SHOPPING FOR SAFER
HOUSEHOLD CLEANING PRODUCTS
SHOPPING FOR SAFER
HOUSEHOLD CLEANING PRODUCTS
The household chemicals we use have until recently been considered to be relatively safe. We are now discovering that this can be far from the truth.The cleaning products used in most homes can cause indoor air quality problems, possible severe chemical burns and other health problems from ingestion or absorption.
A recent EPA report concluded that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air pollution. The fumes you smell from many cleaning products likely are harmful in some way. In one study conducted over a 15 year period, women who worked at home had a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who had jobs away from the home. The study concluded that the increased death rate was due to daily exposure to hazardous chemicals found in ordinary household products. The children in the house are more likely to be affected than adults because they are closer to the floors where much of the fumes come from and they are still growing so use more of what they are exposed to.
You do not have to take these chances. There are products on the market today which are much safer to use and yet are just as effective. These products are also safer for the environment outside of the home. They are usually readily biodegradable and contain no toxic ingredients like benzene, butyl carbitol, chlorine and formaldehyde. These products will work as effectively as their toxic competitors without the bad side effects.
You can get all purpose cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, glass cleaners, dishwashing detergents, laundry detergents, etc. in safer products that will greatly reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals. As the public demand grows, more of these products will begin to appear on the grocery store shelves and in the discount stores. In the meantime you will have to go to a little more effort to obtain these products, but it could be time well spent for your health.
Written by: Don Eby, The Clean Environment Company
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