Nicole Bijlsma - Healthy Home Guru

A recent investigation conducted by the Breast Cancer Fund and Choice reveals the presence of the hormone disrupting chemical BPA (bisphenol A) in tinned food found on supermarket shelves. BPA is associated with breast and prostate cancer, infertility and early puberty in girls to type-2 diabetes, obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

For more infomration, click here.

Here is my recent interview on Channel 7 Sunrise on Natural Cleaning.

A recent investigation by Greenpeace and the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) found up to one third of children's products sold in China contained heavy metals in their paints including lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, antimony or chromium. These metals cause learning and behaviourhal problems in children. China currently produces two thirds of the world's toys. Despite strict regulations to ban these metals, most western countries don't have the resources to screen every shipping container relying instead on product recalls (of which there have been many!). For more information click here.

Around 10 years ago I had my hair analysed for heavy metals and minerals. The reading that came up highest was arsenic which was well above the normal limit. I always suspected that it came from years of drinking apple juice which I pretty much grew up on. My hunch is likely to be accurate in light of the new evidence that 10% of apple and grape juices tested had total arsenic levels of 10 parts per billion (ppb) and 25% had lead levels higher than the 5 ppb. This type of arsenic is carcinogenic. Best to stick with filtered water especially for children and pregnant women who are most at risk. Read more

Polypropylene (number 5 plastic) commonly used in everything from food storage containers, nappies, water pipes and clothing has recently raised concerns amongst scientists because it has been found to leach quaternary ammonium biocides and oleamide the adverse health effects of which are unknown. Concerns were first raised this week when it blocked an enzyme in a laboratory experiment.

I have classified polypropylene as a safe plastic in my book, however this news should raise alarms about all plastics (see my interview on The Circle). Once again, go back to basics, store your food and beveriges in glass, stainless steel, pyrex and ceramics. Read more.

Victorians can now sign an online petition against smart meters at the link at a
great new website: http://stopsmartmetersau.com/

There is also space to enter your specific concerns, which will give added
weight to the petition (look at Signatures at the bottom of the petition webpage
to see other people's comments). You can also register yourself at the new website if you wish to be informed of updates posted to the site.

Halt Smart Meters would appreciate it if this information is distributed to as
many Victorians as possible, as quickly as possible.

Benzophenone (BP) is an ingredient that is commonly found in perfumes, lipstick as well as hair and skin products such as sunscreens to prevent sunlight from breaking down the products. It is a hormone disrupting chemical that interferes with thyroid function and lowers testosterone (Kim et al, 2011). There are serious concerns about its impact on male fertility.

Smart meters are receiving alot of adverse attention worldwide for many reasons. Could it be the significant increase in your energy bill, the worldwide collapse of bee colonies (and ultimately our food source!), the fire risks or the admission by the World Health Organisation this year that radiofrequencies are likely to cause cancer that get your attention?

Here are 8 reasons why they should not be in your home!

The US EPA is about to crack down on Glymes (glycol ethers)- solvents used in thousands of everyday household products including paints and paint strippers, carpet cleaners, inkjet cartridges, lithium batteries, brake fluid, polycarbonate plastics, adhesives and sealants, and during the production of hypertension, asthma and anti-depression drugs.

Concerns were first raised in 1995 as a result of a significant increase in miscarriages in semiconductor manufacturing workers. More recent studies have also highlighted these concerns (Schenker, 2010). As a result of the fact that glymes are potent development and reproductive toxins, the European Union has enforced that labels of products containing monoglyme or diglyme must warn consumers that they “may impair fertility” or “may cause harm to the unborn child.” No such labelling exists in US or Australia to date.

Concerns surrounding perfluorinated chemicals used in non-stick cookware, food packaging and stain repellant clothing have been raised for some time after these chemicals were found in the blood of over 90% of Americans. Recent research has now linked them to hyperactivity and early menopause amongst other things. Click here to see how you can reduce your exposure.

You probably already know that some plastics are a problem for our health in particularly PVC (3), polystyrene (6) and some polycarbonate (7) because they contain hormone disrupting chemicals which are thought to be contributing to early puberty, diabetes, obesity, heart disease as well as cancer of the breast and testicles. Well new research is indicating that some of the BPA free plastic could be more harmful than BPA! Many of these 'new' plastics such as PES (polyethylsulfone) contain BPS and BPF which have been shown to be stronger on their impact on the body than BPA.

My solution: use glass, ceramics, pyrex and stainless steel to store your food and beveriges in.

Here is my interview recently on Channel 10 The Circle to shed some light on the issue.

For further reading on plastics click here.

