|
How many household poisons can you identify?
- furniture polish
- weed killer
- fingernail polish remover
- hobby paints
- rubbing alcohol
- mouthwash
All of the above are household poisons. And this is a tiny, tiny list.
If you are like me, before I learned about household poisons, I would
have said something like, "sure, I know what household poisons are.
Things like drain cleaner and pesticides for my lawn. Some of my
regular cleaners can be a bit toxic, too, I think." Is that similar to
what you might say?
Make your home safer from household poisons.
If you'll let me, I want to show you how you can make your home
considerably safer.
That's what I've done in my own home for my own family. To do that you
just need to take about ten to twenty minutes of your time and explore
a little
bit of information that's readily available to anyone. I'll give you
some links throughout this page to explore, starting with this one from
the US
Environmental Protection Agency. Then,
please, continue to explore on your own. The links I am providing you
are only a small amount of the information available. What you'll
discover is
that there are some common sense ideas concerning household poisons,
safety, and what you, personally, can do to improve things for your
family.
- The average home in the Industrialized West is FULL of household
poisons in the form of cleaning products, personal care products
(hairspray, toothpaste, cosmetics, etc.), and laundry products; not to
mention lawn, garden, and automotive products.
- A lot of these products, which are household poisons, when used
properly, can
effectively clean, disinfect, and otherwise do whatever else they
promise to
do.
- What most folks don't know, however (including me), is that there
is
lot of suspicion concerning the safety of these regular household
products containing household poisons. Here are some of the questions
being asked.
- Do any of these household poisons, when contained in a laundry or
personal care product, absorb through the skin? Do they stay in the
body? How long?
- Many (but not all) of these household poisons are in very small
amounts in the household products they are used in. Unless someone is
allergic to them or eats or drinks them, the chance of poisoning from a
one time exposure should not be a problem. That makes sense. What
also makes sense is the question, "what is the cumulative effect of
being exposed to these household poisons day in and day out over the
course of a lifetime?" After all, we're talking about products most of
use everyday. Most of us shampoo (pesticides or formaldehyde are in
many shampoos), do our family's laundry (many products contain an
interesting array of irritants...which lay on top of our skin every day
in our clothing), and wash our dishes (many dishwasher detergents are extremely
caustic, both to people and machines).
- Are there alternatives that clean or perform just as well as
these household poisons but are safer for daily
use? If so, where would I find them? Will they cost me more?
- How do these household poisons
effect children? Turns out this
question is a big deal.
Let me tell you here and now, I'm NOT an expert on this topic. I'm not
a chemical engineer or a physician. I'm a mom to four kids, ages 27 to
8. Their well-being is very important to me. So is the long-term health
of my husband and myself. Here's the question I started
asking myself based on the knowledge that each and every
month
I head to my local store and buy products my family will rub on their
skin (lotions, shampoos), literally wear (laundry product residue), and
breathe in (out gassing of household chemical products and household
poisons).
- Is this the best product to do this job that I can find? Look, if
I'm going to use a shampoo, for example, for the next 50 years, it just
makes sense to use one that does what I want it to do and doesn't
do what I don't want it to do, like add a household poison to my
scalp every time I use it. Yuck!
If I handle them carefully, why are household poisons a
problem?
We know that many of these household poisons found in everyday products
can cause or contribute to allergies, eczema, and asthma. If you have
small children in the home, you'll want to childproof your home as
much as possible. And here's a link
to important information that you'll find over and over again on the
web. This
information has been very helpful to me as I have learned to simply
read labels and be aware of what I bring into my home and place into
the hands of my family!
At this point, I would like to point out that my family has its own
share of
chemicals and household poisons in our home (although we have dramatically
decreased the amount). I think that much societal good has
come from our increasing knowledge of the chemical world. But what I've
really learned is to question, to use products correctly and to not
give my
trust away without checking out the facts. For example, I realized that
for years I was buying products simply because they were advertised on
TV and, therefore, (or so I thought) must be safe. How dumb is
that? Well, that's what I
did. Now I know that the method I learn about something is not
nearly as important as the product itself. And, oftentimes, the best
way to learn about something is simply word of mouth and personal
usage. You know, a
friend tells you she loves something and so you give it a try, too.
Women are especially good at sharing these kinds of testimonials, and
for good reason. They offer us first hand experience and much less risk.
In fact, that's how I first learned about the less toxic products I now
use in my home; the products I have used to replace so many of our old
household poisons. A friend recommended some wellness products and I gave them
a try. I've been using these wonderful products ever since.
I must also say that I did try to make my own safer household chemicals
for awhile. I just found it too time-consuming; buying them ready-made
is just a better option for me. But if you want to give it a go, you
really should. There's a lot of good cleaning 'recipes' online; but,
first, a
word of caution. Just because you can make your own household cleaners,
doesn't make them any safer than the commercial variety. Sometimes they
are safer, but sometimes you are just substituting one household poison
for another household poison. Here is an excellent article on toxins
in the home and some simple
solutions.
More facts on household poisons
"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.
For many of these trends, we don't have enough data to determine
accurately what's really
going on. We'll have to wait for complete answers.
In the meantime, take a look at the resources on this page to see if any of this
information
would be beneficial for your family. Remember, in the final analysis,
only you know what's best for your own family.
Did You Know...?
Check your knowledge of common toxicity and safety issues in everyday
household products and household poisons.
- Do you use rubber gloves when cleaning?
Suggestions
- Do you remember to keep your kitchen cleaner away from food and
eating surfaces?
Do you spray disinfectant on beds, pillows and around kids and pets?
Suggestions
- Do your eyes burn or do you need to leave the area while
cleaning due to toxic fumes from your cleaner?
Suggestions
- I store my cleaning products and supplies on a top shelf in my
pantry. Is this a good idea?
Suggestions
Remember, the 'cide' in 'pesticide'
means to kill.
My best to you and your family as you learn about how to lower your
risks from household poisons.
Disclaimer:
This information is NOT intended to replace any medical, chemical or
safety advice from a qualified professional. Please consult your medical
doctor for all health concerns. PaintedGold cannot be held liable for the
information presented or used from these websites.
What are the health/wellness concerns in your family?
We'd like to hear from you!
|
|
We enjoy and value feedback from our website visitors!
We also like to put visitor comments on our website for the benefit of other visitors.
If you submit comments, we ask your permission to share your comments on our website (see permission checkbox below).
We only ask for your name and email address in case we need to contact you for clarification.
Our strict privacy policy is that we will NOT share your name and email address with anyone else.
We will only use the first name and initial of your last name when saying where the comment or quote came from.
For example:
"This information was really useful!" - Jane S.
|
|
|
|
