7 Simple Steps to Improve Home Health
by Reducing Household Toxins
Copyright 2005 by Lisa Harrison, M.A.. All Rights Reserved
- Step 1: Become Aware
- Step 2: Create a Pesticide-Free Home
- Step 3: Can Your Cans
- Step 4: Get Rid of Stored Products
- Step 5: Air It Out
- Step 6: Be Water Aware (Filter & Reduce Chlorine)
- Step 7: Use Safer Products
If you've read What Consumers Need to Know or have heard an educational presentation in your community then Congratulations because you've already taken this first step! You are in charge of the health of your home and family and you CAN make a difference. Be aware that the vast majority of chemical ingredients in consumer products – even those heavily advertised – have NOT been tested for safety. Current government regulations do NOT adequately protect the consumer and health experts warn that rising disease statistics are linked to chemicals in the home. The health effects of early and long-term exposure to the mix of chemicals currently found in our homes is unknown, so the best thing you can do is reduce household toxins.
Step 2: Create a Pesticide-Free Home
Pesticides are any ingredients designed to kill other living organisms. Disinfectants including chlorine bleach and Lysol are included in this category. Pesticides are known to be dangerous to humans, particularly small children. In fact, children exposed to household insecticides and professional exterminations in the home are three to seven times more likely to develop non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) compared with children who have not been exposed to pesticides. [1] In addition, children in families that use pesticides are 6.5 times more likely to get childhood leukemia. [2] Eliminate the use of pesticides in your home and garden, particularly if you have young children. Cancel any spray service you may use (look into “Integrated Pest Management” or IPM for alternatives to chemical use). It's also a good idea to get rid of flea collars as children can be exposed to the ingredients. Having family members leave shoes at the door also reduces environmental pesticides brought into the home.
Despite commercials that play on our fear of germs, the average house does not need hospital-strength disinfectants . Disinfectants are recommended to clean up infectious bodily fluids and if the sewer backs up into your home. Everyday use of chlorine-containing products or other strong disinfectants, such as Lysol spray, is OVERUSE AND MISUSE of these products. When you selectively choose to use such products, follow ALL label instructions for safe handling and be sure to rinse away any residue left by disinfectants to eliminate the chance of exposure.
Washing hands and surfaces with soap and water or using safe cleaners that help remove dirt and germs is what experts recommend. The goal is to rinse germs down the drain, not assault them with disease-causing chemicals! Choosing ORGANIC FOOD is highly recommended because some pesticides can't be washed off the food – they are systemic.
One last note about pesticides and disinfectants, the “active” ingredient that kills the pest is not the only concern. Have you noticed a label saying “inert” ingredients? What “inert” means is that the ingredient will not damage the intended pest. “Inert” does not mean safe for humans – in fact 26% of inerts are known to be hazardous to humans and nearly three-quarters are classified as having unknown toxicity. [3], [4]
Aerosals contain dangerous chemical propellants that contribute to indoor and outdoor smog and health problems including lung irritations, asthma symptoms and even central nervous system damage. These products include hair spray, aerosol deodorants, air fresheners like Glade and strong disinfectants. I really believe that products like Lysol and Oust are a bigger health hazard in the home than the germs they kill.
Step 4: Get Rid of Stored Products
This is going to make you feel so good! Go around your house with a box labeled TOXIC and fill it with products you don't use, don't need and definitely don't want including pesticides, harsh cleaners, solvents, paints, any aerosol can and even your air fresheners. Get over the money aspect – it's already spent, gone. You didn't know any better when you bought the product but you don't need it polluting your home. Remember, even while stored, products emit Volatile Organic Compounds which are the precursors to air pollution.
Household cleaning products are considered HAZARDOUS WASTE and must be disposed of safely at the Hazardous Waste Facility. Contact your local waste management service on how to dispose of hazardous materials in your area.
