Are one of the reasons so many people are developing asthma is because of the cleaning products we use?

In the last ten years, many of my friends and their family have been diagnosed with asthma.  I ask you why is asthma on a rise?  Why are many people developing asthma?  There are at least three or four kids every year in my children’s elementary classes who suffer from asthma.

Why am I telling you this because I want you to understand that it does not matter what age; you can develop asthma at any age.

Now, the big question, “Why?” I will tell you.

The air inside your home is an extension of your lungs. You eat approximately two to three pounds of food per day, drink about three pounds of liquid, and breathe 15 pounds of air. You can live 40 days without food, three days without water, but only three minutes without air.

Whatever you eat passes through your digestive system enabling your body to separate nutrients and waste material. Your lungs are not capable of doing this type of function.  They have no such defensive system.  What you breathe goes directly into the bloodstream. It is carried by the use of the blood to every cell in the body.

Research from organizations have stated that the poor air quality in our homes is so serious, that this maybe one of the reasons for the rise of asthma in our society.  Our indoor air quality is the most significant environmental issue, which we have to face now and into the next decade.

Research has stated that the worst air pollution is inside our homes. A five-year study, done by the EPA, showed that many homes had chemical levels that were 70 times higher than that of the air outside. In fact, they reported that cleaning and personal care products, commonly found in every home are three times more likely to cause asthma than air-born pollutants. It is estimated that 1,500 hazardous substances find their way into a typical home.

Top environmental organizations have stated that their studies concluded thousands of people get asthma each year and it is caused by indoor air pollutants. A scientific study was also done that revealed that because of homemakers has a 55% higher risk of asthma than men and women working outside the home.

The tragedy is that children are the most susceptible to this toxic environment. Children's respiratory rates are three times higher than adults are; therefore, they inhale and absorb three times the amount of toxic cleaning supplies. Maybe this is why asthma in children is on a rise also in many countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Our home, which ought to be a haven of safety for our children, has become a dangerous environment. Since 1960, there has been an 80% increase in respiratory problems amongst children. For many of these children, inhalers have become an enduring part of their lives. A temporary protection against foreseeable tragedy!

We go to the store to purchase cleaning supplies with the notion that their safe and they’re going to kill the germs in our home and make our home sparkle.  When we go to the store to get our cleaning supplies we buy our laundry detergent, shampoos, and dish soap, believing them to be safe; not realizing that we are bring toxic poisons into our homes that could be deadly in the long-run.

Formaldehyde is in almost everything you use in your home, from toothpaste to laundry soap. It is used as a preservative. Nine billion pounds are produced every year. Medical organizations recently told the pubic media that there is such a high degree of formaldehyde in our bodies that, when we die, we no longer decay.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health warned the public that formaldehyde should be handled with caution. It is suspected of causing many different medical issues such as:

·         Birth defects

·         Genetic damage

·         Headaches

·         Joint pain

·         Chest pains

·         Depression

·         Ear infections

·         Chronic fatigue

·         Dizziness

·         Loss of sleep

Here are some examples of cleaners commonly found in homes.

Dishwashing Detergent

Dishwashing detergents have caused more household poisonings than any other cleaning product in the home. Nearly all dishwashing detergents contain naphtha, a fuel used in camping stoves. Naphtha is a central nervous system depressant. Other high-tech cleaning agents included are diethanolsamine, which is a liver poison, and chlorophenylphenol, which is a toxic metabolic stimulant. Chlorine is a poison present in nearly all dishwashing detergents. When washing your dishes, these chemicals are being released into your breathing space. 

Air Fresheners

Were you aware that air fresheners can damage nerves or they can coat your mucus membranes with an oily film, hindering your natural ability to smell? The fresh air in a can may be able to fool humans but you will notice your pets wisely running for cover.

Tub and Tile Cleaners

On the back of Tile Power, there is a warning, Use in well-ventilated areas. When have you been in a well-ventilated bathroom? This product is not recommended for people with heart conditions or chronic respiratory problems. They go on to warn, avoid prolonged inhalation of fumes. Yet, on the front of the container, in bold attractive lettering, it proclaims, NEW FRESH SCENT. While enjoying the new fresh scent, you are being killed by the sodium hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide. Tile cleaners commonly contain ammonia and ethanol. Many people have complained of dizziness and nausea in using these powerful chemically spiked cleaners.

Laundry Soap

What is on your clothes goes into your skin.  It has a known fact.  Skin is a semipermeable membrane and is the largest organ of the body. Nicotine patches reveal how absorbent our skin is. If it is on your skin, it is in your bloodstream. Phosphorus, ammonia, napthaleaene and phenol, which are deadly poisons, are found in most laundry soaps. Some companies have proclaimed their products environmentally safe because they use enzymes. Enzymes have been considered a miracle-cleaning agent. They direct the natural, cleaning ability of water to protein. This enables water to suspend dirt with great effectiveness. Yet enzymes are unable to detect a dirt protein from the protein in your skin and mucus membranes. Serious inflammation can result from breathing enzyme particles into the nasal passages and lungs. Clothes washed in enzymes can cause inflamed spots or rashes on the skin.

Fabric Softeners

Fabric softeners use an oily residue to cut down on static cling. Because it is not washed or rinsed from the clothes, a high concentration of toxins remains next to your skin and is being continuously absorbed into the bloodstream. Ammonia propellants and powerfully, strong synthetic fragrances can cause irritation, stuffy noses and watery eyes.

Oven Cleaners

I cannot tell you how many times I had to leave the house after using an oven cleaner because I started choking and coughing like crazy.  Head in oven, holding our breath, squinting because of the fumes, we spray a toxic film where we cook supper. Holding our breath is no solution since the toxic vapors will linger in the house for over three months. Bet you did not know they stood in your homes for that long.  Imagine what is going into our food when we cook.  Until recently, there has been little choice in improving the air quality of the home. There are now natural cleaning products that produce safe, environmentally friendly cleaning products.  This is why global warming has become such a major issue.  We are destroying the planet and we are killing ourselves.  Change is good.  It is time to change our cleaning products.  It is time to use natural cleaning products.