Morning Minefield

Did you know your sheets might be a health hazard? I didn't either. It turns out our luxurious high-thread count cotton sheets may have been bleached and soaked in pesticides. Hopefully we have washed most of it out in hot water, but are we aware the detergent we used may contain unhealthy chemicals, too? It's enough to ruin a good night's sleep.

We need our rest because when we roll out of bed in the morning, we face a minefield of dangers.

We jump into the shower, savoring the spray that wakes us up. But don't enjoy it too much. If we don't have a filter on the shower, the city water flowing over us may be full of toxic substances (lead, chlorine) that are penetrating our skin. The shower head itself may be harboring bacteria (make a note to use mostly metal ones). The chemicals in our soap and shampoo may be dangerous, too. It turns out the stuff that promises silky smooth skin and shiny, bouncy hair may be abetting our eventual demise.

Brushing our teeth seems safe. If we use Listerine, however, we are warned that the alcohol content may cause mouth cancer.

Deodorant? We better make sure there is no aluminum in it on the chance that it will cause breast cancer.

We religiously apply the sunscreen that for years we have been strongly advised to use to avoid skin cancer. But then we hear about a new report that says the use of some of the most popular sunscreens may, in fact, cause skin cancer.

It seems unregulated chemicals in the stuff are harmful. Hats, covering up exposed areas (hard to do in the pool), sunglasses, and avoiding the sun during the hottest part of the day are all advised. Just be sure those sunglasses have proper lenses that screen out the harmful rays or we risk ending up with macular degeneration.

Women may apply a little make-up. But wait! The chemicals in our creams and lipstick may make us more beautiful but they could also make us ill. If we are true earth mothers, we can apply a little olive oil to moisturize and smear a beet on our cheeks and lips for color. If we prefer not to smell like a salad or look like a clown, we can just risk it and use our Clinique.

A spritz of cologne or after shave? We may love a subtle scent but don't enjoy it too much. There may be unhealthy chemicals in our favorite fragrance, too.

If our clothes have been dry cleaned, we risk exposing ourselves to harmful solvents.

We go into the kitchen for a glass of water, which shouldn't come from a plastic bottle because BPA may have leaked into it. I know we aren't supposed to be drinking bottled water at all for green reasons, but that's another subject. If we are using filtered water, we better make sure the filters are changed often enough or we risk serious consequences. City water? Forget it. It's full of contaminants, and we got enough of those when we showered in it.

We may want to scramble an egg or make oatmeal. We like to use a non-stick pan because clean up after those two items is a chore. But wait! Make sure it is not Teflon! It's been linked to serious health problems.

Do you want peanut butter on your toast? Be careful! The peanuts used to make it may have harbored a mold that could cause health problems. Open that jar of Jif or Skippy at your own risk.

Taking medications of any kind? All the things we have been told are keeping us healthy might actually be making us sick. Just hope for the best. Taking vitamins? Make sure you are not over-dosing or taking supplements that may contain harmful chemicals.

As we pass through the house we encounter all kinds of potential hazards: cordless phones, cell phones, clock radios, wireless stations, microwaves, electric blankets, and who knows what else may all be creating electro-magnetic fields that could affect our health. Short of walking around in a space age suit that deflects the field, what are we to do?

We've run a gauntlet of dangers and it's not even 9 am. Armed with hand sanitizers, anti-bacterial wipes, and perhaps tranquilizers to deal with the anxiety generated from all the perils we face, we venture forth, always on guard against life's dangers.

We can do research to find the safest sunscreens, cosmetics, soaps, pots and pans, cell phones, etc. It's easy with google. We can be aware of the most serious health hazards, but at what point do we stop obsessing and just enjoy life?

A Walk in the Park

When British meteorologists correctly predict a day that reaches "a blistering 80 degrees," Londoners strip down and take to the streets.

