Go Toxic Free Easy and Sustainable Ways to Reduce Chemical Pollution

Go Toxic Free is a vital guide to help us all make important changes to our lifestyles and consumption to help reduce the devastating impact of chemical pollution. Plastic pollution has been headline news since David Attenborough's shocking Blue Planet II in 2017. But plastics are only part of the story, and the invisible world of chemical pollutants – in the soil, the air, our water systems and our own bodies – is just as concerning. There's been a huge rise in chemical related health issues (affecting IQ, fertility, cancer and more) in recent years, and this isn't surprising when over 70 per cent of chemicals used in the EU are hazardous for health or the environment. This inspiring and practical book will make this invisible world visible, looking at the wider issues of harmful chemicals – what they are, where they're hidden and the extent of their environmental impact. Taking you on an in-depth tour of your kitchen cupboard, your bathroom cabinet, your wardrobe and your garden, Anna Turns reveals the harmful chemicals that lurk inside your home, the damage they can cause and helpful swaps and tips to avoid them wherever you can. Perfect for: • anyone interested in reducing the harmful chemicals in their homes • offering practical alternatives

Anna Turns is a journalist specializing in sustainability issues and an Oxford University biology graduate with twenty years’ experience working in the media. She writes regularly for the Guardian, Positive News, Evening Standard, Daily Telegraph, Wicked Leeks and others, and is passionate about environmental education. In 2017 she founded her own environmental campaign, Plastic Clever Salcombe, which focuses on reducing single-use plastics and empowering children to make change. In 2020, she joined the Integrity Council for Provenance, which aims to combat greenwashing and create standards that better enable transparency.

Contents
Introduction 1

PART ONE: The Big Picture
1. The Clean, Green, Toxic Machine 7
2. A Chemical Cocktail 21
3. Pathways to Pollution 47

PART TWO: How to Go Toxic Free
4. In the Bathroom 73
5. In the Kitchen 97
6. In the Living Room 123
7. In the Bedroom 146
8. In the Garden 173

PART THREE: A Better Future
9. Think Circular 197
10. Toxic-Free Principles to Live By 207
How to Find Out More 218

Acknowledgements 227
Endnotes 229
Index 240