Lowering Our Exposure to Toxins

While Staying Calm & Carrying On

In the last newsletter, I discussed sources of toxins and how they can impact the brain and development.

In this newsletter, I’ll focus on ways to reduce exposure. I say reduce because there is no way to completely eliminate our exposure to toxins. This reality can be liberating for those who struggle with perfectionism.

If you’re new at this, feel good about starting. Avoid feeling bad about what you haven’t done yet. (Negative thoughts aren’t great for detoxification;)

For me, lowering exposures has been a stepwise process. When I began, I had to avoid overwhelm and resist trying to do everything at once.

Though I’ve familiarized myself with the most researched toxins and their specific health impacts, I try to focus more on what I can do to avoid them so I can get on with life and not think about them.

Some of the most researched toxins (last I checked) include mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, PBDEs, organophosphates, glycerophosphate, BPA, BHA, BHT, PCBs, sodium benzoate, butane, tartrazine dye, potassium bromate, ADA, BVO, yellow food dye number’s 5 and 6, red dye number 40, bovine growth hormone, synthetic hormones, ractopamine, phthalates, parabens, phenylenediamine, oxybenzone, acrylic, DEA, triclosan, PFAS including PFOS, benzene, chlorine, chloramine, ochratoxin, trichothecenes, aflatoxin, chaetoglobosin, gliotoxin, and zearalenone.

Electromagnetic fields, though not “toxins,” are considered toxicants, which have similar impacts on our bodies and brains. I’ve previously shared how we can start to assess and lower those.

But what can we do about toxins?

Air

• Clean the air

  • Don’t forget to change your air filter. I change mine every 3 months.

  • Air purifier. I’ve used Austin Air, but I am looking into Air Oasis. A good, inexpensive option, especially if you think you may have a mold situation (and don’t want to contaminate an expensive air purifier), is to use a box fan with a high-quality air filter duct tapped to it. I’ve used those as well.

  • Keep dust down

  • Dust regularly with a damp cloth

  • Use a HEPA vacuuming or wet mopping (not too wet).

  • Avoid mold growth

    • Keep humidity low. I use a hygrometer ($8 on Amazon) to monitor and keep humidity in the low 50’s or below. In Kentucky, that means using dehumidification in the warmer months in my house and garage. I don’t have a crawl space, but keeping humidity low there can also be important.

    • Monitor for water intrusion. I’ve lived in two houses where water penetrated the subflooring after it came in under the door's poorly sealed threshold during heavy rain. Neither was visible until the flooring started to show damage (and mold growth had already occurred). Checking windows and doors is a good idea.

    • Monitor for water damage. Look under the sink occasionally. Check your basement. Mold grows when moisture is retained in a closed space in a building. This could be a leak in a pipe under the sink or in a wall. We don’t always see it.

  • Avoid air fresheners.

  • Avoid inhaling gas fumes at the gas station (inhaling gas from a gas stove isn’t great either).

Water

• Water filtration. I wish I could give you a simple answer here. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but anything we do helps. The contaminants in our water vary depending on where we live. This means the types of water filtration we need will vary. The technology is evolving to address increasingly complex contaminants, increasing concerns about water safety and affordability. Aside from getting information from our water company, we can also test our water. (More on water testing and mold testing in a future newsletter).

• Avoid plastic bottles. BPA-free doesn’t mean much. Substitutes for BPA are also being found to have negative health impacts.

Food

• Avoid pesticides and GMOs. Buy organic when possible. If this is not practical due to costs, check out the Environmental Working Group's Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen lists to determine which produce are low and high in pesticides.

• Oils: Use butter, olive, and coconut oil instead of seed or other highly processed oils. When heated, oils like corn or vegetable oil release aldehydes and toxic chemicals (at lower temperatures than other fats).

• Meat/chicken - when possible, aim for organic, grass-fed.

• Avoid blackening or charring meat

• Fish - when possible, buy wild-caught; avoid high mercury fish (tuna)

• Avoid additives and preservatives. This means buying whole food, typically found in the store's periphery.

• Avoid canned foods. Otherwise, rinse.

Body Products (a highly under-rated source of toxins)

• Lower the number of products.

• Ignore the meaningless “natural” label on this and all products.

• Use the Skin Deep app or Think Dirty app to find products low in toxins. I choose fluoride-free toothpaste, aluminum-free deodorant, and dental floss that doesn’t “glide.”

Food Storage & Cookware

• Use glass for food storage. I use Pyrex, but recycled glass jars would also work. Plastics marked 1, 2, 4, and 5 are likely the safest, but 3 and 7 should be avoided. I don’t want to think about the types of plastic, so I use glass.

• NEVER reheat food in plastic!!

• Avoid Teflon pots and pans and aluminum cookware. I use stainless steel pots, cast iron pans, and oven-safe glass. And, yes, the cast iron pans are heavy.

Clothing & Furniture

• Use natural fiber when possible for clothes and furniture

• Avoid Gore-tex and “breathable rain clothing.”

• Avoid flame retardants and stain-resistant furniture.

• Mold spores can be easily pulled into upholstered furniture (by negative air pressure when we sit on or lay on it in the case of a mattress). Leather can be a good option, when possible, to help protect the underlying cushions.

• Mattress and pillow covers. Again, I try to cover my mattresses and pillows so they don’t accumulate dust or potentially mold spores or toxins.

• If you want to learn more about mattresses and other furniture, you might like My Chemical Free Home. 

Cleaning Products, Pest Control & Lawn Care

• Use chemical-free cleaning products, or make your own with water, white vinegar, and essential oils. There are a lot of recipes online.

• Use low or no-VOC paints. (If you are building, there are a lot of detailed recommendations out there).

• If the home is built before 1960, check for lead. 3M Lead Check strips can help with this.

• Use natural approaches for pest control. Chemical-free pest control companies and products exist, and recipes for pest control using peppermint oil or thyme are available.

• Use organic weed control. Again, there are chemical-free lawn care services, products, and recipes. I’ve used salt and white vinegar on my gravel driveway (in bulk from Costco).

I’d love to know what works for you or what you find to be particularly challenging.

Once we shift to a cleaner lifestyle, these approaches don't have to require much thought. Aside from limiting exposures, we can also lessen the impact of toxins we are exposed to by helping our bodies remove them. I look forward to talking about this in a future newsletter.

Until next time,

Courtney

CourtneySnyderMD.com