- The following information is intended to help you make
an informed decision about the types of household cleaning products you
choose to use for yourself and your families.
- You are what you eat, digest and absorb. What you absorb
includes what is absorbed through inhalation and the skin, which happens
to be the largest organ of the body. When the liver is overworked, the
skin takes over with the elimination of toxins. Unfortunately, many toxins
are not that easy to eliminate.
- Since WWII more than 80,000 synthetic chemicals have
been invented. Most have been created from petroleum and coal tar for the
purposes of chemical warfare. The sad thing is that hardly any of these
substances have been tested for safety, but have been added to our food,
water and cleaning products without our consent and most often without
informing us of any dangers. There is a lot of intentional suppression
in this industry that adds approximately 1000 new chemicals each year.
- According to the National Research Council, "no
toxic information is available for more than 80% of the chemicals in everyday-use
products. Less than 20% have been tested for acute effects and less than
10% have been tested for chronic, reproductive or mutagenic effects."
More than 4.5 billion chemicals are known and 50,000 are commercially distributed.
Whatís worse is that tests are only done on single chemicals. There
is never any testing done on combinations, which weíre exposed to
on a daily basis. Imagine what your lifetime exposure is.
- It requires a team of scientists, 300 mice, more than
$300,000 US, and 2-3 years to determine whether one single suspect chemical
causes cancer. These mice have much higher immune systems than we do. Governments
are at the mercy of economic agendas. Industry interests almost always
win over issues regarding health or government regulation. Only 1% of toxins
are required to be listed on labels. This is mainly because the products
donít make any claims about safety. Companies can also classify
them as "trade secrets" to avoid listing them. Many of the ingredients
labelled "inert" are actually more toxic than the active ingredients.
If you donít know what it is, donít use it.
- The chemical companies spend billions of dollars each
year brainwashing us. Ninety-one percent of the population applies 300-million
pounds of these poisons annually, often indoors. City dwellers use more
chemicals per acre than farmers and spend more than $1 billion annually.
- The first agent of chemical warfare was chlorine. The
war ended with an abundance of this cheap chemical. In the name of huge
profits, it was added to our water supply and many other products. Chlorine
is the number one cause of breast cancer and can be lethal. Scientists
wonít handle chlorine without protective gloves, facemasks, and
ventilation, yet it is in most store-brand cleaners, including dishwasher
detergents. The harmful effects are intensified when the fumes are heated,
as in the shower. Itís in our drinking water, swimming pools, Jacuzzis,
- Fluoride is worse, but space limits its discussion here.
Do your own research and avoid it. Itís one of the biggest scams
of all time. It has no benefits whatsoever. Itís extremely poisonous!
- Most household cleaners contain toxic chemicals. Ammonia
is in almost all of them and is lethal if combined with bleach (forming
chloramine). Industry requires readily accessible information about chemicals
used in the workplace that includes the effects of combining chemicals.
The main manual, Workplace Hazardous Materials Identification System (WHMIS),
contains Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Have a look at this manual.
You may be surprised at how dangerous some products are that you use, unsuspectingly,
in your home on a regular basis.
- The government acknowledges that these cleaning products
are hazardous, but regulation only requires labels to indicate if they
are: combustible, corrosive, poison, caution, etc.
- One Million poisonings in Canada each year are due to
household cleaner ingestion. Some are fatal. The #1 cause of household
poisoning is dish detergent. What kinds of chemicals are in those products?
These statistics were given before the recent hype over anti-bacterials,
which are even worse.
- Certain types of bacteria are necessary and beneficial.
They eat decaying debris and keep the "bad" bacteria in balance.
Nature is always safest and was never intended to destroy, like chemicals
- Each time you wash your dishes, some residue is left
on them. The residue accumulates with each washing. Your food picks up
part of the residue -- especially if your meal is hot ñ and you
- Dishwashing liquids are labelled "harmful if swallowed."
Most contain Naphtha, a CNS depressant, diethanolsamine, a liver poison,
and/or chlorophenylphenol, a toxic metabolic stimulant. Do you want to
be using harmful products to clean dishes that you and your family are
going to be eating off of?
- A few times I unsuspectingly used anti-bacterial soap
while visiting and suffered from side effects each time. They include:
rough, dry hands, a feeling in my nose as if it had been sanded with coarse
sand paper until raw, and the strong smell of ammonia. These effects lasted
at least 20 hours after exposure.
