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Simple Solution

Most of us spend 90 percent of our time indoors breathing air that is three times more polluted than outside, according to the EPA. You can’t clean up your indoor air unless you know what to clean up! Take this indoor air quality quiz, isolate the problems and implement the usually easy fixes. Being empowered with information will be worth the few seconds this quiz will take:

What is your IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) Score?- Quiz

Answer each question “yes” or “no”

1. I use pesticides in and around my home

2. I use mainstream cleaning products available in the supermarket

3. The house/apartment was renovated within the last two years

4. I live with wall-to-wall carpet

5. My personal care products and perfumes are over-the-counter products bought in normal outlets such as drug stores, department stores, and supermarkets

6. I burn scented and aromatherapy candles bought in normal outlets

7. I cook on a gas stove

8. I heat with unvented kerosene or gas space heaters

9. I use air fresheners such as plug-ins bought at supermarkets

10. I have furniture and cabinets made of pressed wood

11. I, or someone in my household, practices a hobby that uses solvent-based materials

12. I, or someone in my home, smokes

Answer: Every single one of these issues can cause a significant amount of indoor air pollution. If you said “yes” to more than one or two of these questions, you are at greater risk of developing pollution-related illness.

Here are some easy fixes and solutions, by question:
1. Switch completely to integrated pest management. Resource: www.birc.org

2. Buy your cleaning products at health food stores. Learn how easy it is to do nontoxic cleaning by learning from Care2’s expert nontoxic cleaning content.

3. Make sure to air the house out a lot and use air filters until all the new materials have “outgassed.”

4. Make sure to vacuum wall-to-wall carpet very frequently as it is a “sink” for pollutants. If affordable, plan to switch to tile or hardwood floors to avoid the chemical outgassing and pollutants. If you suspect a toxic carpet contact AFM Safecoat for sealants.

5. Switch to naturally-fragranced products found at health food and specialty stores.

6. Switch to 100 percent beeswax candles and for aromatherapy, 100% beeswax candles using pure essential oils.

7. Switch to electric, or at least make sure to get a vent and a new automatic pilot model.

8. Stop. This is very dangerous.

9. Stop. Switch to natural air fresheners bought at health food stores.

10. Seal them in with products from this site: http://www.afmsafecoat.com/.

11. Switch to water-based materials. Make sure the person works in a vented room that is closed off from the rest of the house/apartment

12. The smoker should smoke outside (or preferably, quit!)

About 30 percent to 40 percent of all cancers are related to our lifestyle choices, including the foods we eat, how much exercise we get and how well we watch our weight. Are you making the right choices? Here's a quiz based on a report on cancer prevention from the American Institute for Cancer Research.

1. Exercise helps prevent colon cancer. True or false?

2. A plant-based diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans seems to decrease colorectal cancer risk. True or false?

3. A diet high in red meat, processed meat and fat in- creases colorectal cancer risk. True or false?

4. Fiber may reduce the colon's exposure to cancer-causing substances by moving wastes out quickly. True or false?

5. Vitamin supplements help prevent cancer. True or false?

6. A diet high in salt has no effect on cancer risk. True or false?

7. Overweight and obesity has no effect on cancer risk. True or false?

8. Grilled foods cause cancer. True or false?

9. Green tea may have anti-cancer benefits. True or false?

10. All berries, particularly strawberries and raspberries, are especially rich in a substance called ellagic acid, which has shown the ability to prevent cancers of the skin, bladder, lung, esophagus and breast in laboratory studies. True or false?

Answers: 1) T. Exercise speeds the movement of food through the intestine and decreases bile and acid secretion. 2) T; 3) T; 4) T; 5) F; 6) F. Diets containing a large amount of salted fish (such as those in Asian countries) increase the risk of stomach cancer. 7) F. Research shows that obesity is not only a risk for diabetes and heart disease but also for several types of cancers. 8) T. Research shows that exposing meats to direct flame, smoke and intense heat can cause the formation of carcinogens. 9) T. In laboratory studies, green tea has been shown to slow or completely prevent cancer development in colon, liver, breast and prostate cells. 10) T. This phytochemical acts as an antioxidant; it helps the body deactivate specific carcinogens, and it helps slow the reproduction of cancer cells.

Source: American Institute for Cancer Research, www.aicr.org