Mass produced food, perfumes and air fresheners, cleaning products, dental products are so full of chemicals that they are seriously affecting our collective health. Environmentalist Pat Thomas believes that the fumes from perfumes will eventually be labelled as damaging as 'second-hand smoke'. Already the Canadian province of Novia Scotia has banned the use of fragrances in public places, she explained. Perfume is just one of thousands of everyday products, containing petroleum-derived chemical products of which 'only 20 per cent have been tested for human safety'.

Research has linked such noxious ingredients with emotional and behavioural problems, violence, addiction, learning disabilities, hyperactivity and lowered intelligence. Personal choice, according to Pat, remains the most effective way of coping with this pervasive pollution, and offered these five tips:

1. Go fragrance free. Use only 'essential oil' products. Stop using air fresheners. If your home is smelly, open a window.

2. Go organic. Food additives have been linked conclusively with the current scourge of obesity. Particularly select organic meat, and dairy produce.

3. Reduce exposure to electro-magnetic fields. Keep computers and gadgets out of your bedroom, and keep appliances switched off when not in use.

4. Reduce the number of amalgam (mercury-based) fillings in your mouth. Particularly important for pregnant women.

5. Avoid gender-bending chemicals, parabens, in toiletries and cosmetics. These are linked with low sperm count and can be carcinogenic.

Pat Thomas is author of Living Dangerously, Are Everyday Toxins Making You Sick? (New Leaf, £12.99).

Alternative health campaigners have won the first round of a battle against EU legislators trying to ban more than 5,000 mineral and vitamin products. Bianca Jagger and Judi Dench have added their support to the Alliance for Natural Health's fight for the threatened right to participate in personal healthcare. The case comes before the European courts in August next year. the Alliance's executive director Dr Robert Verkerk, says: "Our victory is essential to hold open the door to natural health care." To add your support: visit http://www.alliance-natural-health.org/

Mark Winter