While celebrating my grandson Connor’s birthday, my thoughts drifted back to a warm summer day long ago. My daughter Kate was visiting with her two boys, Calum 4 and Connor 1. We were relaxing with a cup of coffee and good conversation with the boys playing in the nearby room.
Suddenly Connor came into the room crying, his chubby little legs barely keeping up with his body as he literally burst through the door. We immediately noticed a strange powdery substance, almost like sugar, around his mouth. To our horror we saw little bubbles begin to emerge as he fought to spit out the powdery-looking stuff.
While Kate tried to comfort him I grabbed the phone and called the Poison Control Hotline. I knew he must have wandered into my kitchen where I had left an open dishwasher. As the operator tried to calm me down, I gave her the scenario, describing Connor’s behavior and symptoms. She immediately asked me, “What product has the baby ingested? I replied, “Why, my non-toxic Shaklee Dishwashing Powder“, describing the brand and ingredients to her as fast as I could. I could hear the relief in her voice as she replied, “The baby will be just fine ….just a few bubbles….. just wash him up, comfort him and thank God that you did not have a toxic powder in the dishwasher dispenser!”
Following that event I began to do some research on what could have happened that day had I used another product. First of all I was shocked to learn that every year five to ten million household poisonings are reported, the immediate result of accidental ingestion of common cleaning, pesticide, personal care and other household products. Many of these poisonings are fatal, and most of the victims are children. I learned that the immediate effects of chemical exposure such as what Connor might have ingested in that split second could have resulted in a red and blistered face along with the inside of his mouth and tongue turning white. Those children who actually swallowed the powder often requires several operations to reopen the scarred esophagus Some children literally have to eat through tubes for months while going through operation after operation.
I took a trip to the grocery store and found that every dishwashing product on the shelf had chlorine as its first ingredient. The chlorine in conventional detergents is easily vaporized by hot dishwasher water and then released into our home’s air. I had not used anything but my non-toxic Shaklee products for the last 15 years and literally forgot what lethal chemicals are in these toxic products.
I feel so blessed that someone shared environmentally-safe, non-toxic products with me and made a difference in my life and certainly that of my grandson Connor’s life that day! I think of every day as Earth Day and the daily choices we make can make an enormous difference.
17 years ago I was introduced to the idea of actually using products in my home that were non-toxic. Although I had already raised my children and unfortunately exposed them to the chemicals in my cleaners, I still had my grandchildren to think about. I began to develop my ongoing passion to help families set up non-toxic homes. These non-toxic, biodegradable products actually worked better than those I had used for years with the chemicals. Watch this video and join in this movement to help create a safer place for all of our children. If you are already using non-toxic products and like them, great. If not, ask me about the products that changed my life.
A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.
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Every day our families have to deal with those pesky dirty dishes, some more, some less,depending upon the size of the household. But how often do we think about the soap we are using to clean those dishes with?
Did you know that one 42 gallon of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline and the rest (which includes over 6,000 items) is used to make things like detergents, soap, lipstick, nail polish, hand lotion, dentures, denture adhesives, cold cream, etc. etc.?
Those “dishpan hands” literally come from the synthetic surfactants such as ethanol, a widely used ingredient, which dries out delicate skin. We don’t even want to think about all of those synthetic colors, dyes and contaminants being absorbed into our skin, and even leaving their residue on our now “clean” dishes. We are definitely hurting the fish as these chemicals wash down the drain and into the water table. Have you ever noticed the smell of chlorine bleach as the dishwasher does it job? Those fumes are escaping and we should not be in that space, breathing them. And don’t forget how long those synthetic detergents take to break down.
Back to all those 6,000 products that are petroleum-based. What if we decided to make a difference for our children, their children, and all of those future generations by making an effort to buy only those products that are petroleum-free.
I was introduced 17 years ago to a line of non-toxic, biodegradable, green household products and have never looked back. They are safe and they actually work. Purchasing natural personal care products is another choice I have made
As we all watch in horror at what is happening to the waters of the Gulf, let’s think about what we can do to make a difference for our planet. Let’s stop buying those cheap, synthetic products and purchase only those that are manufactured without petrochemicals!
When I found out about this movie, OCEANS, I was very excited to share the news. I plan to see it with our grandchildren so they can see the wonders that nature offers us all. If you go during the first week of its showing (it opened today – Earth Day) Disney will donate some of the proceeds to saving the coral reef.
As I was sorting my recycling today at the local recycle bins I thought about my own childhood and how that was not even in my radar to do. We were not then aware of how little things like recycling and using non-toxic products could help our planet (and our breathing space!) Chemicals were just then really becoming the norm to “super clean” our bathrooms, kitchen floors, etc. My mom loved her bleach and Ajax and all those super cleaners.
It wasn’t until I was a grandmother that I discovered that toxins in our home really affected all of us. Now my grandchildren benefit. I love sharing everything I know about pollution, environmentally-safe products, recycling, etc. with other families now. (One of the moms I shared a green product with did a post about it). Be sure and check it out as there is a giveaway offered as well.