Our social media feeds are littered with hacks for “detoxifying” our homes, labeling everything from bed sheets to seed oils as bad for your health. Experts say it’s important to understand what the word “toxic” means and which substances in homes actually threaten your health.
“Toxins are any substances that can cause short-term or long-term health effects,” says Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, a family physician and Vice President of In-Office Care at One Medical. She adds that one of the challenges around establishing safety practices regarding potential toxins is that medical experts don’t always know at what level of exposure adverse effects may happen. “So we might know that X substance is known for causing cancer or dementia, but the problem is, it's not like people will get cancer or dementia if they're exposed to it one time for 10 minutes,” she explains.
