Chemicals and toxins are everywhere and often we don't realise it. Until I suffered from mercury poisoning causedby my dental amalgam fillings I had no idea the second most toxic substance on the planet was inside my mouth! That shocking revelation led me to investigate further why my son has autism and I am convinced it is due to the toxic preservatives used in childhood vaccines. What insanity allows people to knowingly inject thimerosal (a mercury derivative), aluminium and formaldehyde (both toxic substances) into seemingly healthy young children when their immune system is only just developing? Both of us have improved tremendously since SAFELY chelating for heavy metals but have been left questioning if the products we are offered every day are actually as beneficial as we are led to believe. Inevitably our health is linked life style choices and some areas we can control but I find it amazing that over 85,000 synthetic chemicals have been approved by the Environment Protection Agency but not tested for long-term health effects either individually or in combination. Many of them are found in your bathroom. I used to be a sun worshipper but now understand the healthiest tan is no tan at all.

My skin now reveals numerous areas of sun related damage. Skin cancer is caused by excessive exposure to intense sunlight and the sun's A,B and C rays. You can protect yourself from sun damage by limiting exposure, staying covered as much as possible and using a high quality NON-TOXIC lotion that blocks out the full spectrum of solar rays. However, many over the counter sun block creams and lotions contain known carcinogens and toxic chemicals which build up over time and predispose sun bathers to melanoma. Health and beauty do not always go hand in glove. The skin is the largest eliminatory organ in the body.

It is a two-way membrane. Toxins are eliminated through the skin via perspiration and absorbed into the body, through hair follicles and sebaceous glands. In one square inch of skin you have 65 hairs and 100 sebaceous glands which means anything you put on your skin is likely to be absorbed.

That would be good news if you only received the beneficial ingredients but unfortunately the skin isn't that selective. You see there is very little regulation over the ingredients used by Cosmetic manufacturers. Infact, according to the FDA "Cosmetics and their ingredients are not required to undergo approval before they are sold. Manufacturers can use any ingredient, except for 10 prohibited substances,without government review". That's a bit worrying as there are 10,500 ingredients contained in health and beauty products available in stores today.

Only 11% of them have been assessed by the industry's own safety review panel which means 89% have never been tested. Many manufacturers will argue these ingredients are used in such small quantities they can do no harm. However, it is the toxic build up over time and the chemicals created when ingredients react together that has the potential to cause health damage to you and your family.

According to The Environmental Working Group More than one-third of all personal care products contain at least one ingredient linked to cancer 57% contain penetration enhancer chemicals that can drive other ingredients faster and deeper into the skin to the blood vessels below 70% of all products contain ingredients that may contain harmful impurities such as known carcinogens (according to FDA or industry reviews) The bottom line is the more products you use on your skin, the more chemicals you absorb.

For details of the World's First cosmetic, skin and personal care products certified to Food Grade Standards free of toxins and harmful synthetic chemicals seewww.bestorganicsforhealth.com Jean Shaw is the author of I'm Not Naughty - I'm Autistic and Autism, Amalgam and Me www.jeanshaw.com