A Few Known Carcinogens You Can Avoid

Carcinogen: any substance or agent that tends to produce a cancer.

There are a few known carcinogens that I would like to share with you so that you and your family can avoid them.

The first one is herbicides, which have been thought to cause leukemia. This concerns me because we used a weed killer in our yard, which my son ran through, just months before he was diagnosed with leukemia. My point in telling you this is that I had no idea that a weed killer could possibly cause my son to get cancer. I will never know for sure what caused my son's cancer but if I find information about a product that is linked to cancer then I definitely want to avoid it and share the information I have found with you. My hopes are to inform others about the dangers of herbicides and what you can use in place of them.

Since my son's leukemia diagnosis I have researched and found an alternative weed killer. It is called 20% vinegar and is completely natural. It is also very effective. My husband believes it works better than the weed killers you buy in a store. We purchased ours from an online store called Garden Ville.

Pesticides and insecticides are known carcinogens and should be avoided also but I have not done any research on a natural product to replace the use of them.

Have you ever considered that the air freshener that makes your home smell good or the scented fabric sheet you use for your laundry could be toxic and potentially cause cancer? Well a recent newspaper article that I read stated that these products along with other common household items are potentially exposing your family to dangerous chemicals. It was discovered that some of these popular items contain volatile organic compounds which can be cancerous or harmful to respiratory, reproductive, neurological and other organ systems.

In my search to find alternatives to these and other potentially harmful household products I have discovered a line of products called Method. They are sold at Target, online and many other locations. Their website tells you where their products are sold. You will find everything from laundry detergent to dish liquid to air fresheners to hand care to bath products and the list goes on. Method products are people, pet and environmentally friendly as they have biodegradable ingredients derived from natural materials such as soy, coconut and palm oils.

Another great line of products that I use is Nature's Sunshine. They have cleaning products, personal care products, family health essentials and lots more. I really like to use their cleaning products. The Sunshine Concentrate Cleaner is great to use with their essential oils. You can choose what essential oil scent you want, mix it with your concentrate cleaner then clean your house with it. My two favorites for cleaning are the lemon and the cinnamon oils. And you can use the cleaner for many different things, such as......dishes, appliances, laundry, windows, carpets and you can even bath in it. It's people, pet, plant and environment safe.

I also like their aloe vera gel which I use for a moisturizer. It is pure aloe vera and it works great not only for moisturizing but it also helps diminish sun damage. I have a lot of freckles (from sun damage) and within a few weeks of using it twice a day they were barely visible. If you are looking to get started with their cleaning products I would recommend the Aromatherapy Product Pack which includes essential oils, concentrate cleaner, massage oil, aloe vera gel, spray bottles and roll on bottles.

Another household product that may surprise you to be a possible carcinogen is a paraffin candle. They contain several dangerous chemicals in significant quantities. One chemical that they contain is benzene, a known carcinogen. A healthy alternative to a paraffin candle is a soy candle. Soy wax is derived from soy plants and is biodegradable.

I will continue my search for alternatives to any known carcinogens that I am aware of and will post any new information here for you. If you have any suggestions or products that you use please share them with me here.