A toxicologist has sounded the alarm over the hidden dangers of everyday household products, warning that they could be secretly harming our bodies. Dr Yvonne Burkart, a PhD Toxicologist and former Senior Toxicologist, shared the warning during an appearance on Steven Bartlett’s podcast show, The Diary Of A CEO, the Mirror reports.
“Don’t believe everything you see on a container, a bottle or a product that you’re buying,” she cautioned. “If you’re believing in the marketing and what you see on the front of the label, instead of actually reading the ingredients, you could be exposing yourself to toxins.”
Dr Burkart claimed that we otherwise risk unwittingly exposing ourselves to toxins that could later lead to chronic diseases. She then highlighted the potential link between toxins in everyday products and serious health conditions such as cancer and infertility.
During the episode, the expert also evaluated the safety of common household products. She listed these as items like non-stick pans, antiperspirants, and candles.
For example, she warned against burning paraffin wax candles or candles that don’t specify the type of wax used. She says they could release carcinogens and ultrafine particles, which she described as ‘some of the most hazardous substances that you can create in your home’, as they could end up in your brain and lungs.
Dr Burkart suggested low-emission candles made from beeswax, essential oils, and wooden or cotton wicks, could be an alternative. The doctor shared her own fertility struggles that she believes were linked to low-dose exposure to toxins.
“It wasn’t until I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and research that I started to uncover the linkages between these low-dose environmental chemicals and products that we’re using all the time and how they impacted my health,” the doctor explained.
“When I started to remove them and replace them with safer options my health returned. My health recovered. I was actually able to conceive my own children without assistance.”
However, it’s important to note that environmental factors are just one of the many risk factors associated with fertility issues. The NHS acknowledges that ‘exposure to certain pesticides, solvents and metals has been shown to affect fertility, particularly in men’, but that there are many other potential causes that could be behind someone else’s fertility problems.