Common Household Chemicals To Avoid - A Branch Basics Series

By Marilee Nelson | 04/05/2015

We’re on a mission to help people eliminate toxins from the places where people live, work, and play. We get a lot of questions from people about healthy living in general. In response to these requests, we’re starting a new series about common household chemicals to avoid.

The Age of Chemistry

In 1927, the president of the American Chemical Society declared that the present age was “The Age of Chemistry”. Dr. George Rosengarten went on to say “The task of the present and the immediate future is the full mastering of the basic principles of chemical science. Our civilization of which we are so proud, the comforts of life we are enjoying are wholly built on discoveries emanating from the search for scientific truths...We must not fail in our duty”.1 This noble beginning generated amazing discoveries that have brought unimaginable convenience and benefits, but the unintended darker side of new chemical discoveries has been extensive, unintended pollution and environmental degradation.

Toxic Household Chemicals Are More Common Than You'd Think

Did you know that there are 75,000 chemicals made or imported into America each year? And that the average American comes into regular contact with 6,000 chemicals or more?2 You can reduce your exposure to chemicals by starting at home. We’ll recommend easy steps you can take to immediately reduce the toxic load in your home and create a safe haven. The overall goal is to reduce chemical exposure in, on, and around your body and to improve the air quality in your home.

Reduce Your Exposure to toxic home Chemicals

We're introducing the following 5 categories of household chemicals, which are common in American homes, yet detrimental to human health. Click the links to read why these chemicals matter and what steps to take to avoid them

1 – Pesticides

2 – Formaldehyde

3 – BPA

4 – Phthlates

5 – Perfluorinated Substances (PFASs)

Remove the Chemicals, Improve Your Health

Removing the underlying causes of disease is one of the best preventative healthcare measures you can take for your family. According to environmental specialist, Dr. Sherry Rogers, M.D., “there is now no question that accumulated toxins are behind nearly every disease, symptom, and malfunction of the body. But get ready for the greatest medical discovery of the decade. If we get these ubiquitously unavoidable toxic chemicals out of the body, we can reverse and even cure the most hopeless diseases.”3 Unfortunately, many Americans are not living up to their healthiest potential and we are faced with an unprecedented national health care crisis. Autism, ADD/ADHD, asthma, allergies, learning disabilities, childhood depression, hyperactivity, and obesity are increasing at alarming rates. Cancer is the #1 killer of children after car accidents, killing more children (age 1-20) than AIDS, asthma, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis combined.4 One in two men and one in three women are projected to get cancer in their lifetime by the American Cancer Society. We are not winning the war on cancer, and the rates of neurological and degenerative diseases are rising in both children and adults. In fact, chronic diseases and disabilities have reached epidemic proportions, affecting more than 100 million men, women, and children. Do we have any idea what is causing this unprecedented epidemic cascade of illness? Can we do anything about this? If I am healthy, does this have any relevance to me? The answer is YES to all three questions. Many pieces of this puzzle have been discovered and verified by scientific studies. In my research and my personal experience working with many clients, I have seen an important link between two key concepts:

1 | Disease is Linked to Chemical Exposure

Scientific studies from around the world are directly linking the exponential rise of degenerative disease in America to exposure to harmful synthetic chemicals in our diets, homes and workplaces. According to the World Health Organization, over ⅓ of disease in children under five is linked to chemical exposure.5 Exposing children to neurotoxins contributes to a rise in obesity, chemically-induced brain disorders, and degenerative disease.6,7,8,9 Many of these chemicals cause neurological issues, disrupt the endocrine system leading to fertility issues, painful cramps and endometriosis, breast and prostate cancer, fibroid tumors, ovarian cysts, and loss of sex drive and can damage brain chemistry leading to hyperactivity, learning disabilities, depression, and even mental illness. They can also accumulate in the organs, triggering cancers of the liver, lung, colon, thyroid, and more.

2 | Epigenetic Research Has Proven that Small Exposure Matter

The relatively new science of epigenetics demonstrates that exposure to even small amounts of one chemical has the capacity to alter DNA and turn on and off cancer genes.10 The premise of this series about common household chemicals is that getting back to basics – eating real food and having a home free of toxic chemicals – is foundational to health. We believe in the Power of Pure, which means that we believe a pure environment and diet will allow your immune system to flourish. Most people have no idea that exposure to these toxins may be preventing them from enjoying optimum health until they are removed. It is our hope at Branch Basics that everyone can experience the transforming Power of Pure, which starts with eliminating toxins in your homes, schools, and workplaces, and replacing them with nontoxic, natural alternatives.

Join Our Movement to Ditch Harmful toxins

There are toxins everywhere – so many we can’t control. What we can control is what we bring inside our houses, we can create safe havens in the most important place in the world: our homes! We started this company to educate and enable others to live a less toxic lifestyle. We start with cleaning because it’s one of the easiest and most important ways to reduce your exposure to daily toxins. In one fell swoop you can fill up a trash bag full of toxic cleaners and replace virtually every single one with Branch Basics.