Reference: https://www.invisibledisabilities.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Fragranced-Consumer-Products-Steinemann-2010.pdf
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When I was a kid I used to wish I was born in the 1800s. I watched Little House on the Prairie and was convinced I was born in the wrong time period. Those kids learned in a one-room schoolhouse, lived in a cabin, and ran around in untouched meadows. It looked so simple.
But their lives were hard! All that plowing and walking to school in the snow, the wagon accidents and the rudimentary medical care – I would probably have been a casualty of childbirth or died younger without antibiotics.
As an adult, I am grateful to have grown up in a modern world with washing machines, refrigeration, and running water. Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to live in the Texas heat without air-conditioning. We wouldn’t be able to have a social life without cars, and I certainly wouldn’t be able to eat enough without the grocery store.
But every modern thing we use comes with it’s own drawbacks. The city water that flows through our faucets has small amounts of chlorine in it. The laundry detergents that make our clothes as clean as new and the dryer sheets that keep our socks from sticking together contain chemicals that can harm human health. Humans are bombarded by chemicals in every breath and with every contact. I often smell sanitizers on my hands after handling the cart at the grocery store. The air at clothing stores smells of the dye fixatives used in the manufacture of fabric. Using a public restroom will leave air freshener scents in my hair.
So while lots of us like the idea of being chemical-free, having a chemical-free body in this modern world is unfortunately not really attainable. But being chemical free is what I strive for while living as low chemical as possible.
Is it possible to lower the chemical load and still live a normal life? Yes! I’ve been living low chem for 5 years. And you can too.
*For the purposes of this post, a “chemical” is defined as an man-made, synthetic product.
Eighteen88 