Chemical Free

When I clicked on Google search to look for the definition of 'chemical free', I found the most laughable statements.

Before I go into that, let's get to the basics. Let's have a look at Wikipedia's definition of 'chemical free'. 'Chemical free is a term used in marketing to imply that a product is safe, healthy or environmentally friendly because it only contains natural ingredients. The term is a misnomer, as nothing that physically exists is free of chemicals.'

In my opinion, this term 'chemical free' has been misused and has misled many people. Many times when I go into organic marts, they have descriptions about their products being chemical free AND organic. In that case, anyone who uses their products can be akin to be drinking from the fountain of youth, health and immortality!

So what does chemical free actually connotes?

Chemical

The word chemical, according to the Collins English Dictionary, can be defined as a noun where it is a substance with a distinct molecular composition that is produced by or used in a chemical process. According to the American Heritage Science Dictionary, chemical can also be defined as an adjective where it is relating to or produced by means of chemistry.

So chemical is a material which is produced by or used in reaction which involves changes in the atoms and molecules structure.

So in other words, WE are chemicals too! Why? Because most of the composition of the human body is made up of water! Human cells consist of 65 to 90 percent of water. Which is H2O. And if I recall correctly, my chemistry teacher taught us that hydrogen IS a type of chemical. And almost 99 percent of the mass of our human body is made up of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. (Click here.)

Man-Made Chemicals

So man became smarter (lazier and greedier, in my opinion). Man in all their ingenuity came up with ideas in tweaking the DNAs of chemicals and combining them and thus made potent fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides, bombs and explosives, food stabilisers, preservatives, artificial colourings, artificial flavourings, artificial fragrances, detergent with toxic ingredients, softeners and many more to make life easier and more profitable. Everything is instant, express and with-no-effort. Which results in man becoming sicker and weaker in the immune system as the days go by.

I am sure that when people say that they are selling chemical-free products, they mean that they are free of the list above. Right? And for your information, naturally derived and natural flavouring is NOT chemical free either. Anything that is processed has gone though a chemical processing stage. (That will be discussed in another post.)

Thus, when I say that I try to live a 'chemical-free' life as much as possible and use 'chemical-free' stuff as much as possible and eat 'chemical-free' food as much as I can, it means that I try to eat food which has no or little fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides. I also try as much as I can to eat food with no food stabilisers, perservatives, artificial colourings, artificial flavourings, MSG, food conditioner, and food additives. I make my food fresh, from scratch. From the barest of basics. And I try to use products that has as little artificial fragrance as possible or fragrance-free products or products with the least toxic ingredients.

So in my humble, little opinion there is no such thing as 'chemical free'. It depends on how much contamination where the toxic chemicals are concerned and how stringent and honest the people who make the products are. So if they screw up, WE are screwed up. But then again, isn't the air that we breathe in everyday, every minute and every second toxic? Maybe we should start selling 'chemical-free air' in oxygen tanks! I reckon I could be richer than that Facebook guy!!!! *Ahem*

My chemically fueled life is an interesting read. So is chemical-free nonsense.

So I guess Superman was a chemically sensitive person too (with all his bulging muscles, super-spectacular-Herculean strength and laser eyes). Krypton is a chemical element after all!

Anyone up for some chemical free flower pots, chemical free mattress, chemical free water and chemical free shaving?