How Toxic is Your Home?
Household Cleaning Products
Laundry Room and Under Sinks
Bathroom ... Personal Care Products
People soon realize after being exposed to this information that much of what we commonly purchase in the stores is not actually safe. As consumers, we assume everything is safe or they wouldn't sell it. The fact is numerous products have carcinogens that we use everyday like Dawn dishwashing liquid, Clairol and Alberto Culver shampoos, Wizard Air Wicks, certain Dr. Scholl's foot products and so on...
Other information includes the relationship to chemicals and toxins with the rising cancer rate. Today 1 in 3 people is affected by cancer in this country. Nearly everything we drink, eat or use in our homes has chemicals that we presume are safe as a buying public. The fact is they're not safe for the most part but how are we to know...we are not chemical engineers....right?
Another issue affecting many people today is Alzheimer's. Do you know it is directly related to aluminum? The single link to all Alzheimer's patients is aluminum. Today we are drinking out of cans, cooking with Club Aluminum, and most importantly nearly all of the antiperspirants we use daily, along with body lotions, list a form of aluminum as the first ingredient. Today Alzheimer's is the number 4 killer of adults...did you know that? I encourage you to look at your antiperspirant after reading this!
I'll go one further..people learn how nearly 80% of today's asthma, allergies, and A.D.D problems are directly related to toxins and chemical exposure to young babies. Children do not develop a natural detox system until about 1 year of age. The fact is mothers are doing what they believe best, are using Lysol, bleaches, and laundry soaps resulting chemical exposure that actually messes up their children's immune system in later years. Tom Brokaw, several months ago made references to this issue on his 6:00 news.
Household Cleaning Products
1. Ammonia and All-Purpose Cleaners:
Read the label: Poison: May cause burns. Call a physician. Keep out of reach of children. Harmful if swallowed.
Irritant. Avoid eye and skin contact. Avoid inhalation of vapors. Skin rashes, redness, and chemical burns are common complaints after exposure to ammonia. Ammonia fumes are extremely irritating to the eyes and lungs.
Children and people with respiratory problems should especially avoid ammonia fumes. Ammonia can cause severe eye damage upon contact. Top
Most glass cleaners are simply water, ammonia, and blue or green dye. Although ammonia bottles must contain warnings labeled "POISON", glass cleaners are not required to carry warnings. Glass cleaner vapors are highly irritating to the lungs and eyes. Top
3. Chlorinated Scouring Powder:
Most contain chlorine bleach, which acts as a whitener and stain remover. When contacting water, chlorine powder produces chlorine fumes, which are highly irritating to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. Many people react with headaches, fatigue, and difficulty breathing. Remember: you should never mix chlorine with ammonia; the resulting fumes are deadly. Ammonia is hidden in many cleaning products so you can't always know if you mixed them. Top
Read the label: Keep out of reach of children. Keep away from heat, sparks, and open flame. Keep out of eyes.
