Ways to Safer Pregnancy : Home Detox (1)

      

1. Dust Often

Household dust is more than a nuisance. It’s also the final resting place for many of the toxins introduced into our homes. One study identified 35 pollutants in tested samples, including alkylphenols linked to altered sexual development, organotin compounds suspected of affecting brain development, perfluorinated chemicals, pesticides, phthalates, and flame retardants.

If this upsets you now, just wait until you have a crawling baby pawing at your dust bunnies, then putting her hands in her mouth! To safely remove household dust, vacuum regularly with a HEPA vacuum, damp mop hard floors, wipe furniture and other surfaces with a microfiber cloth or damp rag, and carefully maintain the filters on HVAC and other climate control equipment. If you’re concerned about lead dust, your damp wiping should involve a non-toxic detergent solution .

2. Clear The Air 

Air pollution doesn’t just happen outdoors. It also occurs indoors. Our homes trap combustion emissions, fumes from cleaners, personal care items, home furnishings, building materials, and other products, as well as pollutants carried in from outside.

Indoor air pollution has been called one of the top five environmental risks to public health, and studies indicate that indoor air is often two to five times more polluted than the air outside. Some of the biggest contributors to poor indoor air are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), synthetic chemicals that form vapors at room temperature.

Maternal exposure to VOCs is suspected of affecting the immune status of newborns and impairing behavioral development.
Maintaining indoor air quality is relatively simple. Follow these steps for fresher indoor air : 

          •  Open windows regularly—even in winter—to “rinse” bad air out

          •  Don’t use cleaners or products with a strong chemical smell, like rubber cement or paint

          •  Use your stove fan if you cook with gas. 

          •  Keep HVAC filters clean. 

          •  Test for radon. 

          •  Let freshly dry-cleaned items air out in the garage for a few days 

             (or don’t send your clothes to a conventional dry cleaner in the first place). 

          •  Use a chlorine-free dishwasher detergent. 

          •  Avoid new furniture made from plywood and/ or other pressed woods or particleboard.

             They can release formaldehyde vapors. 

          •  Don’t use personal care products containing synthetic fragrance. 

             The same goes for laundry detergent, dryer sheets, and even scented candles. 

          •  Don’t use your fireplace or use it sparingly 

          •  Keep humidity levels between 30 to 50 percent to help VOC fumes dissipate.

      3. Get The Lead Out 

Lead is a well-known household contaminant, one definitively found to cause a wide variety of prenatal neurological harm. It can appear in many places. Simple swab-based test kits available at most hardware stores will identify its presence, and items containing lead should be removed or encapsulated. Here are some of the common places lead hides : 

          •  Paint applied prior to 1979

             (Lead paint was banned in 1978 and continues to be a big problem.) . Know when your home is built. 

          •  Dust. 

          •  Drinking water obtained through older pipes that may contain lead. 

          •  Imported traditional medicines. 

          •  Low-quality jewelry including children’s costume jewelry. 

          •  Fishing tackle. 

          •  Imported glazed ceramics. 

          •  Imported candies or foods containing chili or tamarind. 

          •  Mini-blinds. 

When it comes to lead paint, friction surfaces (windows, doors) are especially of concern since they can create lead dust when they rub. Removal or encapsulation of lead-tainted objects is not a job for a pregnant mom. It’s one thing to throw out a piece of costume jewelry, quite another to remediate flaking window jambs.

Hire workers certified in government regulations to methodically address the problem. Make sure to look at their lead-safe certifications and carefully discuss the issue before any work begins. A thorough post-construction clean up as well as lead clearance testing should follow any home improvement project that disturbs lead paint.

      4. Filter Your Water 

Your OB/GYN or midwife has likely told you to drink a lot of water during these 9 months. But what’s in that water? Municipal water supplies are usually treated to remove impurities, but they also commonly have materials intentionally added to them, like chlorine and fluoride, both of which have been implicated in birth defects and other prenatal problems, from holes in the heart to neurological dysfunction.

Since you drink water day in and day out, you will have chronic low-level exposure. Ask your water supplier whether chlorine or fluoride is present in your tap water. If so, filter your drinking water—and, if practical, your bathing water: chlorine can be volatized into an inhalable form by hot water. If you drink well water, it’s likely chlorine- and fluoride-free, but it may contain other contaminants like agricultural pesticides. Have it tested and filter accordingly

       5. Avoid vinyl

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products—from flooring to shower curtains—are made flexible by a family of chemical plasticizers called phthalates. Research indicates that prenatal phthalate exposure can interfere with testosterone production and reproductive development, and adversely affect mental, motor, and behavioral development during the toddler years. 

Phthalates have also been implicated in low birth weights and even significantly increased odds of preterm delivery. Unfortunately, phthalates are not chemically bound to the products that contain them. As a result, they can easily “shed” and/or evaporate into the air and into house dust. Steps should be taken to decrease exposure to phthalates during pregnancy. 

To keep phthalates away, don’t use any vinyl products or plastic items with the “PVC,” “V,” or “3” recycling symbols. Be aware that vinyl is unfortunately one life’s most common materials. It’s found in shower curtains, flooring, wallpaper, carpet mats, imitation leather, inflatable products, venetian blinds, electronic cables, shoes, backpacks, luggage, plasticized fabrics (bibs, printed t-shirts, aprons, tablecloths, etc.), soft plastic toys and teethers, and garden hoses. And that’s just a partial list!

 The good news is that PVC-free versions of almost every vinyl product are available. For example, there are plenty of PVC-free shower curtains. If you have vinyl flooring and you’re not in the market to replace, damp mop frequently. Use non-PVC shades or blinds to keep sunlight from floors and other vinyl surfaces; direct sun causes vinyl to heat up and release its phthalates faster.

       6. Don’t get stuck on perfluorochemicals

Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) are materials used to create non-stick cookware, greaseproof food packaging, stain repellants, and other products. Like phthalates, these long-lived endocrine disruptors often escape from items that contain them. Research into the fetal health effects of PFCs is, like your growing baby, in its infancy, but early indications suggest they’re problematic. 

They’ve been linked to low birth weight, small head size, and low maternal thyroid hormone levels that can lead to below-average motor skills, learning difficulties, reduced IQ, ADHD, and problems with infant socialization. To prevent contact with PFCs, swap your non-stick cookware for naturally non-stick cast iron. 

Avoid fast food, takeout pizza, and things like microwave popcorn, which are typically packaged in PFC-coated materials. Don’t apply stainor water-repelling treatments to furniture, carpets, or clothing, or buy pre-treated items. Use plain dental floss instead of coated types, which often contain PFCs. Don’t use coated paper plates.