After the whole aluminum thing, I've been thinking a lot more about what I put into/on/near my body. One of the things I found was a blog called Green Living Q and A, which covers some thoughts on green living, including discussion of the whole aluminum debate. Some of the things I've learned so far:
- Juice is not that much better than sugar water. I kind of suspected this was true. Apparently consuming high levels of fructose increases the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. So, I guess I'm going to have to try drinking less of that. Mostly, there days, I'm drinking pop (I know! It's one of my few vices, and everyone gets a few, right?) and Arnold Palmer's, which my Dad is obsessed with.
- PVC is unhealthy for you. Now that I've read this, I remember it, but I'm wondering how the heck I could have forgotten that. Now I feel bad for admiring so much PVC clothing over the years. And it looks like leather is not necessarily a good option either. Other fabrics I shouldn't apparently want include EcoSpun Fabric.
- Christmas lights have chemicals, but there are kinds out there that have less chemicals. The European Union (God bless them!) certify a type of Christmas lights as "RoHA compliant," which just means that they have less chemicals than other lights. (How much is unclear to me.)
- Wall decals are made of vinyl. Which is dangerous (see the PVC comment above.) Great. There goes my easy, Etsy-encouraged decorating idea. Also, vinyl wallpaper and paint are dangerous, so I'm wondering what I am going to be able to use to decorate my walls. I'm in trouble if I'm not allowed posters or framed art. I was thinking of making a display on my ceiling of those Chinese paper lanterns, but not I'm afraid to even research what might be in them, especially given that China does not have such a great record when it comes to lead.
- Heartworm Preventing Medications aren't that different from pesticides. This I can blame on having a rabbit as a young girl as one of my few pets. (My other pets? Insects. No kidding.) I bet Jennifer, animal expert and fellow aluminum shunner, would have something to say about this, so I'm going to have to remember to ask her next chance I get.
Also, I found some new research on aluminum through the blog, including this one detailing how it is related to Alzheimer's. This pdf also talks about aluminum levels in various everyday stuff. I find this one particularly scary, since it appears to be a lot of stuff. It says that it's in pop cans, which I guess means I'm going to prefer bottled pop from now on. They're also in clay cat litter, so I guess if I ever get that cat I was thinking of getting, I'm going to have to be careful of that. There's also this study that details aluminum in tea. One of the people over at Jane Austen Today once discussed herself as a tea snob, and I guess I am in some ways too, but this study is now putting me off of tea.
One of the many things that comes up on this blog a lot is how people are chemically sensitive. It seems like way more people are chemically sensitive than I would have guessed. It also makes me wonder what causes it, because I can't really think of a time I've been overly sensitive to a chemical.
I find this stuff exhausting. Nothing is apparently safe. I hated Walden, but reading this stuff makes me want to pack my bags and go live out in the wilderness.
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