Common Toxins on Household Cleaning Products
There is no shortage of documentation to prove that many common household products are dangerous to the environment and your health. But there are several readily available all-natural alternatives that will make letting go of your familiar “standby” products painless. Some of these items you probably already have on hand. Other items can be found in most natural foods stores, hardware stores, and supermarkets.
A Word about Safety Although the ingredients you will be using to make cleaning formulas are of organic origin, that doesn’t mean they are without consequences if ingested. Essential oils are highly concentrated forms of the volatile oils found in plants and should never be used internally. Just a few drops are equivalent to approximately 30 to 40 cups of herbal tea. Take special care with food-related oils; citrus oil, for example, could offer a temptation to a young child who may mistake a finished product or substance as something delicious to eat or drink. Essential oils, and other materials you find recommended in this book, can also be quite irritating to skin. Please exercise the same caution with your herbal cleaning formulas as you would any commercial cleaner, and keep them away from pets and children.
Even “safe, non-toxic” toys have come under recent scrutiny, as cities like San Francisco move to ban any toys that contain bisphenol-A or phthalates. Phthalates, additives used to make plastic soft and flexible, has been linked to liver, kidney, and reproductive organ damage. Phthalates are not only used in plastics, but can be found in cosmetics, hair spray, deodorant, perfumes and nail polish.
Even your family room could be a chemical hotspot. Many “wrinkle free” fabrics and household furnishings made from pressboard have been treated with formaldehyde resin and maybe emitting toxins into the air you breathe. The chemical agent 4-phenylcyclohexene can been found in the latex backing of carpets and is the cause of that “new carpet smell.” Although little data has been collected on 4-phenylcyclohexene related illnesses, it is cited as a well known allergen.
Even the family room could be the place where danger chemicals may. Many of the fabrics and cushion cases were treated with formaldehyde resin and can emit toxins into the air you breathe. Chemical information 4-phenylcyclohexene can be found on the back of the carpet, latex is the cause of the smell new carpet. Although few data were collected from four phenylcyclohexene associated diseases, is cited as an allergen known.
Recently safe and toxic toys were recently analyzed and being investigated. San Francisco ban toys containing phthalates or commonly known as bisphenol-Ao. Phthalates additives used for plastic soft and flexible rubber type products.This ingredients are known to cause damage to the liver, kidney and ban reproductive organ damage. Phthalates are not only used in the plastics industry, but can be found in cosmetics, perfumes, hair sprays, deodorants, nail polish.