We all know how important sunscreens are to prevent skin cancer... however recent research indicates not only that most DO NOT protect against harmful UV rays, but they may contain chemicals that affect our hormones (oxybenzone or 4-MBC), damage the skin and in some cases, actually increase the rate of skin cancer. To find out the best and worst sunscreens click here.

Pesticides - we all know they are bad but how do we avoid them? Well, the Environmental Working Group just realised their "dirty dozen" after examining the pesticide residue in common fruit and vegies.

In order of highest were apples (my 4yo son eats 6 a day!), celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines, grapes, capsicum, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce and kale (EWG, 2011). What do you do? buy organic when it comes to these foods. To find out where pesticides are in your home, click here.

Mary is allergic to her home. I just cant think of a better way to describe it...

Within an hour of being at home she experiences itchy red eyes, difficulty breathing, and her nose starts to run. At first she didn’t make the connection that it was her home, until she started noticing that it didn’t happen in other people’s homes. However it wasn’t until she came back from a holiday in Europe recently that she realised how bad the problem was. Once again, within an hour of arriving home, the symptoms began. After countless visits to doctors and naturopaths and thousands of dollars in medication to no avail, I was called in to see if her home was making her sick. During the audit, I discovered that her symptoms began after they completed an extension to the living room in 2008. An examination of the crawl space in the renovated section revealed no damp proof course, pooling of water, lots of clutter and no ventilation. Surface samples revealed exceptionally high levels of mould (Penicillium and Aspergillus niger) on the underside of the floorboards. These species of mould release chemicals (mycotoxins) that can trigger hayfever, asthma and other lung problems. Air sampling in the living room immediately above revealed these moulds were three times higher than what is typically found in the outdoor air.

Most doctors and natural therapists have little understanding of the cause and health effects of mould, so unfortunately many asthmatics end up relying on prescriptive medication when it could be something as simple as mould in the home.

As fungi is ubiquitous throughout our environment, the only time mould becomes a problem in the house is if you give it food and moisture. As most building materials are the perfect food for mould, dampness is always the key to addressing mould problems. Dampness generally comes from condensation build-up as a result of poor ventilation, living in humid climates or flooding (plumbing issue, poor drainage…). When cleaning mould, use an 80% naturally fermented white vinegar to 20% water solution. Don’t use bleach as it provides some species of mould with a food source! If the area exceeds 1m2, a mould remediator maybe required. For more information, click here.

I was surprised to read many years ago, that vehicle exhaust and in particularly diesel fumes, could cause heart attack and increase your risk of developing allergies by twenty fold (BBC Horison, 2008). It appears that around 50% of the population are genetically susceptible to the harmful effects of diesel fumes.

It was therefore welcome that the government announced today that it will be enforcing new vehicle standards to reduce the emission of toxic gases and ultrafine particles from car exhaust. Living within 300 metres of a major arterial route can dramatically increase your chances of developing allergies. These emissions are responsible for heart attacks and asthma which is estimated to cost $1.5 billion in the public health sector. The first of these standards will occur with new cars from November 2013. Australia is one of the last western countries to adopt the standards.

Read more.

Tips to reduce allergies and asthma
1. Reduce dust mite exposure
2. Implement a chemical free pest control program to get rid of cockroaches and rodents (a common asthma trigger).
3. Avoid pets in the house. IF this is not possible, wash the pet weekly and brush them outside before they enter the home. Air their bedding in full sunlight as often as possible
4. Dont smoke in the house.
5. Get rid of the mould as it is a MAJOR trigger for asthma.

For tips on how to reduce all of these triggers, refer to my website.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) on 31st May 2011 announced what has long been suspected: that mobile phone use may increase the risk of developing certain types of brain tumours. Click here

As I wrote in my book, I personally believe it is only a matter of time now that we see health warnings on mobile phones. In time, it will mean a ban on buses, trains and trams as the microwave emissions bounce in metal carriages creating 'hotspots' exposing unsuspecting commuters to high doses of microwave radiation.

Tips to reduce your exposure
1. Use a landline phone (cordless phones use the same radiation as a mobile phone)
2. SMS whenever you can
3. When making or receiving calls, keep your head away from the phone: use the loudspeaker or an air-tube airpiece

Last night, 60 Minutes discussed the issue of BPA and the lack of action by our authorities - Food Standards Australia - in addressing the issue despite its ban in other countries. Their explanation was that the science was not conclusive - jeepers the amount of evidence to show it is not safe has been steadily amassing for almost a decade now! It was a shame that they didnt mention that its also lining many of our food tins! How long will we allow our children to be the canaries in the mines?