healthbriefs
Read Labels on Natural Cleaning Products T
he increase of chemicals and synthetic materials in our homes and workplaces, coupled with today’s tighter, more insulated buildings, creates poor indoor air quality (IAQ). According to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors, where the levels of about a dozen common air pollutants can be two to five times higher than outside. Ranked among the leading environmental dangers by the EPA, IAQ has been linked to many common health problems such as allergies, asthma, lung cancer and heart problems. Common household items such as paint, carpet, perfumes, fire retardants, synthetic chemicals and cleaning agents in cleaning products release volatile organic compounds (VOC), which if inhaled over an extended period, can lead to long-term health issues. To improve indoor air quality, the EPA suggests taking three actions: eliminating
the sources of the pollution or limiting their emissions, using ventilation to increase the influx of fresh, outdoor air coming indoors and using an air filtering device to remove particles from the air (although this is not effective with gaseous elements). As consumer demand increases, it is easier to find solutions for improv- ing indoor air quality. Products such as no- and low-VOC paints offer alterna- tives to their toxic counterparts. Organizations such as the EPA and Green Seal are working to establish higher standards and transparency for self-proclaimed eco-friendly products. Seals of approval provided by reputable organizations are one way to assure the household goods are truly eco-friendly and not simply greenwashing their label with terms like nontoxic and all-natural, which have no meaningful definition.
Short of third-party certification, it is wise to avoid household cleaning products that are labeled “warning,” “caution” or “danger,” and instead choose goods labeled “non-carcinogenic” (do not cause cancer in animals or humans) and “non-mutagenic” (do not include compounds known to interrupt hormone production and function in the body).
Resource: The Greener Cleener LLC, 239-404-7102,
TheGreenerCleener.com. See ad, page 49.
Nature’s Own Sports Drink
I
f Mother Nature chose an ideal sports drink for light- to-medium ex- ercise, it might be coconut water, the clear liquid found most abun- dantly inside young, green coconuts. That’s the conclusion reached by Indiana University Southeast lecturer Chhandashri Bhattacharya, Ph.D., in presenting his research to the American Chemical Society. “Coconut water is a natural drink
that has everything your average sports drink has and more,” says Bhattacharya. “It has five times more potassium than Gatorade or Powerade. Whenever you get cramps in your muscles, potassium will help you get rid of them.” A 12-ounce serving of coconut
water may also help balance the typical American diet, which is too low in po- tassium and too high in sodium derived from excess salt; individuals consum- ing such diets tend to have twice the risk of death from heart disease and a 50 percent higher risk of death from all disease-related causes. Coconut water is also high in healthful antioxidants.
natural awakenings
July 2013
17
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