Welcome to my Environmental A-Z…today it’s the letter T…I have been heartened to hear how many of you feel like I do that we need to take our own steps to avoid pollution wherever we can…
Abraham Lincoln is correct we need to act now to create the future for our families that we want…but at the moment we can only dream of…
The best way to predict your future is to create it...Abraham Lincoln.
The A-Z of the environment and Climate Change… letter T…
Toxic Chemicals…
Widely-used, toxic chemicals may hide anywhere IN YOUR HOME from skin cream to a frying pan. Let’s explore what they are and where you can find them in your home.
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Benzyl benzoate
A common insecticide that is used medically to kill lice or scabies. It is also used as a food additive for flavour, in fragrances, and in plastics. It is a suspected neurotoxin.
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Bisphenol-A (BPA)and Bisphenol-S (BPS)
Used to make transparent, hard plastic known as polycarbonate used for baby bottles and linings of metal cans. BPS is a common substitute for BPA since public outcry reduced the use of BPA in plastics. Studies are showing the chemicals are similarly toxic. BPA/BPS are endocrine disruptors, and exposure may cause obesity, reproductive cancers, and infertility…Why is it that manufacturers think it is ok to replace one polycarbonate with another one which is equally as dangerous to our health?
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Formaldehyde
(A.k.a. methanal, methyl aldehyde, or methylene oxide) A smelly, colourless, flammable gas used in pesticides, building materials, textiles, cosmetics, and home goods. The “new” smell of a mattress, piece of clothing, or car comes from formaldehyde. It is a carcinogen and suspected gastrointestinal, immune, nerve, reproductive, respiratory, and skin toxicant.
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Parabens
A preservative in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, parabens are used in toothpaste, shampoo, moisturizers, and shaving gels. Parabens are endocrine disruptors that can be absorbed through the skin, and they have been linked to cancer.
I have only listed a few if you do your own research you will find that almost every cleaning product, cosmetics, shampoos, detergents are detrimental to your health and the environment plus they are another piece of plastic that you are bringing into your home which may not be fully recyclable without using specialist equipment which many waste operators don’t have… you may think you are being responsible and recycling but what do they do with YOUR carefully recycled plastic containers… mostly it goes to landfill…
I am detoxing my home one product at a time which allows me to research that particular product then test it…it is also less plastic I am bringing into the home…Be the change in your home…choose a product then do your research… some creams and cleaning products you can make from scratch at far less cost others you can purchase environmentally-friendly replacements…
As I test and use /make products I add them to my blog…My Green Kitchen...
Toxic Cloud/Gas…
Put quite simply a toxic cloud is a mass of airborne toxins, e.g. aerosolized bacterial pathogens chemicals, or fumes released by the burning of a hazardous substance.
This shows the importance of awareness of toxic gases.
Toxic Cloud could result from a volcano erupting...although they can also form from pollution, air recently has been implicated as the perpetrator in pollution of large water bodies. Hazardous substances hitch a ride on the wind, moving great distances in a so-called “toxic cloud,” and, after clashing with cooler air, fall to earth in rain and snow.
Toxin…
A poisonous substance that can either be natural (produced by plants, animals or bacteria) or manufactured…
Natural toxins may be present inherently in plants. They are usually metabolites produced by plants to defend themselves against various threats such as bacteria, fungi, insects and predators, which may be species-specific and give the plant its particular characteristics, e.g. colours and flavours. Common examples of natural toxins in food plants include lectins in beans such as green beans, red kidney beans and white kidney beans; cyanogenic glycosides in bitter apricot seed, bamboo shoots, cassava, and flaxseeds; glycoalkaloids in potatoes; 4′-methoxypyridoxine in ginkgo seeds; colchicine in fresh lily flowers; and muscarine in some wild mushrooms.
Tidy Towns…
Participating towns are rated on their care for all aspects of the local environment. Sustainability and delivery of the sustainable development goals in their communities is the core focus. Participating towns are asked to consider resource efficiency, biodiversity and Climate Action in all their activities.
Tidy Towns groups deliver many innovative projects for other towns, to help to protect local heritage and are involved in planning for the future of our town centres and community resources.
That’s all for today…thank you so much for joining me I do hope you are learning and enjoying these A-Z’s as much as I enjoy the writing and research…
Retired? No one told me! 