

Use of Chemicals in food production increased rapidly. These chemical have a severe impact on our health.
Every day knowingly or unknowing we come across the harmful household products which contain poisonous chemicals. These chemicals often become one of the prime reason for chronic and acute health disorder. Here some examples of chemical hazards at home are provided to make people aware of it.
In the last few decades some diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, thyroid problems, skin problem, nervous system defects, hyperactivity, hypertension, have been increased significantly. In 2012 14.1 million cancer were reported and 8.2 million worldwide people died. 57% death occurred from the less developed country. The number of a cancer patient will be increased up to 23.6 million by 2030. In every six death due to cancer in the world, one is Indian. Like Cancer, other degenerative diseases also increasing significantly. Now the question is what are key factors for the increase of this deadly diseases.
If we observe closely towards human life in the last one or two decades, we can see the changes. One of the most negative change is the use of the chemicals in the food products, cosmetics, and other household products like cleaning agents, personal care product, mosquito repellant, non-stick cookware, plastic, etc. Several studies show that these chemical exposures are one of the leading cause of so many diseases mentioned above.
WHO, USFDA, and other regulatory bodies are also working on it closely. They are taking guidelines to provide a safeguard to the people. But in India, we do not have such strong regulatory body in place. Hence we, ourselves have to be conscious of the potentially harmful chemical exposures and try to reduce it up to the possible extent.
As this is a broad subject, I will briefly touch on more harmful chemicals exposure source in the home which can affect our health.
To increase milk quantity animals are treated with hormones, hence in the milk, a residue of the hormones observed. This can lead to having breast and other forms of cancer. To prevent disease in farmhouse these animals and chicken are provided with antibiotics and steroids routinely. If one or two birds become sick and they are treated with antibiotics, then it is somehow justified. But every each is administered antibiotics and sometimes steroid on regular basis is a disaster with the food quality. Now it becomes a replacement for nutrition and sanitation. As per an article published in Hindustan times consumption of these broilers, poultry endangering human lives.
The term pesticides cover a wide range of pest including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc. These dangerous chemicals are used on a daily basis. Sometimes we get contaminated with poison directly. In a recent study conducted in Delhi, some vegetable collected and tested and poisonous chemical observed in the sample more than the allowable limits. The main reason for this toxic chemical contamination in the main source of our food is our unorganized cultivation do not have any monitoring system and guideline in place.
As main sources of our food are contaminated, the mass population are impacted by it. So degenerative diseases are increasing massively. Like some other country of the world, in India, organic food is not widely available. Even if it becomes available there is no certification from a trusted body that plants are cultivated and grown up following organic cultivation procedure holistically. Another problem with cultivated vegetables is the use of hormones. Oxytocin is used for faster growth of the vegetables. This has a lot of negative impact on our health.
Use of plastic containers has been increased rapidly. We use a plastic container for storing water, food, vegetables, etc. This plastic may contaminate our food and water with Bisphenol A (BPA). Several studies show that BPA linked with heart diseases, early puberty in a girl, neurological difficulties, and certain type of cancer.
If you value your health and want to give a healthy future to your child we shall try to look for ways to reduce or eliminate the use of harmful chemicals in our home and food. We should make a habit of reading product labels and verify it. Buying eco-friendly product and the organic food product is good to start to have the chemical safety. We can leave plastic water content and use quality glass content or stainless steel for it. we can replace toothpaste with meswak or neem branches for teeth brushing. Washing fruits and vegetable very carefully and thoroughly.
We are living in the world of chemical, becoming chemical free is impossible. But we have to make an effort to make our environment eco-friendly by using bio-degradable products. This way we can avoid a lot of diseases rooted from harmful chemicals used in household products.
We burn coils, vaporize some liquid or take any other actions to repel mosquitos, flies, etc from our household area. Especially in rainy season, keeping mosquitoes and other insects away from our household area helps us to avoid diseases like Malaria, Dengue, food poisoning, and other micro-pathogen contamination related disease. In one side, the mosquito repellent like coils, electric plugin, etc are effectively kicking minor insects like mosquitoes and flies off the house and help to protect us and our beloved family members from the said deadly diseases, on another side it has some significant negative impact our health if it is not used in a safe manner. Mainly used chemicals in this type of mosquito repellent product are tabulated below:
Type of Mosquito repellent | Chemical used |
Coil | A dried paste of Pyrethrin powder |
Liquid vaporized by using electric plugins | Transfluthrin, a chemical of pyrethroid group |
Spray | DEET |
Above chemicals in an allowable concentration in air for the certain period and using in a safe manner do not have a significant impact on our health. Several studies show that long-term exposure to this type of chemical may pose several impacts on our health. This impact becomes more prominent for kids, older people, and people already suffering from asthma, allergy, vomiting tendency, anxiety, and nerve related disorder. Findings from different research on the impact of the chemical on human are as follows:
Mosquito repellent spray
The exposure of this type of chemical in the human body has more prominent side effects on the body than coil and plugins.
An alternative method to be safe from mosquitoes, flies and other similar insects: With the start of summer insects are increased in the environment and spread diseases. It is not that they only harm us, some of them benefitted us also. Like bees help to germinate flowers, Some major insects eat some other minor insects, etc. Use of chemical on daily basis to repel them, harm us as well as the environment. It is poisonous for fish or other water livings. So we can use following safe methods to make us safe from the mosquitoes and the environment from this harmful chemical:
mosquito-net attached with a window