From your alarm clock and mattress to your microwave and fridge

All of us strive for our five a day, in the belief that they are good for us. But a shocking analysis of research by government scientists revealed last month that consuming all this fruit and veg could actually be quietly harming us.

It showed that 95 per cent of the 'health-giving' strawberries we'll eat this summer will come with an unwanted dose of toxic chemicals called PFAs — poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances — that can remain in our bodies for years.

Grapes are a little safer, according to the analysis by campaign group Pesticide Action Network, but 61 per cent of the samples they looked at contained the toxins, while 56 per cent of cherry samples, 42 per cent of spinach and 38 per cent of tomatoes had them. Yet the chemicals we eat aren't the half of it. Everywhere, the safety of our daily lives has been compromised by an insidious influx of dangerous contaminants.

Here, Fred Kelly takes us on a disturbing minute-by-minute journey detailing the array of chemicals, insidious synthetic materials and radioactive hazards we face from morning to night in our own homes.

Your electric alarm clock has been emitting a constant stream of between 5 and 10 milligauss of radiation all night, writes Fred Kelly

7am

The alarm clock goes off. You've had a full eight hours of sleep, so why do you still feel groggy? The electric alarm clock offers more than just a rude awakening. Throughout the night, the device has been emitting a constant stream of between 5 and 10 milligauss of radiation, which can penetrate the skin from up to three feet away.

That's ten times higher than the Government's recommended maximum exposure level. If you sleep with an electric clock by your bedside, close to your brain, it's not surprising if you wake up tired and confused.

Your pillow may provide some protection from the radiation but then again, it probably contains around ten million microscopic dust mites — both alive and dead — which account for 20 per cent of the pillow's total weight. Dust mites feast on the 3.6 kg of dead skin you shed into your bedding each year. They might not be dangerous in themselves but dust mite faeces exacerbates asthma and eczema, as well as causing respiratory issues.

The mattress you're lying on may be made from petroleum-based polyfoams which typically contain formaldehyde, the chemical used to embalm dead bodies. Hardly a bed of roses, then.

And that's before you've accounted for the synthetic latex, hazardous solvents and fireproofing chemicals within the springs. One study from Duke University in the U.S. found the average memory foam mattress contains 61 different harmful chemicals.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were used for decades to fireproof mattresses and other domestic furniture. These chemicals are so hazardous they were banned by the EU in 2006 — but when did you buy your mattress?

A U.S. study from earlier this year found that people with high levels of PBDEs in their blood had a 300 per cent increased risk of dying from cancer.

7.15am

It's time for a cleansing shower. What could possibly be dangerous about a thorough scrub? According to Kimberly Button, author of The Everything Guide To A Healthy Home: 'Your body can actually absorb more chemicals through bathing than through drinking.'

While mains water has been disinfected, it is saturated with the chemical by-products of disinfection, known as DBPs.

These include chlorine (typically 0.5 mg of chlorine per litre — a sixth of the strength as in a swimming pool), which is linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer.

Then there's the build up of bacteria within the shower mechanism, which led researchers at Manchester University in 2015 to suggest the water coming out of shower heads is dirtier than the water in our toilets.

They say it can be directly linked to cases of Legionnaire's and even Crohn's disease, as the bacteria that causes it can be carried by cattle and enter first the river system and then the water supply. But a fungus-infused, chlorinated shower is only the start of your troubles.

Keep the shower curtain inside the tub to prevent water dripping on the floor. Sound advice. But, then again, your curtain is probably made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which can release as many as 108 volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Some can cause developmental damage as well as affect the liver and central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems.

At least we have shower gels and shampoos. Unfortunately, these products typically contain more chemicals than you can count on your fingers and toes.

The most dangerous being Cocamidopropyl Betaine which was voted allergen of the year 2024 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

7.30am

You're out the shower and out of danger? Far from it. Towels are excellent absorbers. That makes them ideal for drying your skin but also means they absorb dust and airborne chemicals while hanging on to your towel rail.

And you're now about to rub this unholy alliance of hazards all over your body, at a moment when the pores of your skin are defenceless after a hot shower.

Aha! But I have an 'anti-bacterial' towel, you cry. These might be all the rage but what is it that makes them 'anti-microbial?' Why, in some cases, a formaldehyde-based chemical.

7.45am

It's time to get dressed. But what are you going to wear? When stars on the red carpet are asked what they're wearing, they typically respond: Gucci, Prada or Louis Vuitton.

But for most of us, the answer should be: lead, arsenic, cobalt, antimony and a decorative splash of perfluorochemicals. In her book, To Dye For, fashion chemicals expert Alden Wicker explains our wardrobes are full of 'unregulated toxic chemicals', which can be linked to the recent 'rise of autoimmune disease, infertility, asthma, eczema, and more'.

For example, a 2023 study by The Centre for Environmental Health (CEH) in California found high levels of bisphenol-A (BPA) in 'socks, sports bras and athletic shirts' from household names such as: Nike, Champion and New Balance.

When in prolonged contact with human skin, 'BPA mimics the hormone oestrogen,' says the CEH, leading to 'delayed onset of puberty, anxiety, depression' and even breast and prostate cancers. To avoid these dangers, swap out polyester, nylon and anything labelled 'non-iron' for cotton, linen, wool and cashmere.

8am

As you tuck into breakfast, remember that what turns bread into toast is a chemical called acrylamide, formed during the cooking process and linked to multiple cancers.

