bobinchek's Cancer Blog

April 2, 2007

Cancer Causing Toxins

Views: 172

When I was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2000 it was like a bomb went off and the blast knocked me off my feet.As you know you are never prepared to hear the news that you have cancer. Your mind goes into overdrive thinking about all the questions you need answers for. You sit in your doctor’s office and try to absorb what he is telling you but it’s like there is cotton in your ears and everything seems out of focus and far away. What you are thinking is “am I going to die?” I can’t die now, who will watch over my husband, who will help my daughters plan their weddings, I’m too young, I have too much living to be done. During all of this you have to decide on treatment. I want this cancer gone so I will have chemo.

During my treatment and about a year after it, I had to focus on one day at a time. I could get through one day because things would be a little better tomorrow. Right from the start I wanted to know what caused the cancer in me and where did it come from. My doctor had told me that they really couldn’t pin point one thing but that the chemicals, pesticides and insecticides that we live with each day contribute toward many cancers. As I was getting better I looked for articles on the causes of cancer but soon my daily activities and work took over and I put “cancer” in a compartment at the back of my mind.

In 2005 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer bringing “cancer” back to the front of the line. I was again told that one of the causes was the chemicals that are in products we use in our homes every day. Again I battled thru chemo and fought to regain my life but this time I am keeping cancer out in the open.

I have read many articles about what is really in my household cleaning and personal care products that I use every day and they have shocked me but more than that they have made me mad. I am mad because unlike food and drugs, cosmetic and home cleaning products like fabric softener are largely unregulated due in part to an incorrect assumption that their chemicals are not really absorbed into the body. The basic argument – which the giant corporations are more than happy to repeat – is that such chemicals could not be absorbed through the skin because the skin is a strong barrier against external agents.

In reality, nearly every chemical that touches the skin finds its way into the body and into the bloodstream. It certainly may do so in small quantities, but fact is families don’t use fabric softeners, dryer sheets and all the other popular household chemicals once or twice – they use them repeatedly.

Dryer sheets and fabric softeners are often advertised to give your laundry an “April Fresh” scent but they left out the fact that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals. The fresh and clean smells associated with these products are completely artificial fragrances that are required to cover up the stench of all the chemicals in typical dryer sheets (chemicals used for fabric softness and eliminating static cling.)

Here is a list of just some of the chemicals found in popular fabric softeners and dryer sheets:

A-TERPINEOL: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema,
and central nervous system damage

I started this blog with the intent of condensing the articles I’ve read and getting the information about toxins in our homes to mothers and fathers who are too busy to research this on their own. To get

Posted on April 2, 2007 at 12:30:53 PM by Marilyn ( Cancer Causing Toxins, 4 comments)

Gal you have come to the right place. Thanks for the good information.
Hug Sherri

Posted on April 2, 2007 at 12:47:52 PM by karlak

Benzyne is some evil stuff. Thanks for sharing. Going home now to throw away all of my dryer sheets.

You should partner with my dad. He is working to keep sludge and other cancer causing stuff out of our home town. It amazes me how some people are willing to risk the health of the public in order to make a profit.

Also, be careful of the EPA.

www.betterhazleton.com

Posted on April 2, 2007 at 2:13:16 PM by slockwooclimbs

ps. Thank you for educating us. I’ll read every day.

Posted on April 2, 2007 at 2:14:29 PM by slockwooclimbs

Don’t forget how important diet is. Sugar and fat are out. Salads are in. Some time back we bought these two balls that go in the dryer. They bounce around with the clothes and are supposed to soften them just with the friction instead of dryer sheets, etc. Keep us informed. And welcome!
Hugs!
Karen

Posted on April 2, 2007 at 8:44:09 PM by kleebeck