Spring Cleaning:
Home Environmental Detoxification
by Joan Abernathy

As we start our spring cleaning it is good to be aware of how various products in the marketplace can create a negative force on our health. The following quiz will test your knowledge of some of the basics that we all “need to know.”

1. Our largest organ of absorption and elimination is the:

a.		kidney.
b.		intestine.
c.		skin.
d.		lung.

2. The World Health Organization has warned us that ____________ of all cancers are environmentally caused and are thus preventable.

a.		80 percent
b.		50 percent
c.		30 percent
d.		10 percent

3. NTA, used in laundry products and not always shown on labels, is one of the ingredients:

a.		we should not be concerned with since it was withdrawn from the marketplace in 1970.
b.		that the Merck Index refers to as “a substance reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen.”
c.		added as a fabric softener.
d.		put into laundry products to protect our health.

4. Environmental illness, or EI, is a weakening of the immune system resulting from exposure to, and the accumulation of, toxic chemicals that have overloaded the immune system. Events that promote this health challenge include:

a.		washing clothes with products containing chlorine, phosphates, and lye.
b.		washing dishes with products containing chlorine and phosphates.
c.		spraying air fresheners containing phenol and using plug-ins that emit chemicals.
d.		all of the above.

5. Found in products that are used inside and outside of the house, ____________ increase(s) the risk of leukemia four to seven times, and may have a role in endometriosis, breast cancer, penile birth defects, reduced sperm counts, infertility, and the rise of testicular cancer rates.

a.		phenol
b.		methanol
c.		pesticides
d.		lysoform

6. In his book Human Diversity, scientist Richard Lewontin states that human beings of our era are thought to be undergoing a far higher mutation rate. This is due to:

a.		technology’s ventures into ionizing radiation and synthetic chemistry.
b.		today’s general increase in the quality of food consumed.
c.		today’s increase in antioxidant intake, especially among young people.
d.		today’s decrease in alcohol consumption during childbearing years.

7. ____________ is one of the most common toxic chemicals and a known cancer-causing agent. It is found in shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, hair setting lotions, hairspray, cosmetics, air fresheners, cleaning products, fungicides, drugs, plastics, waxes, polishes, oil, toys, plastic wraps and containers, rubber, spray starch, sheets, pillows, blankets, home insulation materials, preservatives, and money.

a.		Formaldehyde
b.		Coenzyme Q10
c.		Plasticide
d.		Phenol

8. An herb that can be used to create a powerful disinfectant is:

a.		basil.
b.		saffron.
c.		thyme.
d.		rosemary.

9. Often the body cannot return to health until it has unloaded its burden of stockpiled, disease-causing chemicals. Which of the following is/are true?

a.		There is no medication to get rid of these chemicals.
b.		The chemicals may be eliminated by switching products.
c.		Our detoxification chemistry is unable to metabolize most of these synthetic chemicals.
d.		All of the above

10. A powerful essential oil, ___________ can be used in the home for sanitizing, flea control, killing dust mites in the laundry, chiggers, infections, and much more.

a.		ylang ylang
b.		tea tree
c.		rose
d.		geranium