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The Case for Nontoxic Cleaning Products
a.IMPORTANT, though often overlooked quotes and research
b.Children
c.What people need to understand and KNOW about "antibacterial" cleansing.
When you purchase cleaning products, whether popular brand or not. Do you consider your family's health and the effect on the environment? Every time you use a toxic cleaning product in your home, you introduce chemicals that linger much longer than most understand. These toxins build up in your home and can cause or promote serious ailments that are rarely ever traced back to the source. You are diagnosed with it one day and it changes you and your families lives forever.
On occasion, there is a need to use chemicals in the home, but they should not be used for everyday cleaning. You can clean your home JUST AS GOOD with non-toxic products. The information and links on this page prove these facts.
Indoor Air Quality
Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health but many do not know that indoor air pollution can also have significant health effects. Environmental Protection Agency studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be 2-5 times, and occasionally more than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels. These levels of indoor air pollutants may be of particular concern because most people spend about 90% of their time indoors.
EPA Website
Here are some examples of what can be found in some of the most popular brands of cleaning products:
|
Ammonia |
Fatal when swallowed |
|
Ammonium Hydroxide |
Corrosive, irritant |
|
Bleach |
Potentially fatal if ingested |
|
Chlorine |
Number one cause of poisonings in children |
|
Formaldehyde |
Highly toxic; known carcinogen |
|
Hydrochloric acid |
Corrosive, eye and skin irritant |
|
Hydrochloric bleach |
Eye, skin and respiratory tract irritant |
|
Lye |
Severe damage to stomach and esophagus if ingested |
|
Naphtha |
Depresses the central nervous system |
|
Nitrobenzene |
Causes skin discoloration, shallow breathing, vomiting, and death |
|
Perchlorethylene |
Damages liver, kidney, nervous system |
|
Petroleum Distillates |
Highly flammable; suspected carcinogen |
|
Phenol |
Extremely dangerous; suspected carcinogen; fatal taken internally |
|
Propylene Glycol |
Immunogen; main ingredient in antifreeze |
|
Sodium hypochlorit |
Potentially fatal |
|
Sodium laurel sulfate |
Carcinogen, toxin, genetic mutagen |
|
Sodium tripolyphosphate |
Irritant |
|
Trichloroethane |
Damages liver and kidneys |
Important, though often overlooked quotes and research
·
Over 150
chemicals found in the home are connected to allergies, birth defects,
cancer and psychological disorders
[Source: Consumer
Protection Agency (CPA)]
·
50%
of all illness is due to poor indoor air quality
[Source: 1989 State
of Massachusetts Study]
·
Women
who work in the home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who
work outside of the home
[Source: 17- year
EPA study]
·
Some
products release contaminants into the air right away, others do so gradually
over a period of time. Some stay in the air up to a year. These
contaminants, found in many household and personal care products can
cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, eye/skin/respiratory tract
irritations and some cause cancer
[Source: American
Lung Association]
·
In
one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma (29% for men, 82% for
women). The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women's longer
exposure times to household chemicals
[Source: Center for
Disease Control]
·
3
groups of people are primarily affected by indoor chemical concentrations
because they spend more time indoors and their immune systems are weaker:
o
Infants
and toddlers
o
Elderly
o
Chronically
ill
[Source: 1988 EPA,
5-year study]
·
When combined, chemicals are even
more dangerous. Deadly fumes result from mixing ammonia with bleach (both
found in many household products) creating lethal "mustard gas"!
[Source: U.S. Government,
E.P.A]
CHILDREN
The studies conducted on the association with "common" household chemicals and the safety of our children have been staggering. Millions of unknowing children have been seriously effected by chemicals, while many parents STILL do not fully understand the dangers.
"More than 7 million accidental poisonings occur each year, with more than 75% involving children under age 6!"
[Source: The Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons]
There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of pesticides into household products.
[Source: Source: National Cancer Institute]
What people need to understand and KNOW about "antibacterial" cleansing.
When "antibacterial" soaps and household cleaning products became the marketing scheme of choice, consumers
felt compelled to buy the products labeled "antibacterial" due to fear of infectious disease and harmful bacteria. Recent studies have proven that these products are doing more harm than
good and it is strongly suggested that exposure to "antibacterial chemicals" be held to a minimum.
"We have patients dying of infectious diseases because some of the hundreds of antibiotics we have are not working,
" Levy said, citing the overuse of antibiotics and popular antibacterial products as a threat.
With all this information we've had for years, it's astonishing that this harmful marketing scheme continues to exist today.
Not enough laws are in place to protect the consumer from the dangers of these chemicals and promote safer, as effective, cost comparative cleaning alternatives.
Here is another recent article:
Full story: Antibacterial Products Potentially Harmful
WASHINGTON - Researchers were cited as telling a meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America that it may be virtually impossible to buy soap in the United States that is not "antibacterial," but such products are a waste of time, and their heavy use could contribute to a whole new breed of hard-to-kill superbugs. Elaine Larson, associate dean for research at the Columbia University School of Nursing in New York, was quoted as saying in a statement, "It makes you wonder why they call it antibacterial, because according to our research, it isn't any more so than plain soaps. We found antimicrobial or antibacterial soaps provide no added value over plain soap."
FULL STORY:Antibacterial Soap A Waste Of Time, Experts Say - October 24, 2002
more chemical hazards in cleaning products