Avoid these Toxic Products this Holiday Season

The Holidays are here, and, besides the good things we should enjoy; food, the lights and the magic, there are some things we are better off avoiding. For example:

Candles: A very typical decorations, careful with some of the most common candles. Burning candles can release organic chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene and formaldehyde. Make sure you pick a safe alternative as beewax candles with no fragance or if you want a yummy smell, make sure it comes from essential oils only.

Christmas decorations: I don’t mean to ruin Christmas for you, but those shinny, glitter Christmas balls that kids love to put on the trees? Well, their shinness don’t spare them of containing Antimony (a substance that causes cancer in rats). An alternative? Make decorations yourself! Decorate with lemons, flores and pine cones. Real ones. Or maybe Knit or crochet some of the decorations. If you are not into DIY, look for products expressly designed for use by children — Hallmark carries child-safe ornaments and Disney too.

Artificial Christmas Trees: I know, I’m totally ruining Christmas at this point, aren’t I? But hear me out, artificial Christmas trees are generally either high in Lead or high in Antimony  and the problem with the real ones is that they are just not that environmentally friendly. Thankfully there is an alternative not many people know about. You can rent a real one with The Living Christmas Tree company. Or you can choose a PVC-free Christmas tree.

Christmas Silverware; New ceramics can be high in lead, specially the cheap ones from China. An alternative? Use your everyday dishes — and just make sure the food on the plates is festive.

Remember, you can carry the Christmas spirit and spare the Christmas toxicity! Happy Holidays!