Pubs, cafes and restaurants set up tables on the sidewalks and sun worshipers line up to get one of the coveted seats. Some of us might shy away from eating egg mayonnaise while sitting in full sun but the sun-starved Brits are fearless.

After sixteen years of living among Northern and Central Europeans who are deprived of regular sunshine, I can confidently state that they don't often follow doctor's orders about staying out it or using sunscreen when they are in it.

No, they are the fair ones who plop down on a beach in Majorca or Greece or Turkey and bake until they are lobster red. They're the ones who face the sun with a reflector tucked under their chins to attract even more rays. They're the ones who will decide that the perfect time to take a hike or mount their bikes on a sultry Tuscan summer day is when the sun is highest. When Noel Coward sang "mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun," he knew what he was talking about.

Here in London, the entire mood of the city lifts palpably when the weather is warm and sunny. Right now you can add the excitement of the coming World Cup and Wimbledon, and the atmosphere is positively festive.

Aside from pubs and cafes, Londoners flock to one of the city's parks. Our local one is Regent's Park, which I think is the most beautiful in town. Stroll through it on a warm sunny day and you will partake of a living theater.

The fields are full of people playing soccer, flying kites, having picnics, taking naps, cuddling and kissing, reading, romping with dogs, walking babies, riding bikes, running, playing frisbee. You might see a group of cricketers, dressed in white, sharing a bottle of champagne under a small tent. Or a dance troupe rehearsing. Couples row boats or paddle by on the lake. Children throw bread to the ducks. There is an old-fashioned bandstand on which there might be musical entertainment. There could be a Somalian wedding taking place in one of the side gardens.

It is called "ice cream weather" so the Brits patiently line up (queue) twenty deep to get theirs from the vendors around the park.

You'll hear snatches of conversation: "They had those lovely chili prawns there." "Did I tell you that one of those bloody swans almost bit me last week?" "Darling, I quite fancy a pizza tonight."

One sure sight: half-naked Brits baking under the hot sun. Bikinis, Speedos, underwear, anything goes when the weather is warm.

This is London, so there are Pakistani families here, Indian families there, and families from all over the Middle East everywhere.

Often those women are scarfed, and sometimes they wear the shapeless black chador, with everything but their faces covered, and sometimes even those are shielded up to the eyes.

I've heard that some of them are not forced to wear the chador but choose to do so for religious and political reasons. I'm thinking how convenient it is for them. They can get fat, fore go make-up, have bad hair days and go out in their nightgowns if they want to. Who would know?

I try to be open-minded, but the truth is seeing that garment makes me angry. The idea behind it is that the woman is preserving her modesty, that the sight of her hair or female form might cause men to think impure thoughts (as if the mystery of what lies beneath the veil doesn't arouse a few fantasies). A woman who chooses to wear it perpetuates that idea and does her sisters who are forced to wear it no favors by embracing it.

There is a law in Italy that no one may enter a public building without his/her face being visible. Recently a woman in full chador was fined 500 euros for entering a post office, the first time the law was enforced. Her family was incensed.The Italian authorities held their ground, saying that a motorcyclist with a helmet covering his face would have been treated the same way. Her husband responded by saying that he would have to "keep her at home because I can't have other men looking at her."

Let's go back to the park, where I noticed a woman in full chador sitting in the grass with her husband. Only her eyes were visible. They may have thought that if she removed the long black coat, gloves and veil that she wore in the hot sun all the men in the park would stop what they were doing and lose control of themselves. The cricketers would drop their bats at the sight of her hair. The guy kissing his girlfriend would be distracted by the sight of her wrist. Men would leave their places in the ice cream queue after a glimpse of her ankle.

I'm betting she could have stripped down to her underwear and those men would not have noticed. Why would they when the lawns were full of sunbathing women (and men)? They would have more interest in the soccer match being played across the field, the kite that couldn't catch the wind, or even what ice cream flavor they were going to choose if they ever got to the front of the line.