One day people will look back at our time & wonder what on earth we were thinking using such toxic chemicals on our bodies & in our homes, much the same as we look back today & wonder what on earth brought people to using lead face powder.
The Romans knew about lead's effects. Didn't stop them using it. Nor did it deter the Europeans in the Middle Ages, Renaissance Italians or the Elizabethan English. Seems we're not all that quick on the uptake.
Here, today, in the name of cleanliness/vanity we scrub our skins with soaps containing known carcinogens, irritants & endocrine (hormone) disruptors. We put aluminium under our arms where the skin is at it's thinnest, and where it can be absorbed the most readily. Of course we stopped cooking with aluminium years ago - Alzheimers - or did you forget? :o)
We pour potions over our bodies, moisturisers, ointments, perfumes. Our scalp - not too far from our precious brain, is often daily scrubbed with these chemicals & then sprayed, gelled or fudged (Are you are going to eat that fudge? I wouldn't recommend it).
That's not enough of course, we also need to spray & perfume our house - not just for vanity of course, but we don't want any bugs about, so bring out the pesticides & spray them, lay them or sprinkle liberally. After all it's only for pests. Do you know what a flea feels like after a dose? I do. I'm guessing it's the same for the flies and all of the other creepies, crawlies, wrigglies & flappies.
I actually do know what this feels like. Balance goes out the window & confusion reigns supreme. Walk in a straight line? Forget it, not going to happen. Who am I where am I why do I feel so odd? Why do my hands shake? Why does my body feel so surreal?
I won't even begin on what the other chemicals are doing to me. We've cocooned ourselves in formaldehyde, we've created illnesses in children we design pills to treat. Try me on RED. I'll be the same as any ADHD kindergartener. Is this a pysch diagnosis? Maybe. That's what they taught at uni. No-one mentioned RED or YELLOW or BLUE.
We're eating it, drinking it, draped in it, consuming it, absorbing it, breathing it. Right now.
I too firmly believe that in the future we'll seem ridiculous for using all the 'stuff' we use. I see things advertised on tv and it mortifies me. Really unnecessary toxic cr*p. Often aimed at 'protecting the kids & family from scary, dangerous germs!' or some such thing. One thing which scares me are those pesticide dispensers people put in their houses these days to keep flies and bugs away. Even the purported 'natural pyrethrum' ones contain piperonyl butoxide (the pyrethrum might be natural, but the rest of the junk in the tin certainly is not!), which is a suspected human carcinogen. My mother purchased one for our house about 3 years ago but I checked out the chemicals in it before setting it up, and ended up taking it straight back to the store.
ReplyDeleteI've never understood about perfumes etc because I've had a horrible reaction to them for as long as I can remember (Little has the same problem too). It just seems there is a whole lot of 'smell pollution' around and those who waft around all day every day smothered in 'product' seem impervious to the fact they can make life really difficult for other people. Guess I am touchy about that because both my home help people have taken to wearing some very very strong deoderant... like that 'Lynx' or something. Argh!
Very good post, Pink :-) I know you are writing from the perspective of someone who NEEDS things to change - and sooner rather than later! I really wish it could happen. *huuuugggs*
Well written and said and I completely agree. Can't believe how oblivious I was to this before I became ill and how difficult it is to convince others.
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