Bruce wrote:
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

In article ,
The Medway Handyman wrote:
You are buying chemicals FFS! What else would you call acetic acid,
sodium bicarbonate & sodium chloride? Why are they 'good' and other
chemicals 'bad'?
Well, we know these are at least fairly safe for humans since they've been
used in cooking for many a year.

Commercial products will add all sorts of things - colours, perfumes etc
etc which aren't necessary to the product's effectiveness but will add to
the price. And it's quite possible some of these could irritate someone
prone to asthma or allergies etc.

The whole domestic cleaner market is based on advertising hype and only a
tiny amount of science. I'm amazed you haven't found this in practice.

Once you move to commercial cleaners things may be different.


Wise words.

Modern science has brought us rivers and watercourses that are polluted
with dioxins, one of the most toxic groups of chemicals ever known, and
the even more insidious chemicals that mimic various hormones, and are
blamed for significantly reducing male fertility.

Meanwhile, traditional chemicals have a long track record and, used in
the right way, do the job just as well as they always did.

The problem is one of education. The usage of traditional chemicals was
passed down from parents to children. That's just another thing that
doesn't get passed down anymore.

Instead of knowledge of what chemicals do, and do not, and how they
should be used, and should not, all that is getting passed down is
misplaced loyalty to various brands, based on the quality (rarely) and
quantity (more often) of the advertising that goes with them.

So instead of using inexpensive, safe chemicals that do the job, people
buy expensive chemicals that are no more effective, often less, and
bring with them a lot of unwanted hazards.

It is true that some modern branded chemicals are effective. But few of
them have the long safety record of traditional chemicals. The issues
of toxic dioxins and hormonal changes are not going to go away anytime
soon.

What I find interesting is the comparison with the USA, where kitchens
are less dependent on the modern chemicals we see here and rely more on
old-fashioned products based on traditional chemicals. For example,
white vinegar is a very widely used kitchen cleaner and disinfectant,
either in its basic form or as the main ingredient of an old-fashioned
product.

Where I do agree there has been substantial progress is in the area of
industrial chemicals. But bringing these technological advances into
the home is something that needs more care than is generally shown.


I will put my head above the parapet to point out the nasty effects of
pthalates and perchlorates on the thyroid! (So too many soya products.)

But one issue is price. Bicarb, for example, costs a fortune in the tiny
containers sold for baking.

And another is that the brand loyalty drags us along with all the
changes in formulation made over the years. I don't know for sure, but
it feels to me that Fairly liquid had a dramatic change a few years ago.
Nowadays it doesn't seem quite as good - though if things are left to
soak it is OK.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org