Step away from the jewelry box!
Ladies, until you read this, you’re not going to want to don another bauble, bangle, or ring. And men, don’t let the women you love make this mistake.
Because, believe it or not, your jewelry could be LITERALLY poisoning you.
Are you or someone you care about a fan of costume jewelry? You know the stuff I’m talking about here. The fun layering necklaces, chunky rings, and jangly bracelets lots of us love to wear every day.
Well, it turns out this “harmless” hobby could be killing us slowly.
Killer costume jewelry
A shocking new report has revealed fashion jewelry is a major source of heavy metal. And despite the Feds claiming they’re doing all they can to protect us, this isn’t even a new problem.
All the way back in 2010, we discovered costume jewelry aimed at little girls contained frightening amounts of cadmium.
This dangerous heavy metal can be absorbed through the skin. Long-term exposure causes organ and bone damage. And cadmium is even associated with cancer.
Public outrage led to laws keeping the level of cadmium in children’s jewelry at .03 percent or less. But the issue quickly fell off the radar and nothing significant has happened since to protect kids or adults from killer jewelry.
Well, nothing that is UNTIL the Center for Environmental Health, a private non-profit, decided to take the matter into its own hands. The CEH bought adult fashion jewelry pieces from a number of popular stores, and ran tests on them.
90% contained hazardous heavy metal
What those tests revealed is appalling.
An incredible 31 pieces contained up to 40 percent cadmium. But it gets worse. The MAJORITY of the pieces tested contained more than 90 PERCENT of the hazardous heavy metal.
But don’t worry. You don’t have to give up your hobby. While you SHOULD toss anything in your jewelry box that you’re unsure is safe there’s a simple way to protect yourself when you purchase new pieces.
Buy American.
Yup, this “old-fashioned” idea is proving to be the wisest choice once again. Because jewelry made right here in the good old USA is not likely to contain any harmful metals. Pieces imported from overseas, especially from Asia, are typically the culprits.
Of course, costume jewelry isn’t the only way we’re exposed to this growing health hazard. And experts say heavy metals… which can accumulate in our liver, heart, kidneys, and brain… can have major consequences for out health.
And, unfortunately, the government is doing very little protect us from this toxic hazard.
For example, the World Health Organization says there’s NO safe level of lead exposure, period. Yet the EPA says it’s perfectly safe for our drinking water to contain lead at 15 parts per billion. And the soil our produce grows in can contain up to 50 parts per billion of lead.
How to protect yourself against heavy metal
It’s impossible to have an environment that’s 100 percent heavy metal free, of course. After all, some are found naturally in the earth’s crust. But industry is exposing us to more and more of them every day.
Which means we need to take some steps to reduce our exposure. Following are three you can take starting today.
1. Water contamination:
To combat water contamination invest in a reverse osmosis water filter. If you’re on a budget, you can find a reasonably priced one to use on your kitchen tap.
If you can afford it, there are also whole house systems which will filter all of your water where it enters the house. They’re a much bigger investment, but one that’s well worth it.
2. Food contamination:
To reduce the amount of heavy metals you’re ingesting in your food buy organic whenever possible.
According to the Environmental Working Group, conventionally grown crops have twice the amount of cadmium in them as the organic versions. And because some pesticides are creating using toxic wastes, they can raise heavy metal levels in non-organic fruits and veggies too.
Plus, to reduce your mercury exposure avoid shark, tilefish, swordfish, and king mackerel all of which tend to be significantly higher in the metal.
3. Detoxing:
If you’re not already taking one, consider adding a high-quality probiotic to your routine. A study out of Canada found that the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 could help remove certain heavy metals from the digestive tract before they can have negative health effects.
Studies show jumping in the sauna can help your body eliminate cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury.
Some experts say eating more garlic and high-sulfur foods such as eggs and spinach may help too. The sulfur components bind with mercury, lead, and cadmium so they can be flushed out of your system.
And certain nutrients could help protect you as well, including …
- glutathione – binds with mercury so it can be eliminated
- alpha-lipoic acid – helps protect against cadmium, arsenic, and mercury
- modified citrus pectin – increases excretion of lead, cadmium, and mercury
- vitamin C – increases lead excretion from the body
Don’t let hazardous heavy metals silently destroy your health. Stick to American-made costume jewelry until stronger laws are passed. And follow the three steps above to reduce your exposure.
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