HEALTH HAZARDS DUE TO OUTRIGHT IGNORANCE IN OUR DAILY LIFE

HEALTH HAZARDS DUE TO OUTRIGHT IGNORANCE IN OUR DAILY LIFE

Some useful information to reduce health hazards due to outright ignorance or orthodox thinking in our daily life.

WAXED paper cups are harmful. Some people get afflicted with gastrointestinal distress. People routinely drinking hot drinks like coffee, tea and cocoa from paper cups tend to suffer from this. The paper cups are impregnated with wax to make them waterproof. The hot liquid melts some of the wax, which is ingested then builds up along the digestive tract.

COLOURED CROCKERY has lead content. Overnight water in the domestic GI pipelines may have lead content due to lead leeching. Allow water to flow out every morning for some time to ensure fresh water supply.

SINDOOR (Vermilion) has lead content. Modern sindoor mainly uses vermilion, an orange-red pigment. Vermilion is the purified and powdered form of cinnabar, which is the chief form in which mercury sulphide naturally occurs. As with other compounds of mercury, sindoor is toxic and must be handled carefully. Sometimes, red lead (lead tetroxide, also known as minium) is added to sindoor. Red lead is toxic and a known carcinogen for laboratory animals, though its carcinogenicity to humans has not been established.

Traditional sindoor can be made with turmeric and alum or lime, or from other herbal ingredients. Unlike red lead and vermilion, these are not poisonous.

Cooking in ALUMINIUM pressure cookers with common salt (Sodium Chloride, NaCl) or sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃, Khaney kaa SODA) or both causes some amount of aluminium to get dissolved in the food items and this is harmful for humans. Pitting or black spots in the aluminium utensils indicate this.

Both aluminium (Al) and lead (Pb) are toxic metals to living organisms. Even when Al and Pb can reach and accumulate in almost every organ in the human body, the central nervous system is a particu1ar target of the deleterious effects of both metals. Select human population can be at risk of Al neurotoxicity, and Al is proposed to be involved in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases. Pb is a widespread environmental hazard, and the neurotoxic effects of Pb are a major public health concern. Lead is also classified as a possible carcinogen in humans.

Avoid NON-STICK pans, pots, bakeware and utensils because they contain Teflon. Although non-stick kitchenware is very convenient, Teflon is made from perfluorinated compounds which have been linked to cancer and reproductive problems.

Glass bakeware and stainless steel or cast iron pots and pans are definitely safer. Stainless steel and glass mixing bowls is a better option.

Avoid using MELAMINE tableware, bowls, spoons etc. Melamine is an organic chemical that gets combined with formaldehyde to form the resin that hard plastic tableware is made from. While melamine itself has low toxicity, according to the FDA, when combined with chemicals like formaldehyde, it becomes dangerous. Tests indicate that when it leeches into the human body, it can cause irritation to the eyes, skin, and respiratory systems; as well as cancer, kidney stones, kidney failure, and even death.