Why Is Clean Living So Important?

During my family’s personal journey, I accumulated important information that served as motivation to help me to make the necessary changes in our life. I discovered that since World War II and the Industrial Revolution, over 80,000 chemicals have been added into our convenient consumer products (cheap or expensive) that we use everyday in the U.S. But here’s the shocking fact: Approximately 90% of these chemicals have never been independently tested for safety on human health.

I, like many Americans, assumed that the chemicals in my shampoos, detergents, and other consumer products have been thoroughly tested and proven to be safe. My assumption was unfortunately wrong. Unlike pharmaceuticals or pesticides, industrial chemicals do not have to be tested before they are put on the market.

It was so disappointing to learn that we are basically unknowing guinea pigs to the chemical industry. Only when a lawsuit or independent agency comes along that publicly proves something is actually unsafe will consumers become more aware of what to avoid—at the very least. Yet even then, a known toxic chemical isn’t necessarily banned or regulated. For example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only restricted the use of approximately 30 ingredients in personal care and cosmetic products. By comparison, the Canadian government has banned or restricted around 600 ingredients and the European Union has banned over 1,400. There is also no regulatory body like the FDA that is actively regulating the makers of our consumer products and the chemicals that they are using in their products.

80,000 chemicals have been added into our convenient consumer products (cheap or expensive) that we use everyday in the U.S. But here’s the shocking fact: Approximately 90% of these chemicals have never been independently tested for safety on human health.

In 2016, a new bill was signed, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. This bill marked the first overhaul in 40 years to the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, the nation’s main law governing toxic chemicals. However, under the new bill’s specifications, it could quite frankly take centuries for the EPA to test all the unregulated chemicals, if it is still currently a priority for the EPA.

The EPA has also previously reported that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids can be 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside, regardless of whether the homes were located in rural or highly industrial areas. “A growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Other research indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Thus, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.” [1]

With cancer, allergies, reproductive issues, child development disorders, and so many other chronic health issues continually on the rise in record numbers, we must consciously ask ourselves what is being introduced into our environment and our bodies that is contributing to the alarming statistics today?

WHAT DOES CLEAN LIVING MEAN FOR YOU? - LEARN MORE