- Washing your hands with cold water inhibits the spread
of bacteria and germs. Hot water encourages growth of unwanted organisms.
But in most cases, the bacteria are much safer than the chemicals used
to kill them. You can use plain vodka or vinegar as a disinfectant if you
are uncomfortable using payphones, washrooms, shopping carts, etc. in public
places. Remember, people are organisms.
- I spilt some Brand X dish soap on the grass, which I
immediately soaked with water until there were no more suds. About a week
later the grass was dead. If it kills the grass, what is it doing to us?
- Many household products contain harmful chemicals. For
example, formaldehyde is in almost all cleaning products, including laundry
detergents, toothpaste and shampoo.
- Laundry detergents contain phosphorus, enzymes, ammonia,
naphthalene, phenol, sodium nitilotriacetate and countless others. These
chemicals can cause rashes, itches, allergies, sinus problems and more.
The residue left on your clothes, bed sheets, etc. is absorbed through
your skin, as is everything else you touch. Thus, the success and popularity
of transdermal patches. Donít fall prey to the bombardment of advertisements
strongly suggesting that you absolutely need these products. You donít,
but their profit margins do. If declining health is what you desire, use
- Disinfectants are usually phenol- or cresol-based and
deactivate sensory nerve endings. They attack the liver, kidneys, spleen,
pancreas, and the central nervous system (CNS) and it takes over a year
to eliminate the unhealthy effects of spraying 2 ounces, even with heavy
- Oven cleaners are one of the most toxic products people
use. They contain lye and ammonia, which eat the skin, and the fumes linger
and affect the respiratory system. Then thereís the residue thatís
intensified the next time you turn your oven on. Use sea salt and baking
- Air fresheners interfere with your ability to smell by
releasing nerve-deadening agents or coating nasal passages with an oil
film, usually methoxychlor, a pesticide that accumulates in fat cells and
over-stimulates the CNS. Dryer sheets fall into this category. They are
extremely toxic. Avoid them. (The only reason you require fabric softeners
is because the chemicals in laundry soap create the static. It may take
several washings with chemical free detergents to eliminate the chemical
residue static. Your patience will be well rewarded.) Some other common
ingredients include: P-dichlorobenzene, naphthalene and formaldehyde. Fresh,
organic citrus juices, vinegar, spices, and essential oils will do a better
job, risk free.
- Pesticides are dangerous. They are responsible for asthma,
bronchitis, eczema, migraines, death, hives, joint and muscle pain for
16 million people in this country and the numbers are growing. Antibiotics
are pesticides. You may be surprised to find out just how many everyday
products contain pesticides, such as toothpaste and shampoo. Most public
buildings are sprayed with pesticides on a regular basis. Donít
count on your doctor to inform you of this. Medication and treatment for
the effects of these chemicals is a very lucrative business. Doctors serve
the pharmaceutical/chemical industry, not you.
- Pesticides are the #2 cause of death by poisoning in
this country. They can linger for more than 30 years. Inhalation can lead
to nausea, cough, breathing difficulties, depression, eye irritation, dizziness,
weakness, blurred vision, twitching, convulsions and more. They are stored
in body fat. Long-term they damage liver, kidneys, lungs, and lead to paralysis,
sterility, immune suppression, brain haemorrhages, decreased fertility,
sexual dysfunction, heart problems and coma. Diazanon is a carcinogen,
teratogen (serious birth defects), mutagen (genetic damaging) and it causes
death. Pests are not life threatening.
- Flea collars are pesticides and release a continuous
supply to the pet. In addition to the great harm caused to your pet, it
is absorbed through your skin every time you touch your pet. Leave your
pet a dish of brewerís yeast; it will instinctively eat it as needed
and repel fleas naturally. Please donít let the vet turn your pet
into a drug addict because of chemical exposure and unnecessary vaccines.
- Lice shampoo is a pesticide and is absorbed into the
brain. Lindane, the main ingredient, causes convulsions, seizures, cancer
and death. You can use your favourite shampoo several times a day, every
day. The lice will be gone in less than a week. Lice are not dangerous.
