4 Surprising Everyday Items That Can Hurt Your Health

SPECIAL FROM You may watch what you eat, drink filtered water, and use your seat belt to protect yourself on the road. Yet many health hazards are lurking around us in not-so-obvious places. Here, a few to steer clear of:  1. Scented candles A fragrant candle may help you unwind and de-stress. But burning those containing a chemical calledlimonene, often used for citrus-scented candles, as well as many cleaning products, can produce fumes that are downright unhealthy. Recent British research found that households with a high levels of limonene correlated with high levels of formaldehyde, which irritates the eyes and throat and may lead to nose and throat cancers. Limonene reacts with gases in the air to create formaldehyde. What’s more, “just burning something is a source of particle pollution,” Janice Nolen, assistant vice president of national policy for the American Lung Association. The smallest of these particles can permeate the lungs, kicking up irritation and asthma, and may over time set the stage for cancer. Smoke may also penetrate blood vessel walls leading to heart attack and stroke. Burning the occasional candle is fine, she says, just don’t make it an everyday ritual. 2. Pizza boxes Your pizza man delivers more than a scrumptious cheesy treat. That greaseproof pizza box is likely to contain perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs. Also used in outdoor clothing, non-stick cookware, Chinese take-out boxes, furniture, and carpets, PFCs a...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news