Common and Dangerous Chemical Exposures

By James Templeton

I remember as a boy lying in bed in the Houston heat with the windows open. We didn’t have air conditioning, just windows and fans to keep us cool. Around midnight I’d hear the mosquito trucks come through, leaving that fog behind them. I don’t know if they sprayed DDT, Malathion or another organophosphate, all I know is when I’d smell it coming in the windows even as a boy I thought it can’t be good to breathe that year after year.

Chemicals and Cancer

I started thinking back on all the chemical exposures I had because I read studies that found a link between chemical exposures and melanoma cancer. In fact, there are recent studies that say petrochemical exposure is a cause of melanoma, especially when it occurs on areas of the body that haven’t been sun exposed.

When I started thinking about living in Houston, I realized it’s a pretty toxic area. A lot of refineries and chemical plants are located there because of the shipping channels. I used to work construction outside on summer breaks during college and when I’d breathe deep I’d start coughing from all the chemicals in the air.

Workplace Exposures

I had pretty significant petrochemical exposures, too. From the time I was in college I worked in full service gas stations. I worked my way up to being the owner at 25 years old, and took pride in providing full service to my customers until I was diagnosed with cancer at age 32. I wanted people to have a clean, honest business to go to and went out of my way to give good service. So I breathed gas fumes for many years, pumping gas for everyone that came through.

I also worked for a sprinkler installation company as a pipefitter through high school and college and couldn’t help but inhale the solvents and PVC glues when I worked with them. How do you get away from chemicals like these when you have to work for a living?

Common Sources of Hidden Chemicals

While you may not have control over the air pollution you’re exposed to, you do have control over the agricultural chemicals you come in contact with. Pesticides and bug sprays on food are one of the most common sources of chemical exposure. Choosing organic produce not only cuts down on your chemical exposures but also helps you detoxify the chemicals you’ve already been exposed to and need to eliminate from your body.

Synthetic fragrances are another common and dangerous source of chemicals. Found in soaps, shampoos, deodorants, air fresheners, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, wax melts, candles and more, these neurotoxic chemicals cross the blood-brain barrier and go directly into the limbic system of the brain when you breathe them in. Not only do they disrupt hormones and cause allergies, they harm the central nervous system and cause cancers. It’s important to read labels; even labels that claim to be unscented contain these chemicals listed simply as “fragrance” on the label.

Templeton’s Top Ten Tips To Detox Chemicals

We’re all exposed to chemicals daily and while we can’t always control being exposed, we can help our bodies detox and get rid of them. Here are 10 techniques I use to get the chemicals out:

1. Create a pollution-free zone with a good air purifier in your home.
2. Stay hydrated with good, clean water. Getting at least half your body weight in ounces of water per day will help flush toxins and chemicals out through your kidneys.
3. Eat organic and biodynamic whenever possible.
4. Take a good greens supplement like our Daily Greens Formula.
5. Support the detoxification process with S-Acetyl Glutathione or Liposomal Glutathione, a potent antioxidant. Coffee enemas will also stimulate glutathione production in the body.
6. The liver bears most of the burden of detox, so help the process along with a supplement like our Liver-Lovin Formula.
7. Vitamin C is my go-to antioxidant for anytime my body needs a helping hand. I recommend taking it to bowel tolerance.
8. Take proteolytic enzymes between meals to help the digestive system break down toxins for elimination.
9. Use skin brushing, massage and clay baths to stimulate removal of toxins through the skin.
10. Frequent sauna and moderate exercise will stimulate you to sweat out toxins and chemicals through the skin. Niacin can help this process, though I personally have not used it.