What Toxins are Hiding in your kitchen

When you spend hours in your kitchen cooking up delicious meals for yourself, your family, and your friends - you don't want to be putting harmful chemicals into the mix. We all know about certain things like lead paint chips that are taken out of homes - but what about plastics?  Is there really anything to worry about?

In this article, we will identify common toxins in your kitchen and discuss ways to remove them.

Drinking Water:

Chloramine

Chloramine is a chemical disinfectant and water treatment.  It's used in many cities' tap water to make it safe for drinking, however creates toxic fumes when heated.  It can seep into your food cooked on the stove or baked in the oven. 

Effects of chloramine include nausea, headache, and allergic reactions in some people, particularly asthmatics. Symptoms include wheezing and shortness of breath. People with pre-existing respiratory conditions should consult their doctor before removing chloramine from tap water

Chloramine can be removed with carbon and reverse osmosis filtration.

Paper towels & Napkins:

Dioxin

Dioxin is a byproduct of bleaching in the paper-making process.  It has been found in most napkins, paper plates, and paper towels.  

Effects of dioxin include muscle aches, fatigue, weight loss or gain, and a lowered immune system. Symptoms can take up to a year to appear. People with pre-existing heart, liver, or kidney disease are at great risk for toxic effects of dioxin when exposed.

Avoid dioxin by buying unbleached paper products or products that have been whitened without chlorine bleach.

Kitchen Cabinets:

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is an adhesive, sealant, and preservative found in many wood products. It is most often found in pressed-wood cabinets, paneling, and plywood. It will off-gas from these products and can be dangerous if exposed to it long-term without proper ventilation.

Effects of formaldehyde include immune system damage over time, irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, burning in the mouth or throat, and has even been linked to leukemia.

Avoid exposure to formaldehyde by reading the fine print in furniture and choosing non-toxic alternatives. Using natural materials for your home renovations such as real hardwoods, stone, and ceramics is another way to avoid formaldehyde

Cleaning Products:

Fragrances

Fragrance is a catch-all term that covers over 3,000 ingredients that manufacturers use to provide a clean smelling scent to products like floor cleaner, all-purpose cleaners, and dish soap.

Since the manufacturer registers these as proprietary, they don't need to disclose them despite the fact that many of them can be carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting.

Choose products that are unscented or that use pure essential oils to scent their products. Avoid the use of products that list "fragrances" or "parfum" in the ingredients.

2-butoxyethanol

2-butoxyethanol is a chemical that's found in oven and glass cleaners.

2-butoxyethanol is extremely irritating in vapor form to the throat and lungs when not properly ventilated. It has been linked to cancer, reproductive damage, mutations, liver damage, and kidney issues.

Avoid exposure to 2-butoxyethanol by choosing natural alternatives like vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, alcohol, plant-based, and water-based cleaners instead.

Cutting Boards:

Triclosan

Triclosan is a chemical that's used in many antibacterial cleaners and some brands of cutting boards.

The FDA removed triclosan from antibacterial soaps due to its link with hormone disruption and increased resistance to antibiotics in humans. It's still found in certain dish soaps.

Choose soaps that have natural antibacterial properties such as ones with essential oils like citrus, peppermint, rosemary, tea tree, or lavender. Avoid products that have triclosan listed as an ingredient.

The Air in Your Home:

Radon gas

Radon gas comes from the natural breakdown of uranium, radium, and thorium that can be found in granite countertops.  

It's an odorless, colorless gas that's the second leading cause of lung cancer.

The only way to avoid the risk of radon gas is by conducting a test. You can buy inexpensive test kits from your local home improvement store, or call a professional to test. If you detect radon in your home, seek professional radon mitigation companies to correct the issue.

Plastic Wrap & Sandwich Bags:

Phthalates

Phthalates are an additive in plastic that makes it soft and pliable.  It is found in plastic wraps, cling film, sandwich bags, and food packaging. They are an endocrine disruptor.

Effects of phthalates include liver damage, testicular damage, breast cancer in men, reproductive harm, and early puberty in girls.

Exposure to phthalates could lead to abnormal genital and behavioral development in newborns. 

Avoid exposure to phthalates by using wax paper or parchment paper to line your baking sheets and dishes for cooking, and by avoiding plastic packaging for food and beverage containers.

Cans & Food Containers:

Bisphenols (BPA, BPS and BPF)

Bisphenols are synthetic estrogens found in many plastic food and beverage containers as well as the inner lining of canned foods.  These chemicals will break down and leach into the foods or beverages over time.

Bisphenols are endocrine disruptors that have been implicated in a number of health effects including uterine damage, increased risk for breast and prostate cancers, thyroid problems, obesity, and heart disease.

To reduce exposure to bisphenols, buy food in glass containers, and avoid heating plastics, as this will cause them to break down further and leach into the food.

Plastic Bottles & Packaging:

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

Polyethylene terephthalate is a plastic found in many products from water and soda bottles to peanut butter jars.  PET is type of plastic that's also used for synthetic fabrics and carpeting (but hopefully you don't have carpet in your kitchen).

When exposed to heat, PET will start to break down and release endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can cause cancer, thyroid, and reproductive problems.

Avoid exposure to PET by choosing food and beverage containers with glass, stainless steel, and PET-free plastics instead of disposable ones made from PET plastic.

Microwave Popcorn:

Diacetyl

Diacetyl is a chemical that's used in many food and drink products, but it's most often found in microwavable popcorn to give it that buttery flavor.

Diacetyl vapors are known to cause lung damage when inhaled.

To avoid exposure, avoid microwavable popcorn altogether and choose to make stovetop popcorn using organic popping corn along with high heat oils such as coconut or avocado oil.

Pots & Pans:

Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs)

PFCs are synthetic chemicals that are used in non-stick coatings pans, pots, food wrappers, and microwave popcorn.

Over time these endocrine disruptors have been linked to reproductive, liver, and kidney issues.

Conclusion

Toxins are everywhere in the modern kitchen. It may be nearly impossible to avoid all of them, however, taking little steps to remove them can save your life and avoid serious diseases of your vital organs and cancer.

Have questions about how to easily remove toxins from your kitchen? Send me a message! When working 1:1 with me, we will put together a plan that allows you to easily and cost effectively remove toxins from your kitchen.