Taking care of your health today goes beyond watching what’s on your plate or reducing mental load. Another factor, subtler but just as crucial, directly influences our vitality: our environment. Environmental health is precisely this intimate relationship between the external elements around us (the air we breathe, the water we drink, the objects we touch) and our physical well-being. We have immense power to act right inside our own homes. By changing a few simple habits, you can absolutely transform your home into a real protective shield for the whole family, without spending a fortune.
Is indoor air more polluted than outdoor air?
It’s a finding that often surprises, yet the air in our homes is on average two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. What’s to blame? Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), tiny invisible chemical particles that escape from the glues in flat-pack furniture, paints, but also from products we once considered healthy, like scented candles, incense, or room fresheners. This is the first caution point when looking at the link between health and environment: the quality of what we breathe at home directly impacts our body on a daily basis.
Ventilating your home for 10 minutes a day is a simple gesture to refresh the air and push out the pollutants that have built up. In parallel, clean out your cupboards: replace the multitude of chemical household sprays with the magical, economical trio from grandma’s era: white vinegar, baking soda, and black soap. Fewer products means fewer suspect molecules in your lungs.
What really hides in our cosmetics and personal care products?
Each morning, as you move through the bathroom, your body comes into contact with dozens of different substances. Shower gels, shampoos, deodorants, and moisturizers sometimes contain preservatives or foaming agents suspected of being endocrine disruptors (such as parabens or phthalates). These molecules have the property of mimicking our hormones and deregulating our system, even at very low doses.
Favor products carrying trusted ecological and organic labels (like Cosmebio or Ecocert). Even better, go back to basics: an authentic Marseille soap or saffron soap for the body, and a raw vegetable oil (such as jojoba oil or sweet almond oil) to moisturize the skin. It’s healthier, more eco-friendly, and often much more economical in the long run.
Is Our Kitchen Good for Us?
The kitchen is the heart of the home, and it’s also a place where environmental health plays out with every meal. Two points deserve our attention: plastics and the coatings on our pans. Heating a plastic container in the microwave, even if it’s marked as “microwave-safe,” promotes the transfer of microplastics and chemical additives directly into the food. Likewise, a scratched or worn nonstick pan can release perfluorinated compounds (the famous PFAS, or “forever pollutants”) during cooking.
To store leftovers, ban plastic and use glass containers (leftover jam jars or vegetable jars work perfectly). For cooking, gradually replace damaged pans with stainless steel, bare cast iron, or plain iron cookware. These timeless materials do not degrade over time and do not transfer any toxic substances to your recipes.
How Can We Better Protect Children and Pregnant Women?
Pregnant women and young children are the most vulnerable groups when it comes to environmental pollutants. During pregnancy and the “first 1,000 days” of life, a child’s body is fully developing and functions like a true sponge. Exposure to toxic substances during this sensitive window can have lasting effects on their future development.
Wash all new clothes and stuffed toys before their first use to remove textile treatment residues. For the baby’s room, favor unfinished, untreated wood toys or second-hand toys that have had time to release solvents long ago. Also avoid starting painting or renovation work in the nursery right before birth, or be sure to ventilate the room for many months in advance.
