NEWS: Cancer Causing Chemical Found in Household Items (April 2023)

A potential cancer causing chemical called short chained chlorinated paraffins have been found in a new U of T study in more than 87% of household items studied.  

96 items were tested (find the link for the full list below), 84 of them containing this chemical with the highest levels in electronic devices and toys.  Which makes it concerning for everyone but especially for kids with that type of exposure.

Why is this important?

This chemical was actually banned 10 years ago (in 2013) from use, sale, manufacture and import to Canada because of its harmful effects on human health. 

What can you do?

Things that may help decrease exposure include:

• dust and vacuum regularly
• wash new clothes before you wear them
• decrease your other toxic exposures (check out ewg.org to see what products you can switch to)
  
• purchase an air purifier with a HEPA filter 
• focus on building your health through diet and lifestyle strategies which will help your natural detox systems work better too

I know this can feel overwhelming - to constantly hear news like this...

But this study highlights something super important.⁣
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On a higher level, we have to have appropriate testing strategies in place to ensure people aren't exposed to chemicals like this.⁣
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But there are still a few things we can do that can help us feel more empowered.⁣

Continue to learn more and be well informed, take care of things that are under our control and continue to move forward with strategies that can help optimize our health.

Hope this helps and inspires you!

Here is the link for the article.

Here is the link for a full list of the items tested.

Source: 

Kutarna S, Du X, Diamond ML, Blum A, Peng H. Widespread presence of chlorinated paraffins in consumer products. Environ Sci Process Impacts. 2023 Apr 11. doi: 10.1039/d2em00494a. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37039315.