Avoid contact with food. Germ-killing disinfectants contain numerous volatile chemicals which are dangerous to inhale. Most commonly found is cresol, a chemical easily absorbed through the skin and lungs. Cresol can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, and spleen, and can also affect the central nervous system, causing depression, irritability, and hyperactivity. Disinfectants may also contain the toxic germ killers: phenol, ethanol, formaldehyde, ammonia, and chlorine. The sad thing is many people use disinfectants in their homes when a family member is ill, just when that person is most vulnerable to toxins. Some people are so concerned with cleanliness they over disinfect, and constantly surround themselves with "fresh, clean" and deadly air. Top
Read the label: Harmful or ...if swallowed. Keep out of reach of children. The primary dangers from furniture polish are by accidental ingestion, inhalation of fumes during use and from residual vapors. Many of the toxic ingredients are easily absorbed through the skin, such as phenol, a suspected carcinogen, which can cause your skin to swell, peel, burn or break out. internally, phenol causes convulsions, coma, and death. Also found are ammonia, naphtha, petroleum distillates, etc. Top
While little research has been done regarding the health effects of air fresheners, they often contain napthalene, phenol, cresol, ethanol, xylene, and formaldehyde. These are known toxins in amounts larger that what is found in air fresheners. Air fresheners don't "freshen" the air at all. They work by covering up the odor with a stronger "more pleasant" chemical smell, or by deadening your ability to smell with a nerve-deadening agent, or by coating your nasal passage with an oil. Many people with allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems are negatively affected by smelling air fresheners. Top
Read the label: Injurious to the eyes. Harmful if swallowed. Avoid contact with eyes, mucous membranes, and prolonged skin contact. Keep out of reach of children. Most dishwasher detergents contain chlorine in a dry form which becomes activated when it comes into contact with water in the dishwasher. This releases chlorine fumes into the dishwasher and eventually into the kitchen air. Many people report symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, burning eyes, and difficulty breathing when exposed to the dishwasher chlorine fumes. Secondly, a thin film of detergent can dry on your dishes. Top
Laundry Room and Under Sinks
Detergents cause more poisonings than any other household product. Read the label: keep out of reach of children. In case of eye contact seek medical attention. Harmful "if swallowed", irritating to eyes and skin. Some dangerous detergent formulas have no warning labels. Detergents are made from petrochemicals and may contain bleaches, synthetic whiteners, and artificial fragrances. Hazards include poisoning, skin rashes, flu and asthma symptoms associated with breathing fragrances or residues left on clothes after washing. Top
2. Liquid or Powder Bleach products:
Read the label: Keep out of reach of children. May be harmful if swallowed or may cause severe eye irritation. Never mix chlorine bleach with cleaning products containing ammonia or vinegar. The resulting chloramine fumes are deadly. Chlorine bleach products are toxic as a skin irritant and by inhalation. Many people report reactions and symptoms after inhaling fumes or breathing residues left clothes or fabrics after washing. Top
Read the label: Vapor harmful. Keep out of reach of children. The most commonly used solvent in spot removers is perchloroethylene, the same solvent used in dry cleaning. Perchloroethylene fumes are carcinogen: cancer causing, highly toxic, and can cause dizziness, nausea, drowsiness, and disorientation. Heavy exposure to these fumes can be fatal. Top
4. Chlorine Cleansers (comet):
Read the label: eye irritant. Keep out of reach of children. Most scouring powders contain chlorine bleach. The chlorine powder produces chlorine fumes when it comes into contact with water. These fumes are highly irritating to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Many people react with headaches, fatigue and shortness of breath. Also found in many scouring powders are detergents (see #1) and talc which is often contaminated with carcinogenic asbestos fibers. There is no safe level for asbestos exposure. Top
Bathroom...Personal Care Products
Almost all hygiene products are regulated by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) as "cosmetics." The law does not require that cosmetics be tested for safety before being sold. The FDA can only pull a product after it has received enough consumer complaints and evidence to prove in court that the product is dangerous. The most common complaint associated with personal care products is skin rashes, which can range in intensity from moderately irritating to painful and disfiguring.
