Table of Contents
ALSO BY DEBRA LYNN DADD
1984 Nontoxic & Natural
1986 The Nontoxic Home
1990 Nontoxic, Natural & Earthwise
(in collaboration with Steve Lett and Judy Collins)
1992 The Nontoxic Home & Office
1997 Home Safe Home
2004 Home Safe Home (revised edition)
For
Larry Redalia
Thank you for twenty-four
years of helping me be
toxic-free.
Good, the more Communicated, more abundant grows.
JOHN MILTON, Paradise Lost
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THIS BOOK is the current incarnation of a book that was first published in 1984 and has been continuously in print in one version or another for more than two decades. Over the years, many people have contributed to this book being what it is today. I want to thank Jeremy P. Tarcher for taking a chance with me as a first-time author, and Joel Fotinos, publisher of Tarcher, for continuing to publish each new book when Tarcher became an imprint of Penguin.
I would also like to thank my editor, Michael Solana, who was delightful to work with and made a valuable contribution to the organization of material in this book, and my copy editor, David Chesanow.
My literary agent, Jay Poynor, has been a joy.
Especially I want to acknowledge Dr. Steven Lund, DC, LMT, for reviewing the portions of this book regarding physiology and detoxification. His extensive knowledge and experience in this area were of great assistance to me, and I feel confident that everything I have written is correct.
And in particular I want to acknowledge all the businesses that make and sell toxic-free products. You make it possible for us to choose health.
AUTHORS NOTE
I SPEAK TO YOU not as a doctor, scientist, or toxicologist, but as an educated consumer. Just like you, I want to create a home that is comfortable, enjoyable, and safe. Think of me like a friend or neighbor, sharing homemaking tips across the fence or over a cup of tea.
You can also consider me to be a mentoran experienced and knowledgeable adviser who can show you the way to do something, in a field that can be confusing and overwhelming. By allowing me to guide you through unfamiliar territory, you will be able to learn more quickly and easily for yourself how to make your own decisions regarding toxic chemicals.
This book contains information I have gathered regarding choices you can make that can improve your health. I am not a medical doctor and I am not giving you medical advice. The information in this book has not been evaluated by the FDA. Nothing in this book is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, pain, injury, deformity, or physical or mental condition. Individual results may vary.
In this book I am simply sharing with you knowledge I have gained from extensive research and personal experience, which has helped me and others I know improve our health. I believe that if you apply the information in this book in your own life, you can improve your health, too, but to do so is entirely your choice and the consequences of doing so, or not, are entirely your responsibility.
Occasionally in this book I make suggestions for using products in ways other than those for which they were originally intended. Because government regulations do not allow manufacturers to recommend their products for certain uses without laboratory proof that they are indeed safe and effective for such uses (and because they must procure government approval of the test results), these alternative uses are not necessarily approved by the manufacturer. Not all the suggestions given are guaranteed to work for everyone, but all have been found to work for many people.
This book is designed to serve people with different interests, budgets, medical conditions, and lifestyles, and as such it may occasionally make recommendations that are not appropriate for you. At these times, simply make an individual choice, and remember that the books primary purpose is to make you aware of the toxic dangers in your home and the environment and suggest toxic-free alternatives.
Because your body is unique, you alone must make the decisions regarding how you take care of it. My intent in writing this book is simply to offer you information that will help you in your own choice to be toxic-free.
toxic
the damage caused by a poison
free
not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes without hindrance or restraint
not subject to domination
not being imprisoned or enslaved
not physically restrained, obstructed, or impeded
(free from) not being subject to or affected by (a particular undesirable thing)
(-free) not containing a specified substance
having the power of self-determinationthe ability to make ones own decisions, act independently of circumstances, and dictate ones own future
toxic-free
an objectsuch as a product, a home, or a bodythat does not contain toxic chemicals
free from exposure to toxic chemicals
free from contamination with toxic chemicals
free from the harmful effects of toxic chemicals to body, mind, and spirit
free from the oppression of toxic chemicals and able to manage the risks associated with them
having the intent to be healthy, even while living in a toxic world
Introduction
Within each of us is an immeasurable capacity for love, understanding, compassion, creativity, joy, and all positive qualities. The tragedy of illness is that it prevents the full expression of outgoing healthy emotions and creative abilities....
I feel that the achievement of health is worth considerable effort and expense because it can add happiness to our lives and to others, can help us to know love and warmth, song, laughter, and music, to experience the joy of creativity and the satisfaction of accomplishments well done.
ADELE DAVIS
Lets Get Well (1972 ed.)
IF YOU ARE READING THIS BOOK, it is likely you have toxic chemicals in your body that are making you sick.
Thats a bold statement, I know, but throughout this book I will show you the truth of it.
I will also tell you how you can reduce the toxic chemical load in your body and how you can remove the consumer products that are making your home toxic, so that you and your loved ones can enjoy the good health that is your birthright.
I have been living without toxic chemicals in my home for more than thirty years. Creating a toxic-free home changed my life:
I recovered my health.
I save money on health care costs.
I enjoy life more because my body feels good: I can work and have fun.
It was my father, actually, who first introduced me to the idea that toxic chemicals might be making me sick.
When I was twenty-four, I moved back home from living on my own to take care of my mother, who was dying of cancer. She had tried many treatments, but now the doctors told her that her time was short, and I moved back to my parents house to take care of her during her last days. She lived only another month. She was only fifty-one. Both my grandmothers also died of cancer. When I began to write this book, two of my friends were battling breast cancer, and one died before I finished.
