Tips on how you might reduce your exposure to everyday toxins.
Open a window: mixing indoor with outdoor air is the best form of air-conditioning.
Keep plants indoors: Many common green leafy and flowering plants purify the air. One study called pot plants the most sophisticated pollution-absorbing devices in your home.
Go fragrance-free: air-fresheners, fabric softeners, perfumes and aftershaves all contain potentially harmful chemicals. Use sparingly and choose products with the fewest ingredients.
Check the label on beauty products: choose toiletries and cosmetics with the lowest number of ingredients.
Quit smoking: tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, some of which have well-documented carcinogenic properties.
Vacuum and dust regularly: you can keep dust mites, pollen, animal and human hair and other airborne particles to a minimum with regular cleaning.
Use safe cleaning and decorating products: choose detergents and soaps made from vegetable sources if possible. Avoid using aerosols. Look for organic paints and solvent-free paint strippers and brush cleaners.
Buy organic: food and water are our major sources of ingested pesticides.
Thoroughly wash all produce: the abrasive effect of running water helps remove some surface chemicals and bacteria. Peel non-organic fruits and vegetables (especially for children) and discard the outer leaves of green vegetables.
Reduce your exposure to electromagnetic fields: cut down on unnecessary electrical gadgets. Cordless appliances, CD players, televisions, hi-fis and the like emit electric waves even when on standby. Keeping these to a minimum in the bedroom is particularly important.
Keep your mobile phone for emergencies: some studies point to adverse health effects, particularly for children, of overuse of mobile phones.
Ground yourself and your home: modern synthetic materials, such as nylon, are particularly dangerous for sparking off electricity. Use wood and ceramics where possible and replace man-made shoe soles with leather ones.
Check new homes for electromagnetic fields: before buying a house, check whether power lines run directly under or over it.
Minimise hormone disruption: use a water filter. Pesticides, fertilisers, industrial chemicals and old plumbing systems contribute to the sometimes high levels of toxic chemicals in our water. Water filters noticeably reduce these chemicals.
Avoid plastic wrap: the chemical DEHA is still used in some brands of household and grocery-store wrap for cheese and meat. DEHA has been proven to interfere with male fertility in most animal species.
Avoid microwaving food in plastic containers: plastic contains oestrogenic compounds that can be released when heated. Using glass containers prevents this risk.
Eat well and exercise often: certain foods, particularly oily fish, fruit and vegetables, can leach chemicals from the body. Similarly, working up a sweat when exercising removes toxins from the body.