Energy efficient homes keep air pollution inside. The EPA estimates air pollution is 2-5 times (or even higher) inside the home compared to outside. Just 15 minutes of open air exchange can change the air in your entire home. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) out-gas from dry-cleaned clothes, cleaning products, new carpet and new furniture causing respiratory and other illnesses. Other ways to clean the air include an air purifier with a HEPA or water filter and NASA research shows plants like Philodendron and Spider Plants, can absorb and actually clean the air inside our homes.
The dishwasher is one of the biggest AIR polluters in your home; it strips chemicals in the water and detergent and puts them into gas. If you're using chemical detergents, do not open while it's running; ventilate while it's running; and wait one hour to open after complete. Reduce pollution with filtered water and try an environmentally safe detergent that's phosphate and chlorine free.
Step 6: Be Water Wise (Filter & Reduce Chlorine)
The vast array of potential contaminants in our public drinking water seems endless. Drinking water standards are not as strong as they could be. They are currently based on preventing cancer but do not address toxins affecting the immune or nervous systems or even fetuses and young children. The EPA has identified over 700 pollutants common in drinking water; most have not been tested and 22 are known to cause cancer. Filtering your water both for drinking and bathing is highly recommended. [5]
Chlorine Bleach is the main source for sanitizing the water supply in the United States . From a sanitation point of view the good news is that it's pervasive. The bad news for our health and the environment is that it's pervasive! Chlorine attacks organic material, even living tissue. In many countries around the world you can't even purchase a bottle of chlorine bleach because it's considered so dangerous. Unfortunately, it's so common and heavily marketed in the U.S. that we falsely believe it's safe for everyday use. In fact, chlorine by-products, including dioxins, are known carcinogens and incredibly damaging to the environment. Adding chlorine to your laundry can affect the breathing of sensitive individuals, including children. Breathing shower steam also brings chlorine deep into the lungs. Limit chlorine use in the home (remember, it's a registered pesticide) and filter water with an activated carbon filter or other proven system.TOP
Look at the products you use every day and consider naturally derived alternatives. Get rid of household cleaners that have labels of DANGER or WARNING. They are unsafe. You can clean a house with completely natural ingredients such as baking soda or vinegar or consider safer brands. The market offers very good, naturally-derived brands that are both safer for your health and environmentally responsible. Many of these products are also cost effective. You can find safer alternatives in specialty stores and through catalog or online ordering and I commend every manufacturer who is committed to providing safer alternatives in the marketplace. Please take some time to learn about the Safer Brands I use in my own home and that are recommended through this site – they are outstanding and reasonably priced.
I wish you the best of luck Improving the Health of Your Home….and of your family. If someone has referred you to this site, ask them what safer products they use in their home. Remember what I said about the Barrel Theory of Health: Reducing toxins even a small percentage can make a difference in your home and to your family's health. Thank you.
Contact the author: lisa@improvehomehealth.com
What You Need to Know About Home Toxins
References
[1] "Pesticide Exposures in Children with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma," Jonathan D Buckley, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., Anna T. Meadows, M.D., Marshall E. Kadin, M.D, Michelle M. Le Beau, Ph.D., Stuart Siegel, M.D., and Leslie L. Robison, Ph.D., CANCER 2000; 89:11.
[2] Our Stolen Future: Are We Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence and Survival? A Scientific Detective Story . Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and J.P. Myers, Plume, 1996.
[3] Cox, C. “Four states sue EPA in support of "inert" disclosure.” Journal of Pesticide Reform Vol. 21 (1). Spring,
2001. Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides www.pesticide.org .
[4] S. Marquartdt, C.Cox, and H. Knight. 1998. Toxic secrets: “Inert” ingredients in pesticides: 1987-1997. Northwest
Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. www.pesticide.org/inertspage/html
[5] Household Detective: Protecting Our Children From Toxins At Home . Williams, Jan. Children's Health Environmental Coalition, publisher. ( www.checnet.org )
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