How you can reduce personal exposure to heavy metals.

365 days per year all of us are exposed to heavy metals.

These may include lead, arsenic, and mercury, (and a host of lesser known nasties!) that can harm your health.

Eliminating toxins from our environment is, it seems, even beyond the ability of our glorious leaders, but there are things you can do now. I like to think of them as my real life insurance policy. No premiums, no payout except a long and happy life!

Review your daily food choices:
One of the most common causes of heavy metal exposure is from our food. Certain foods are known to be a higher risk for containing heavy metals. Tuna, king mackerel, marlin, shark, swordfish, bottom feeding crustaceans and tilefish,are all risky. Mercury is commonly found in large, predatory fish.
Arsenic is typically found in rice, and lead
is usually found in – would you believe it?) bone broth from factory herds. This doesnt ímply that you should completely abstain from these foods – just choose the right ones.

There are some small hacks to getting elss heavy metals that work in some cases and not others. Cooking rice in a coffee pot can lower its arsenic content, but cooking bones to make bone broth won’t because bones store lead.

Eat detoxifying foods:
There are also foods that can protect you from heavy metals. Include foods like cruciferous vegetables, fiber, phytates, probiotics, cilantro, and black sesame seeds. These foods can help eliminate heavy metals from the body.

Drink good water via a filter that removes heavy metals!
You may want to consider getting your water tested for heavy metals, especially if you have a well or if your house has older plumbing. Heavy metals can contaminate the groundwater through soil contamination of underground aquifers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 20 percent of the water systems in the country have unsafe levels of lead. Here`s a link to a report last year on lead in Australian homes.

Invest in a high-quality water filtration system that is shown to remove heavy metals for your home water.

Discriminate in choosing cosmetics and personal care products:
Widely-used personal care products like sunscreen, nail polish, makeup, whitening toothpaste contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, chromium, and aluminum. These toxic chemicals are actually used as added ingredients in consumer products. There are plenty of safer alternatives.

Get an air purifier for your home:
You may also be exposed to heavy metals through the air you breathe, so getting an air purifier that filters out these toxic chemicals for your home makes good sense. One of the most common heavy metals that exist in the air is arsenic. Cadmium, chromium, and nickel are also airborne heavy metals. These toxic substances are in the air primarily due to human activities like using aerosol products, driving cars, and running heavily-polluting industrial businesses.

Minimize your exposure to these metals by the simple act of removing your shoes before entering your house. Your shoes may contain heavy metals from outdoors and may spread it around the house.

Why should you be wary of heavy metals.

Exposure to heavy metals can lead to heavy metal poisoning. This occurs when these toxic chemicals accumulate in the soft tissues of the body. The symptoms of heavy metal poisoning vary, depending on the type of heavy metal. In general, it can lead to an autoimmune disorder, reproductive problems, infections, weakness, brain damage, and bone loss, to name a few.

Seriously bad news and not what my natural life insurance policy includes.

An interior designer in Singapore would essentially translate your unique ideas and tastes into a personalized house design that fits you well and your specific room. The interior designer has the unique expertise and art to help you find and create the one that most closely suits you. If you’re not certain of what exactly you would like for your room, most interior designers have the skill to perfect individuals s styles to get you the perfect end-result. They will also listen to what it is that truly inspires you as a person, as well as your ideals of a space and design. Interior designers in Singapore work with a wide range of clients to help them design and develop their homes and spaces. From corporate homes, to residential and commercial developments, interior designers in Singapore always strive to make sure that they are able to deliver and exceed the expectations of their respective clients.

For instance, an HDB interior designer might be hired by a corporate client to create a special space in their building that is designed to meet the needs and specifications of their staff and executives. This is why the term ‘specialty interior design’ is commonly used. A luxury spa or island living area might fall under this category. Or a bespoke kitchen for a five star hotel might fall under the realm of speciality design. When it comes to luxury homes and hotels, many things are taken into consideration, which is why so many different professionals provide these services.

A lot of interior design firms also cater to residential clients. If you’re looking to update an existing home, or if you’re planning to build a new one, then you might want to hire the expertise of an interior designer. There are some things that need to be thought through in advance of hiring one, however. Here’s a list of things to look out for when hiring an interior design firm.

It helps to find a good designer with a proven track record. This means that the firm should have helped design a number of homes and hotels in your locality. It would be a good idea to ask for references from these previous projects. You can talk to real estate agents and friends to get names of good interior designers who they recommend.

Ask for examples. Most interior design companies will offer you samples of work that they’ve completed in the past. If a company has produced nothing but cookie-cutter houses and hotels, they aren’t likely to produce anything that matches your vision exactly. Take the time to view some of their work to make sure they can truly deliver on the level of quality you’re looking for. Also, choose firms with a good reputation in the industry.

Find out about the firm’s renovation and planning skills. Nothing is worse than hiring a firm that has little or no experience when it comes to space planning and interior design. They may be able to give you a general idea of what your renovation project will entail, but they won’t know how to plan it effectively, especially if they don’t have any previous experience doing such projects. Make sure that they are willing to work with you to map out your new space and then work with you to create a cost-effective renovation that you can be proud of.

Find out about the firm’s in-house design team and their ability to work within your budget. Interior designers need to have good negotiation skills so that they can price their services competitively. If they don’t have the right pricing or they are trying to gouge you on costs, you will likely not get the value for your money. Do your homework and research the company before making a purchase. Find out about their history and how long they have been in business. If they don’t have a reputation as one of the best firms in their field, move on to another interior design company that does.

If all seems fine and you are ready to make a final pricing call, have everything written down in a contract that is signed by both you and the company. Your contract should include the scope of work, the time frame for which the work will be completed, and the cost breakdown. This will make things easier for you both and will prevent the interior design professional from suddenly changing his mind and wanting the project to be done a different way once you’ve agreed upon the price.