Have you ever stopped to wonder what governments really mean when they set safe limits on a chemical?  To most of us this implies levels that are absolutely harmless. To those who aspire to a life of vitality, safe limits on chemicals is a misnomer.

Consider for a moment that every cell in your body is composed of nutrients. Nowhere will you ever find a synthetic chemical on a “required for health” list. Any substance not required by our cells is a toxin capable of damaging them or trash that they must dispose. At best energy is stolen from our cells in the process of taking out the trash. At worst, they are destroyed.

Cells use antioxidants and other nutrients to defend themselves from chemical invasion. Nutrients which would otherwise be used to create strong, immune cells are being diverted to this onslaught against chemicals.  After WW2, the US Department of Agriculture began keeping records of nutrient levels in foods. Alarmingly many average foods now contain half the key nutrients they did prior to WW2!  Our cells are operating on 50% the resource once available to defend themselves.  Modern farming practices are creating an abundant supply of less nutritious food.  This translates to growing numbers of people who are fat, tired or sick.

In blood samples tested from people across Canada and the US, everyone without exception to age or geography had dozens of chemicals in their blood.  The number of chemicals tested were less than 100 and included known carcinogens, neurotoxins, hormone disruptors and chemicals capable of causing birth defects or central nervous system damage.   Is it any wonder nearly one of every two women and one of every three men will get cancer?  Or that brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, ADD and Schizophrenia are increasing at staggering rates?

Since WW2 over 100,000 single chemicals have been created.  Anytime two of these chemicals are mixed, an additional third chemical with separate risks is created.  In other words the number of chemicals and their effects that can be created using the original 100,000 is numerically unfathomable.  Testing for safety is a long and financially expensive process.  This is why more than 80 percent of single chemicals and virtually 100% of combination chemicals have no safety tests whatsoever! Adding to the problem is most studies are sponsored by a chemical’s own manufacturer making the results highly biased.  When it comes to chemicals, risk levels is a more appropriate concept than safety limits.  Yet attempts at classifying risk levels breaks down because many low risk chemicals become deadly when combined.

So, how safe do you feel now?  In my opinion, it is time to get off the consumer bandwagon of chemical chaos.  We don’t need more stuff.  It’s killing us and destroying the environment.  All of us are exposed to thousands of chemicals everyday.  What most people don’t realize is that the majority of our exposure comes from areas within our control.  Chemicals from items we purchase for our homes or personal use form our largest risk factor.  Chemicals found at work are the next greatest risk.  It’s time to return to simpler priorities in life.  Most of the stuff we think we need, we don’t really need.  Most of what we buy can be eliminated, reduced or replaced with natural, benign alternatives.  Once your focus changes to creating vitality, you will become awake to opportunities to make healthier choices.  They are all around you.

* To make a start, click on the article “Reducing Your Exposure to Toxins”