If you've fried your eggs and bacon in a non-stick pan, your food is now caked in Teflon which is linked to elevated cholesterol, early menopause and abnormal thyroid hormone levels. If it's microwaved porridge, is your device serviced and secure? Microwaves cause water and fat molecules to vibrate 2.5 million times a second. That's great for heating your breakfast but less good for the cells in your body.

Microwaves cause water and fat molecules to vibrate 2.5 million times a second. That's great for heating your breakfast but less good for the cells in your body, Fred Kelly writes

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there are documented cases of heat radiation leaking through gaps in the sealing of microwaves causing nerve damage.

9am

You're working from home and surrounded by computers, lamps, phones and tablets. It shouldn't surprise you to learn these are among the most hazardous objects in the home. All devices emit invisible waves of electric and magnetic energy that can penetrate the skin to deliver a dose of radiation.

Alarmingly, according to a Utah University study led by Dr Om Gandhi, a child's brain is ten times as susceptible to radiation poisoning as an adult brain. A young person's skull is not only relatively thin but also contains a high percentage of bone marrow, which radiation can easily penetrate.

But adults aren't safe either. Electronic devices should never be placed near the belly of an expectant mother, while men who balance a laptop on their lap can reduce their fertility.

Meanwhile, the 'blue light' emitted from screens can cause localised blindness (known as 'macular degeneration'). Older televisions containing a 'cathode ray tube' emit small amounts of X-ray radiation.

12 noon

By now you've now been sitting at your desk for three hours. During that time, the desk itself has been poisoning you.

There was once a time when everyday furniture was built by craftspeople using solid pieces of wood. Today's — sold by the likes of Ikea, John Lewis and Dunelm — is made from 'pressed wood', such as particle board and MDF.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 'pressed wood products' — which include desks, chairs, wardrobes and shelving — are the 'most significant sources of formaldehyde' in contemporary homes.

Home safety expert Kimberly Button cites formaldehyde as a prime suspect for 'off-gassing' — the process by which dangerous chemicals leach out of products and into the 20,000 litres of air we each breathe every day.

The U.S. government's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease warns: 'There is no antidote for formaldehyde.'

This is particularly worrying as the agency lists 'tissue and organ damage, and coma' among the complications associated with inhaling the chemical.

1.30pm

You've earned a spot of lunch. Sticking your head into the fridge to fish out the cheddar from behind your Gen Z relative's tofu, you've just been exposed to 23 milligauss of radiation.

Your cheese and onion sandwich comes with lashings of 'chlorpyrifos', a pesticide so hazardous U.S. President Joe Biden banned it in 2022 — though, remarkably, it is still ubiquitous across European onion plots.

2pm

If you're at home, it's time for a lie down. Just like your mattress, your sofa is caked in hazardous artificial fire-retardants.

But so is your cushioned office swivel chair, so you may as well recline for that siesta anyway.

5pm

It's now the end of the working day and time for some DIY. The spare bedroom needs a fresh coat of paint.

It might be useful to wear a mask and open the windows considering most modern paints are made from a toxic concoction of volatile compounds.

That iconic fresh-paint smell? That's a heady blend of 'toluene, xylene, aliphatic compounds, ketones, alcohols, esters, and glycol ethers', according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer in a 2012 monograph.

Your paints and brushes are in the basement: the most dangerous room in your house. Basements and cellars are centres of radon exposure — the gas seeping into homes via decaying uranium in the earth's crust.

The UK Radon Association warns: 'Each year in the UK over 2,000 people die from lung cancer, developed as a direct result of exposure to radon.'

Of course, some homes are more at risk than others. Areas rich in granite, such as Devon and Cornwall, carry the highest concentrations of radon and smokers are more vulnerable to its effects than non-smokers.

6.30pm

Before settling down in front of yet another radiation-emitting screen, there's just time for a quick clean.

The cruel irony is that cleaning your home only worsens the chemical problem.

A study published in the Chemosphere journal in November last year found a total of 503 unique 'volatile organic compounds' in just 30 different domestic cleaning products. Of that number, 193 are 'considered hazardous' by EU and U.S. regulators.

7.30pm

After a long day, many Brits like to unwind with a scented candle. But that's the very worst thing you can do. A South Carolina State University study found that candles containing common paraffin wax — derived from coal and oil — release a wave of cancer-causing chemicals into the air.

A South Carolina State University study found that candles containing common paraffin wax — derived from coal and oil — release a wave of cancer-causing chemicals into the air

And air fresheners are no better. They may claim to transform your home into a 'tropical garden' or an 'oriental paradise' but, in fact, these products simply use an army of chemicals to temporarily mask malodorous scents.

Even more worrying, according to environmental engineer Anne C. Steinemann, these chemicals mix with naturally occurring molecules in the air 'to generate secondary pollutants'.

A 2016 study by Steinemann found 35 per cent of people exposed to fragrance products reported health problems, including headaches and respiratory difficulties.

10pm

To bed, at last. That alarm clock has now been safely moved to the dresser across the room.

But, unfortunately, if your mattress contains metal springs, these act as antennae which conduct electromagnetic waves not only from your alarm clock but from the electric boiler downstairs and the fuse box concealed in the next room.

There's nothing else for it but to take respite in forty winks — if sleep will come after reading such a litany of horrors, of course.