- Regular shampoos contain harsh chemicals. Baby shampoos
advertised as gentle and "no tears" contain some of the worst
chemicals, including anesthetizing agents to cover up the burning sensation
that would otherwise be caused when the chemicals contact the eyes. Imagine
what effect these agents have on the eyes and brain, especially after repeated
- Sodium laurel sulfate and other forms of this substance
lower brain acuity and attribute to blindness, yet they are commonly used
in shampoos, toothpastes and other personal hygiene products.
- Everything that touches your scalp is absorbed into your
brain first, so think twice before choosing to bleach, dye, or perm your
hair. Use natural alternatives, if you must.
- Effects of these toxic chemicals include: illness, allergies,
asthma, ear infections, learning disabilities, nervous disorders, respiratory
difficulties and more. The American Cancer Society stated "environmental
pollution causes cancer, Alzheimerís, Parkinsonís, coughing,
asthma, nervous disorders, emphysema, wheezing, nasal congestion, burning
eyes, headache, burning, tingling, skin flushing, muscle aches, irritability,
mental confusion, unco-ordination, hyperactivity and other debilitating
- The EPA depends on industry-sponsored tests for approval.
In 1981, one company was found guilty of falsifying over 90% of more than
2000 studies. Those products are still readily available.
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission on Chemicals Commonly
Found in Homes identified 150 as linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer
and psychological abnormalities. Ten percent cause high blood pressure
(HBP) and migraines and 20% are responsible for mental disturbances.
- Indoor air in the home has been found to have five times
higher toxic chemical concentrations than outdoor air. This is also true
in rural areas. A five-year study conducted by the US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) showed many indoor air samples to be 70 times more toxic.
Could this be why almost everyone is sick, especially children and those
working in public buildings with no fresh air intake?
- A scientific paper at the "Indoor Air Conference"
in 1990 in Toronto stated "because of household cleaners, housewives
have a 55% higher risk of contracting cancer."
- With all these dangers well-documented and well-known,
industry still spends millions of dollars each year to convince us that
we need these products. It is much more dangerous and expensive to dispose
of these toxins in hazardous waste dumps, which are few and far between.
- Exposure to toxins has synergistic and cumulative effects.
They are known as xenobiotics (foreign to the body). The body was not designed
to eliminate them, so it accumulates them. Doctors usually treat these
toxic overloads with more poisons. Is it any wonder our healthcare costs
are skyrocketing while we keep getting sicker and sicker? There are huge
profits being made at the expense of our health.
- The main ingredient in most weed killers is 2,4-D (dichlorophenoxyacetic
acid). When combined with 2,4,5-T (trichlorophenoxyacetic acid) it forms
"Agent Orange." Use of these products creates more resistant
weeds while harming us. These chemicals eventually end up in our water
table and in edible crops planted in the vicinity. When was the last time
you saw bees, butterflies, dragonflies or ladybugs? They are almost extinct
because of the overuse of these and other similar chemicals and pesticides.
Are we next on the endangered species list? The effects of these chemical
poisonings are often given names and treated as new diseases. We know differently.
Treat your lawn with dish soap, coke & beer, diluted with water every
month or so and use a mulching mower. Longer grass shades weed seeds. Plant
basil to keep mosquitoes and other pests away. There are many books available
about companion planting and beneficial insects, to keep the unwelcome
ones away without compromising you
- You, your pets and children walk on and absorb the harmful
chemicals applied to lawns and gardens. Avoid them. Weeds grow where soils
are barren and deficient in certain nutrients -- the very ones that these
weeds provide. They have longer roots that reach lower into the ground
to provide those hard-to-reach nutrients, while preventing soil erosion.
If you donít want them to spread, at least cut off the buds/flowers.
Itís usually the chemical dependent lawns that attract the weeds
and produce larger ones.
- These chemicals affect your lawn the way drugs affect
you. The more dependent you are on drugs, the sicker you become and the
more drugs you take. Itís a never ending, vicious cycle of addiction.
The less drugs a person takes the stronger their immune system is, and
the healthier they are. Itís best to avoid them all. The same goes
for your lawn. It may take a couple of years for the "withdrawal symptoms"
to subside, but the wait will be more than worth it. There is an entire
ecosystem below the surface that works interdependently to ensure your
soil, and your crops, flourish. The chemicals also kill all these beneficial
microorganisms, worms, etc. Nature is our friend, treat it as such.
