverages, fabrics and cigarette smoke.  These chemicals are cancer causing and toxic to the immune system.

23. Chemicals are attracted to, and stored in fatty tissue. The brain is a prime target for these destructive organics because of its high fat content and very rich blood supply.

24. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has found more than 2500 chemicals in cosmetics that are toxic, cause tumors, reproductive complications, biological mutations and skin and eye irritations.

25. Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, circulatory disorders, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and hormonal problems are diseases commonly related to chemical exposure.

26. Pesticides only have to include active ingredients on the labels, even though the inert (inactive) ingredients  may account for 99%, many of which are toxic and poisons.