Poisoned

We don’t have TV in our house – life is just simpler in so many ways without one. But, when my mother-in-law stayed with us briefly a couple years ago due to some medical issues, she got us hooked on NCIS. My hubby and I still watch the new episodes each week – we just watch them the next day online.

This week’s victim, as it turns out, was slowly poisoned over the course of two weeks by a rival chemist. How? The dirty work was done by pumping a colorless, odorless, and highly toxic chemical directly into the water line leading to her shower. The victim’s daily cleansing routine, instead of helping maintain her health, was slowly killing her.

The plausibility of this episode is rooted in the fact that our skin absorbs a significant amount of what we put on it. And while it may seem a bit extreme to draw an analogy to this NCIS episode, because of what I’ve learned over the last 5+ years, the storyline did trigger the thought in my mind: “And how many people may actually be doing the same thing to themselves over the course of decades because of the personal care products they choose?”

In its “Healthy Home Tips for Parents,” the Environmental Working Group (EWG) actually lists “choose better body care products” as tip #1.  In a day and age where we cannot control so many of the toxic exposures we experience, it is worth considering the areas in which we can make safer, healthier choices – for our bodies and the planet.

– For the EWG “Healthy Home” tips document, click here.
– For more resources on why you may want to consider daily toxic exposures through your skin, see Part 1 of this free report.