- When Congress passed the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide
and Rodenticide Act (the legal basis for the EPAís regulation of
disinfectants), it assumed that they were all toxic. No guidelines were
created for identifying non-toxic agents. In other words, they are all
toxic and to be avoided.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
standards require testing a chemical to a specified amount listed in the
regulation. If it kills half of a group of test animals, the chemical is
toxic by this definition. If the test animals survive after being exposed
to an amount greater than that listed, the chemical is non-toxic. The tests
are done orally, transdermally and by inhalation. Not very strict or reassuring
in my opinion. And where are the tests for long-term exposure, or on humans?
- Beware of toxic chemicals. The danger doesnít
end with their use. Everything that goes down your drain eventually ends
up in your drinking water supply. This is multiplied by what your neighbours
and every other person and industry put down their drains. More than four
million pounds of household cleaning chemicals go down Canadian drains
- Everything that goes down our drains and toilets ends
up at the water treatment plants where they are mixed with even more toxic
chemicals, recycled and returned to us via our water taps (including drugs
and poisons we ingested, inhaled and absorbed, then eliminated). Eventually
there will not be enough water to dilute all these chemicals and we will
end up with pure chemicals coming from our taps. Hence the huge market
for bottled water and point of use filter systems. Avoid distilled and
- The remaining sludge is extremely toxic and is marketed
as "natural fertilizer" called "bio solids." Itís
used on farms that supply produce to our supermarkets and the livestock
- Whatever goes down the sewers on the streets goes directly
into the rivers. What we do to the planet, we do to ourselves. If a product
is not friendly to the environment, it cannot be friendly to us.
- If a product requires special handling or ventilation,
donít expose yourself or your environment to it. This is where you,
your family and friends have to live and breathe. Next time you or someone
you know feels ill, instead of rushing off to the doctor to get medicated
(poisoned), why not look for the cause in a household chemical or food
additive and eliminate it? This can save a lot of grief and more toxic
overload, which will probably be labelled as some type of serious illness
without looking for the cause.
- Children are at higher risk when playing on floors with
the residue from formaldehyde, asbestos and pesticides from common household
cleaners. Their respiration rates are three times higher than adults, and
their detoxification systems are not fully developed and cannot filter
these toxins out. Have you noticed how many children are on inhalers lately?
This is akin to putting the fire out with gasoline. The older you are,
the more years of accumulation of these toxins you will have in your system.
There are tens of thousands of chemicals in use, but if you ever get tested,
they will usually only test for 150 or so, and those are probably not the
worst ones. Thatís only about .002%. Itís a joke really.
- Personal care and cleaning products are very toxic. Prior
to WWII they didnít exist, homes were clean, and people had fewer
health problems. Do we really want to compromise our health so the chemical
companies can become wealthy? How many toxic bombs are lurking in your
home? There are many safe, chemical free cleaning products on the market
today, or if you prefer -- use the basics; baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar
and water. Youíll be amazed at what a wonderful job they do.
- Please do your own research and use the products that
are the safest and best for your families. There are numerous books on
these subjects. Donít leave your fate in the hands of multibillion-dollar
chemical industries whose only concern is profit. Your shopping habits
create a demand for the products you buy. If you donít like what
is contained in the products offered in your stores, let it be known and
switch products. Encourage industry to be responsible for their products,
as we must be with our purchases. Educate your friends, neighbours and
loved ones. Donít ever give anyone authority over your body or your
health. Itís your responsibility to be informed. What you donít
know can harm you, and even kill you. Once the damage is done, it may be
- Lorie Dwornick is a researcher, educator and activist
living in Winnipeg, MB. She found out first-hand about the corruption in
"the system" through cover-ups, fabrications and deception affecting
her own health. This started her trek to get the answers she'd been denied.
When she learns of something she feels others need their eyes opened up
to, she makes it known so they don't have to go through the kind of ongoing
ordeal that's been imposed upon her since becoming the victim of an accident
many years ago. Victims are being treated like criminals. Lorie -- like
many researchers -- uncovered all sorts of things she wasnít even
looking for. As the saying goes, "the lies are hidden in plain view."
She believes that eventually enough people will be aware of these things
to expose the corruption to the extent that some, if not all, of it can
be halted. The truth is almost always the opposite of what the propaganda
machine (mainstream media) tells us. It is about mass manipulation and