(Source: http://cdn3.ewg.org/sites/default/files/u381/EWG_CancerPrev_TipSheet.pdf?_ga=1.204356624.125693156.1454683532)
Cancer prevention starts with a healthy lifestyle. That means not smoking or using tobacco products, eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, practicing safe sex and getting appropriate vaccinations.
Don’t forget that your environment also plays an important role. Here are some simple actions you can take in and around your home to help reduce your family’s risk of cancer.
(SEE BELOW FOR MY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW NORWEX CAN HELP!)
1. PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE SUN
Clothing – shirts, hats and pants – and sunscreen can help protect your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. These precautions are especially important when the sun is high in the sky and most intense. EWG’s sunscreen guide can help you find safe, effective products.
2. KEEP A CLEAN HOME
Dust is a reservoir for many toxic chemicals and can be a source of exposure, particularly for children who spend a lot of time on or close to the floor and often put their hands in their mouths. Regular cleaning with a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner and dusting in a way that removes dust, rather than stirring it up, can reduce indoor exposures. In older buildings, lead paint, asbestos-containing materials (flooring and insulation) and older electrical equipment can pose risks. Lead and asbestos removal should only be done with extreme caution and by a professional.
3. FIND ALTERNATIVES TO PESTICIDES
Pesticides have been linked to a variety of cancers including prostate, leukemia, lymphoma, and childhood cancers. Control insects by not leaving food out and cleaning up crumbs or spills, keeping your home dry (using a dehumidifier if you have a basement) and keeping the foundation clear of dirt, plants and debris. Mulch, landscaping fabrics and homemade solutions of vinegar and/or soap are good ways to suppress weeds without using chemicals.

4. KEEP INDOOR AIR CLEAN
When you tackle a home improvement project, use products made without volatile organic compounds such as low-VOC paints and keep work areas well ventilated. Avoid laminates and other composite wood products that contain formaldehyde. Air pollution from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves can also be a serious issue. Choose clean-burning stoves or inserts and make sure they are properly ventilated, with no leaks in the chimney or exhaust pipes. Finally, you shouldn’t ever smoke, but certainly don’t do it in your home.
5. FILTER DRINKING WATER
Tap water can contain low levels of metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, nitrates and disinfection by-products (chemicals formed when the chlorine utilities use to treat water reacts with organic material). Simple carbon filters can remove many of these contaminants. If arsenic or nitrates are a major concern, consider more expensive options such as reverse osmosis filters or distillation.
6. LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES TO HARSH CLEANERS
Solutions of soap or vinegar in water can be simple and effective cleaners. EWG’s cleaners guide can help identify less toxic products on the market.
7. CHECK FOR RADON
Radon, a naturally occurring gas that can seep into your house from the ground, is a known carcinogen. Professional radon testing and commercial kits are readily available.
8. COOK CLEAN
Today’s non-stick cookware is much improved, but it doesn’t last forever. Scratched or worn cookware can release toxic chemicals into your food and air, as can pre-heating non-stick cookware at high temperatures. Don’t heat food or drinks in plastic containers; they can leach chemicals into your food. And be aware that charring meat, especially red meat, can produce cancer-causing chemicals known as heterocyclic amines.

9. CHECK FOR MOLD
Mold is toxic to your health and your home. It can be a sign of excessive moisture. In addition to being a cancer hazard, the toxins produced by mold can cause serious acute and chronic respiratory disease.
10. BE MINDFUL OF PERSONAL - CARE PRODUCTS AND MEDICINES
The ingredients in personal-care products are largely unregulated and can contain known carcinogens such as formaldehyde and endocrine- disrupting chemicals such as phthalates and parabens. EWG’s Skin Deep® can help you find products without these problematic chemicals. Estrogen - promoting medications, including hormone replacement therapy and oral contraceptives, have been linked to small increases in the risk of breast cancer. You should carefully consider the risks and benefits with your doctor.

How can Norwex help?
- Our microfiber cleaning cloths with BacLock™, like the Norwex EnviroCloth®, work with JUST WATER to remove everything from the surface, and the microsilver embedded in the BacLock™ cloths acts as an antibacterial agent to self-clean the cloth, and inhibit bacterial odor, mold and/or mildew growth within the product.
- The Norwex Dusting Mitt traps dust instead of spreading it around to resettle on your furniture and household items. It can be used wet or dry and is ideal for quick, chemical-free dusting throughout the house, including blinds, screens and other hard-to-clean areas. With its thick texture; dense, plush fibers and unique mitt design, the Dusting Mitt attracts and holds dust and allergens. When used wet, the BacLock™antibacterial agent in the cloth—microsilver—goes to work to self-purify and inhibit bacterial odors, mold and mildew within the mitt.
- The Norwex Entry Mat is your first line of defense against the dirt, dust, chemicals and allergens that are carried inside every time someone enters your home. With five rows of super-absorbent Norwex Microfiber and four rows of stiff, polypropylene bristles, the Entry Mat keeps dirt, chemicals, allergens and even water from entering your home by trapping them inside the mat. The soles of your shoes are a major source of transferring chemicals and pesticides into your home. In fact, most of the grime in our homes originates outside, the bulk of it coming in unnoticed on shoes that often don’t appear to be either muddy or dirty.
- The Norwex Floor Systems - both the Mop Collection and the Double-Sided Mop Collection - quickly clean floors using microfiber Mop Pads and water only. It is perfect for hardwood, ceramic, or linoleum flooring as well as walls and ceilings. The dry mop pads use static electricity to draw and lift even the tiniest particles up into the cloth, and open spaces in the fibers, created by the splitting process, enable the pads to lift away dust and dirt and absorb several times their own weight in water. The wet mop pads contain Norwex's exclusive BacLock™ agent to inhibit bacterial odor, mold, and mildew growth within 24 hours.
- The Norwex Water Filtration System has a four-stage filtration process that uses exclusive magnesium technology for better-tasting water, and helps maintain mineral balance and neutral pH. The filter helps reduce impurities such as chlorine, copper, cadmium, mercury and lead. One filter cleans an amount equivalent to 300 16-oz. water bottles, so it is not only providing you with tastier water, you're also saving thousands of water bottles from ending up in landfills.
- The Norwex Body Cloths and Makeup Removal Cloths allow you to wash your face and body with only water! They are perfect for sensitive or mature skin, great for both face and body, cleanse skin gently yet thoroughly, and are made from super-soft Norwex Microfiber containing our exclusive BacLock™ agent, the microsilver agent in the cloth, which goes to work with self-purification properties against the mold, fungi and bacterial odor within 24 hours so that it is ready to use again.. The Body Cloths are perfect for removing excess oils from skin, as well as daily hygiene and skin care. They are great for exfoliation, acne and blackheads, and can be used to gently remove face paint from children’s faces too!
As always, feel free to contact me with questions regarding any Norwex product. You can shop online by clicking Shop Online above, or directly from my website at http://rebeccalange.norwex.biz. If you'd like to receive my newsletter with Norwex specials, please fill out the contact form here http://rebeccalange.norwex.biz/en_US/customer/subscribe-to-consultant-specials. If you would like to schedule a party, discuss career opportunities at Norwex, or have any questions about our products, I invite you to send me a message here http://rebeccalange.norwex.biz/en_US/customer/about-me