1. Shampoo and Dandruff Shampoo:
Read the label: Not to be taken internally. Keep out of reach of children. Avoid getting in eyes. If irritation occurs, discontinue use. Regular shampoos often contain formaldehyde as a preservative, listed on the label as "quanternium-15". In addition to being a potential human carcinogen, formaldehyde is an irritant to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. Shampoos are not required to list formaldehyde. Another hidden and unpredictable hazard sometimes found in shampoo is 2-bromo-2-nitroprone-1, 3-dio(or BNPD). BNPD can create carcinogenic nitrosamines when combined with triethanolamine (TEA) or diethanolamine (DEA), two almost harmless ingredients found in most shampoos. Dandruff shampoos are the most dangerous of all hair care products because they contain highly toxic medications which prevent the scalp from shedding skin. Antidandruff agents include selenium sulfide, which, if swallowed, can cause vital organs to degenerate. Also commonly found in dandruff shampoo is recorcinol, which is rapidly absorbed by the skin and may cause inflammation of the eyes or eyelids, dizziness, restlessness, rapid heartbeat, sweating, unconsciousness, and convulsions. In addition dandruff shampoos often contain carcinogenic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), formaldehyde, detergents, artificial colors, and fragrance. Top
Deodorant soaps work by killing the bacteria that supposedly causes body odor. The most common used bactericide is triclocarban, which is under suspicion of being a cancer causing agent with daily use. The FDA warns against using deodorant soaps on infants under 6 months old. Also commonly found in these soaps is ammonia, formaldehyde, phenol, and artificial fragrance. Top
Consists mainly of detergent and artificial fragrances. The FDA receives many complaints regarding skin rashes, irritations, and urinary tract, bladder, and kidney infections reported by users. Vaginal irritations and infections are common, especially with children, who have extra-sensitive skin. Top
4. Styling Mousse and Hair Spray:
Read the label. Flammable. Avoid fire and flame. Avoid spraying near eyes. Keep out of reach of children. Use only as directed. Styling mousse and hair spray contain almost the exact ingredients. The only real difference is mousse is a foam instead of a spray. Common ingredients include aerosol propellants, alcohol, carcinogenic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)O formaldehyde, and artificial fragrance. Regular users of hair spray are at risk of developing a lung disease called thesaurosis, which causes enlarged lymph nodes, lung masses, and changes in blood cells. More than half the women afflicted with this disease recover within 6 months after discontinuing hair spray use. Allergic skin reactions, eye and nasal irritation are common reactions to exposure to hair spray and styling mousse. Top
5. Fluoride Toothpaste and Mouthwash:
Read the label: Keep out of reach of children. Do not swallow. Do not administer, or use only pea-size amount with children under 6 years of age. Fluoride toothpaste usually offers no warning label, but may contain ammonia, ethanol, artificial colors and flavors, formaldehyde, mineral oil, sugar and saccharin, and carcinogenic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), the same plastic resin used in hair spray. There is great debate at this time as to the benefits and possible hazards of fluoride use. There is no question that at optimal doses, properly applied, fluoride will help prevent tooth decay. Fluoride, improperly applied or overused can cause mottling of the teeth, hip fractures in the elderly, cancer, and renal (kidney) failure. Mouthwashes contain a number of ingredients that can be harmful or fatal if swallowed. The same germ killers used in bathroom disinfectants (phenol, cresol, and ethanol) are used in mouthwashes, in lower concentrations. If too much is ingested, the body can go into shock or coma, possibly resulting in death. Mouthwashes also commonly contain formaldehyde, artificial colors, ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide. Check the label: many mouthwashes list a 1-800 number to a poison control facility in case of swallowing. Top
Read the label. Many of these sprays contain SD Alcohol (similar to rubbing alcohol) and isobutane (similar to campstove fuel). The products are very flammable and should not be used around an open flame. Current studies have shown a potential link between the use of these products and an increase of oral/throat cancer. Top
I will list them in order of toxicity:
A. Lipstick - may contain several chemicals known to cause cancer in laboratory animals, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), saccharin, mineral oil, and artificial color. Lipstick can be harmful by skin absorption, ingestion, and inhalation.
B. Mascara - may contain alcohol, formaldehyde, and various plastic resins. Primary danger is eye irritation, redness, burning, and swelling.
C. Talcum Powder - Found in eyeshadow, powdered blush, and face powders, Talc may be contaminated with asbestos fibers, which can be inhaled while applying makeup. There is no safe level for asbestos exposure. Many of these powders contain artificial fragrance, which is the most common cause of allergic reactions to cosmetics. Many liquid foundation makeups contain mineral oil, which is a suspected human carcinogen. Top
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