TOXICS IN THE HOME
Protecting Your Family Against the Negative Health Effects of Household Products
Toxic chemicals are brought into our homes through ordinary consumer products like vinyl flooring, carpeting, foam cushions, pest control products, fabrics and cookware. This is compounded by pollutants found in our water, air and food. Dust samples taken from homes have contained dangerous hormone disrupters and other substances associated with allergies, impaired nervous and immune systems, cancer, and reproductive and developmental effects. Most of these chemicals have also been detected in breast milk, blood and urine.
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Click Here to go to the Clean Production Action's Chemical House and learn about the toxic chemicals that are found in products in your home.
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Image courtesy of Clean Production Action
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Harmful Household Chemicals and Health Impacts
Scientists now recognize that indoor environmental contamination, including contaminants accumulating in household dust, pose a substantial health risk to the population. The following list of chemicals found in the home are legal, despite being internationally recognized as toxic or harmful to the immune and reproductive systems. Babies and young children are particularly at risk from exposure.
Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR’s): Found in carpets, electronics, furniture padding and mattresses, BFR’s are persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic and have a long life. Levels increase along the food chain and disrupt the hormone and reproductive systems.*
Pesticides: are directly released, indoors and outdoors, to get rid of insects, weeds and molds. They are also incorporated into soaps and household cleaning products, paints, and wall papers, and applied to carpets, textiles, and other products prior to sale. Many pesticides are linked to disruption of the hormone and reproductive system as well as being suspected carcinogens.*
Perfluorinated Chemicals: Perfluorooctanyl sulfate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are used in floor polishes, photographic film, denture cleaners, shampoos, herbicides, insecticides and adhesives in a wide range of products, as well as for surface treatment of clothing and carpets and cookware. They are carcinogenic and disrupt the hormone and reproductive systems.*
Phthalates: Used primarily as plasticizers in flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic (commonly known as vinyl), which accounts for 8090 percent of the world plasticizer consumption. Phthalates are also used in nail polishes, hair sprays and as solvents and perfume fixatives in various other products, as well as in the enteric coatings of some medications. Phthalates can be toxic to the reproductive system and are linked to increased incidences of childhood asthma.*
Alkylphenols: Used to make alkylphenol ethoxylates found in household and industrial cleaners, paints, textile and leather treatments, pulp and paper processing, and agricultural chemicals. They can disrupt the hormone and reproductive system.*
Lack of Regulation Allows Chemical Companies to Continue Using and Developing Toxic Chemicals
The U.S. regulatory system still allows dangerous chemicals to be put into consumer products, does not require even minimal safety testing for the majority of chemicals currently in use, and has virtually no prohibitions in place to reduce exposure to chemicals known to cause harm. Though some chemical companies have demonstrated that the transition to safer chemicals and material use is feasible and profitable, most have failed to replace chemicals of known toxicity with safer substitutes. Learn More about chemical policy in the U.S.
Additional Resources
Click Here for a list of websites and reports on Toxics and Health.
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TAKE ACTION
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Learn more about Toxic Flame Retardants!
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TAKE ACTION
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Make Your Own Toxic-Free House Cleanser
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TAKE ACTION
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Learn More About Chemical Reform in the U.S.
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