The average adult uses a dozen personal care products daily, including shampoo, deodorants, lotions, and cosmetics. That averages to about 125 chemicals we are exposing ourselves to daily. How does this  chemical buildup in our system increase the chance of health risks? What can we do in our everyday lives to minimize exposure to toxic chemicals? We spoke with  Kristina Marusic, an award-winning journalist at Environmental Health Sciences and author of A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention, about the common chemicals we are exposed to, online resources to learn about alternative health-conscious products, the importance of an at-home water filtration system, and small ways we can implement changes in the products we purchase to reduce our chemical body burden without disrupting our lives or breaking the bank.

<p>The average adult uses a dozen personal care products daily, including shampoo, deodorants, lotions, and cosmetics. That averages to about 125 chemicals we are exposing ourselves to daily. How does this <a href="https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20230504/cleaning-personal-products-contain-dangerous-chemicals" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20230504/cleaning-personal-products-contain-dangerous-chemicals&source=gmail&ust=1694101845069000&usg=AOvVaw1aQAF4CYBrUzvVdfKZjPoD"> chemical buildup in our system</a> increase the chance of health risks? What can we do in our everyday lives to minimize exposure to toxic chemicals? We spoke with <a href="https://www.kristinamarusic.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.kristinamarusic.com/&source=gmail&ust=1694101845069000&usg=AOvVaw3DeBnVs1zOV4wQw3j-edyP"> Kristina Marusic</a>, an award-winning journalist at Environmental Health Sciences and author of <em>A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention</em>, about the common chemicals we are exposed to, online resources to learn about alternative health-conscious products, the importance of an at-home water filtration system, and small ways we can implement changes in the products we purchase to reduce our chemical body burden without disrupting our lives or breaking the bank.</p>

WebMD Chief Physician Editor Neha Pathak, MD, and Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, MPH, explore fascinating stories to find the unexpected things that help us understand our health.

Health Discovered

The average adult uses a dozen personal care products daily, including shampoo, deodorants, lotions, and cosmetics. That averages to about 125 chemicals we are exposing ourselves to daily. How does this  increase the chance of health risks? What can...