A simple non-toxic hand sanitizer

2 tbsp vodka

1 tsp aloe vera juice

1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin

2 drops of essential oils : cinnamon leaf, clove bud, rosemary, eucalyptus

Interesting idea ….

Toxic Threats Article

The article mentioned the chemical tributylin (TBT) :

Uses include wood preservation, antifouling pesticide in marine paints, antifungal action in textiles and industrial water systems, such as cooling tower and refrigeration water systems, wood pulp and paper mill systems, and breweries.

Tributyltin compounds are moderately to highly persistent organic pollutants that bioconcentrate up the marine predators’ food chain. One common example is leaching of TBT from marine paints into the aquatic environment, causing irreversible damage to the aquatic life. Tributyltin has also been linked to obesity in humans, as it triggers genes that cause the growth of fat cells.

The article notes that TBTs are used to make PVC plastic, and caused mice to be 15% fatter.

Another interesting thing to note from the article was that infant obesity is up 74% - and the article cites environmental chemicals as a likely cause of that change.

These chemicals called “obesogens” accumulate higher up in the food chain. One researcher had people swap out canned foods and grain fed meats for free range, hormone free meats. Subjects on average lost 15 pounds with this change.

It recommends buying fresh, non-canned food that’s organic, avoiding plastics when possible - and not microwaving them, cutting back on cleaning products with fragrances (I’d advise being careful about those ingredients in general), filtering tap water.

Their last recommendation was interesting to me. They suggest removing your shoes before you enter your house, because things from outdoors like pesticides and other cancer causing substances may enter. Interesting. Ideally you would live in a neighborhood where these things would not be outside … but I can see the point.

The link to this article was posted by @britta_aragon via @safecosmetics.