Become Aware of Your Environment...

For our first healthy home day, I just wanted to take some time to alert you to some of the hazardous chemicals lurking in your home. You can choose to do what you want with this information, but I want you to be aware of what you are using and the effects that it may have on your health, your family, and your environment. I will spend more time on this in later weeks, but this will give you a basic overview, which will be helpful in choosing household and personal care productsDid you know?

There were 81,000 CHEMICALS REGISTERED WITH THE EPA IN THE LAST 30 YEARS,
and fewer than 20% have been tested for toxicity!
FACT: 90% of all poison exposures occur at home
FACT: 218,316 reported poison exposures in 2005 were from household cleaning products
FACT: 90% of our time is spent indoors. EPA reports that air pollution is up to five times higher inside than outside
FACT: Indoor pollutants come from all sorts of chemicals we use to make our lives easier every day—paints, carpets, furniture, household cleaners, personal care, among others

What's Lurking Under Your Sink?

Sodium Hydroxide
Causes 75% of all caustic injury to the esophagus of kids under 5 years old
Can cause burns in tissues
Can cause chronic skin irritation
Can cause irritation to the respiratory tract
Can cause liver & kidney damage

Found in:
Cascade Rinse Formula
409 Degreaser
Chlorox Clean Up Spray with Bleach
Soft Scrub Liquid Gel
Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Comet Cleanser with Bleach
Drano Max clog Remover
Easy Off Oven Cleaner
Palmolive Gel-Lemon Scent
Woolite Dark Fabric Wash
Chlorox Bleach Pen
Tide Ultra Liquid
Bug B Gon Insect Killer

Personal Care Products:
Colgate, Crest, Ultra Bright, Aquafresh Toothpaste
Crest Whitening Strips
Johnson Baby Lotion and Baby Wash
Old Spice Deodorant
Olay Total Effects Moisturizing Vitamin Complex
Jerkins Skin Firming Moisturizing
Neutrogena Moisture for Sensitive Skin
Dove Ultra Moisturizing Body WashOil of Olay ProVital Night Cream

Lye- Potassium Hydroxide
Harmful if swallowed or inhaled
Can cause severe eye and skin burns

Can cause severe respiratory & digestive burns
Repeated skin contact may cause dermatitis (Eczema)

Found in:
Cascade Liquid Dishwasher
Arnica Pain Relief
Olay Hydrating Skin Care
Pantene Hair Spray and Hair Care Products
Murphy’s Oil Soap
Nitrile Latex Free Gloves
Lysol Spray Cleaner
Virboc Pet Shampoo

Hydrochloric Acid
Severe damage to skin and eyes
Throat irritation even when exposed briefly and at low levels
Linked to reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (Sounds like asthma to me)

Products found in:
Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Lime-a-way Bowl Cleaner
Sparkle Emulsion Bowl Cleaner
Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator

Monoethanolamine (MEA)
Linked to Asthma

Found in:
Tide Liquid Laundry
Tide Free Ultra Liquid
Dreft Liquid Laundry
Cheer Liquid Laundry
Ivory Snow Liquid Laundry
409 Spray Degreaser
Easy Off Oven Cleaner
Mr. Muscle Oven & Grill Cleaner
Spic & Span Disinfecting Spray
Stainless Steel Magic Cleaner
Damp Rid Mold & Mildew Control

Sulfamic Acid
Toxic to lungs and mucous membranes
Direct skin contact is corrosive
Causes skin irritation
Inhalation causes irritation to GastroIntestinal Tract

Found in:
Loreal Hair Color Products
Jet Dry Rinse Agent for the Dishwasher
Cameo Copper Cleaner
Lime-Away Tub and Toilet Cleaner
Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Tablets- Citrus Scent
Dip-It Automatic Coffee Maker Cleaner

Butyl Cellosolve
· Linked to reproductive harm
· Can cause irritation and tissue damage from inhalation
· Exposure for 15 min. while cleaning shower, could inhale 3x the acute exposure limit
· Exposure through the skin

Found in:
Windex original
Spot Shot Carpet Cleaner
Simple Green cleaner/degreaser
Glass Plus
Fantastik lemon scent cleaner
409 Wipes
409 All purpose cleaner
Fantastik Oven Cleaner
Orange Glo Spot Remover
Pledge Electronics

If you're curious about what you have lurking in your home:
Step One: Go to The National Institute of Health Household Products Database and find out what you have in your home
Step Two: Enter names of chemicals and see which brands contain them
Step Three: Look up Toxicity Information or Health Information for the chemical

Next Week...Safe, Powerful, Green, Smart Products for your home and your wallet!