HAZARDOUS PRODUCTS IN OUR HOMES
Each year 250 billion pounds of synthetic chemicals are produced in the United States.
According to the U.S. National Research Council, no information on the toxic effects is available for 79% of the more than 48,500 synthetic chemicals listed by the EPA.
A 1989 report on indoor air quality submitted to Congress by the EPA, stated that the nation’s worst pollution is found inside our homes. Hazardous and toxic chemicals found in our homes are in concentrations of two to five times higher than outdoors.
A report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on chemicals found in homes identified one hundred fifty that had been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities.
In 1980, the Toxic Substances Strategy Committee reported to the President that the majority of cancers (80-90%) are triggered by exposure to hazardous substances in the environment. Nervous disorders and respiratory problems are also directly related to environmental pollution.
A scientific paper presented at the Indoor Air ‘90 conference in Toronto reported that, because of household cleaners, housewives have a 55% higher risk of getting cancer than do women working outside of the home.
Some estimates suggest that indirect costs of what is nor called "indoor pollution" exceeds $6 billion per year- more than $1 billion in medical bills and $5 billion from sick leave and reduced worker productivity.
Other behavior and health disorders caused by chemicals in our home include coughing, wheezing, nasal congestion, burning eyes, headache, muscle aches, burning, tingling, and flushing of the skin, uncoordination and hyperactivity, according to William Rea, M.D., past president of the American academy of Environmental Medicine.
In the U.S. today, one person in three has an allergy severe enough to take him or her to a doctor. One person in ten suffers from migraine headaches or high blood pressure. Birth defects are on the rise. One out of every five people will get cancer in his or her lifetime- a 26% increase in the last two decades, according to the American Cancer Society. In addition to causing cancer, environmental pollution is suspected to be a major cause of asthma, emphysema, and nervous disorders; and there is speculation that indoor pollution many also figure into Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Indoor pollution is a suspected culprit in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) which will take about 5,000 U.S. lives this year. It is no coincidence that SIDS was recognized after the introduction of synthetic chemicals according to Nancy Green Sokol, author of Poisoning Our Children.
Many household products don’t require labeling or are inadequately labeled. According to a survey conducted by the New York Poison Control, "85% of household products are incorrectly labeled for first aid instruction in the case of accidental ingestion." The Merck Manual, a handbook frequently used as a textbook in the field of medicine, states in its section devoted to poisonings: "Ingredients, first aid measures, and antidotes often printed on product containers may be inaccurate or out of date."
According to the EPA, hazardous chemical means any hazardous chemical as defined under 1910. 1200 (c) of Title 29 except that such term does not include the following substances: (3) Any substance to the extent it is used for personal, family or household purposes, or is present in the same form and concentration as a product packed for distribution and use by the general public.
EPA regulates the air outside, OSHA regulates the air in the work place. Nobody regulates the air in your home. Household products are the ONLY category not covered by any other agency. This means anyone can develop a product containing any given chemical and this product is subject to no restrictions as long as it is intended for use in the home.
DANGEROUS CHEMICALS ROUTINELY USED BY MAJOR MANUFACTURERS:
FORMALDEHYDE- Nine billion pounds are produced every year in the U.S. It is routinely used in grocery-brand cleaning products, personal products, cosmetics, salon shampoos, mouthwashes, etc. It may also be listed under he name formaline, formal, methyl aldehyde or quaternium 15. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health states that formaldehyde should be handled carefully, because it is a potential human carcinogen (causing cancer). It is also suspected of causing birth defects and genetic damage. Other concerns with the exposure to formaldehyde are that they can irritate the respiratory system, cause skin reactions, and trigger heart palpitations. It can also aggravate coughs and colds and trigger asthma.
PHENOL- It is suspected of causing cancer in humans. It is used in most furniture polishes and lip balms. If phenol touches the skin, it can cause it to swell, peel or burn. Even a small amount of phenol, taken internally can cause circulatory collapse, convulsions, cold sweats, coma, and death.
CRESOL- Commonly used in household disinfectants. This chemical attacks the liver, kidneys, spleen, and central nervous system. In her book, Household and Environment and Chronic Illness," Francis Silver says "commercial disinfectants should never be used in a healthy home. Even with heavy, cross-ventilation, it can take more than a year to completely eliminate the unhealthy effect of spraying 2 1/2 ounces of a widely promoted disinfectant."
References:
Non-Toxic, Natural and Earthwise, Debra Lynn Dadd
The Healthy Home, Linda Mason Hunter
Poisoning Our Children, Nancy Green Sokol
The Non-Toxic Home and Office, Debra Lynn Dadd
Our Home, Poisoned?, Tracy Cooksey
DID YOU KNOW?
• LYSOL contains phenol and dioxin. Even the smallest ingestion of phenol can cause nausea, vomiting, circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma, respiratory failure, and cardiac arrest. Dioxin is the deadly ingredient used in Agent Orange that can cause genetic mutation, birth defects, and cancer. • CHLORINE LIQUID BLEACH is a highly irritating gas and destructive to the mucus membrane of the respiratory passages.
• TIDE contains a hazardous ingredient called NTA or Sodium Nitrilotriacetate which is reported by the National Cancer Institute to be a carcinogen or cancer causing agent.
• AIR FRESHENERS may contain chemicals that can irritate and burn skin and may cause cancer in animals. They also interfere with the natural sense of smell by releasing a nerve-deadening agent or coating your nasal passages with an oil film. These are some of the most toxic products found in your home.
• THE NATIONAL POISON CONTROL CENTER ESTIMATES THAT THE AVERAGE HOME HAS APPROXIMATELY 62 DIFFERENT CHEMICALS and that nearly 2,100,000 poisonings involving children six years and younger occur every year in the U.S. Older children and adults account for another 900,000.