The most innocent items such as furniture, TV sets, other electrical appliances, carpets and rugs often contain stain-repellent or fire-retardant chemicals. Many of the ones used as flame-retardants (brominated flame-retardants) persist for a long time in the home environment, eventually accumulating in our bodies. Research has shown that they can potentially disrupt our natural hormonal system over time.

Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) contribute to indoor air pollution and cause ozone depletion. Some, like alcoholic compounds, can even be explosive.

The term VOC is generally applied to organic solvents, certain paint additives, aerosol spray propellants, fuels (such as gasoline, and kerosene), petroleum distillates, dry cleaning products, and many other industrial and consumer products ranging from office supplies to building materials.

They have been known to cause headache, sore throat, nausea, and drowsiness. Prolonged exposure to high concentrations of VOCs can lead to cancer.

A great percentage of pesticides and insecticides used on fruit and vegetables are known to be carcinogenic. Pesticide residues have been detected in up to 75% of U.S. foods. Industrial pollution from car fumes, factories and combustion pollutants, cannot be ignored.

Industrial pollutants cause the poor air quality in big cities and industrial zones, which we know as smog and soot. Most of the 20 million people suffering from asthma also live in areas with poor air quality. Over one hundred and seventy million people currently live in counties where air quality standards are not met, facing increased risks of heart and lung disease and premature mortality.

How to get Well: Handbook of Natural Healing. Dr. Paavlo Airola:

"These health-destroying environmental factors bring about inevitable derangement in all the vital bodily functions, with consequent biochemical imbalance in the tissues; autotoxemia; chronic under-supply of oxygen to the cells; poorer digestion, ineffective assimilation of nutrients...and, of course, gradually lowered resistance to disease."

Lead poisoning is one of the foremost environmental health threats to children. Those living in industrial and metropolitan areas have enough lead in their blood to reduce intelligence and attention span, cause learning disabilities, ADD, and permanently damage a child's brain and nervous system.

Going for breaks and long walks in nature, especially forests whenever possible, while making a conscious effort to breathe deeply, will re-supply the body cells and blood with vital oxygen.

You constantly hear about toxins threats through magazines, on the Internet and on TV and radio. But what are toxins? And how can we eliminate toxins, or at least neutralise them?

Whether we like it or not, various toxin forms are present all around us. Toxins could represent a potentially serious threat to our health if we don't learn to take simple necessary precautions.

Let's take an objective look at the toxins our body is exposed to on a daily basis, and explore effective ways to prevent and counteract toxin damage.

Main toxins categories:

• Environmental toxins
• Household toxins
• Food toxins
• Lifestyle toxins