Household Toxins
Today I want to talk about household toxins. Environmental Protection Agency
studies have shown that indoor air pollutants are
3 to 70 times higher than outdoors.
The following information came from a conference call with Kay Heizer,
Director of “Healthy Choices” (a non-profit organization comprised of
doctors, nurses, environmental scientists and educators committed to
teaching the public about the hazards of chemicals in our home and how we
can avoid or minimize the risks): :
Ø 50% of all illness is due to poor indoor air quality [Source: 1989 State
of Massachusetts Study]
ØSince 1950, at least 70,000 new chemical compounds have been invented and
dispersed into our environment. Only a fraction of these have been tested
for human toxicity. We are, by default, conducting a massive clinical
toxicology trial, and our children and their children are the experimental
animals.
[Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising
Children Toxic Free]
Ø150 chemicals found in the home are connected to allergies, birth defects,
cancer and psychological disorders.[Source: Consumer Protection Agency
(CPA)]
ØThe United States of America Federal Code of Regulations exempts
manufacturers from full labeling of products if used for personal, family or
household care.[Source USA FCR: Section 1910.1200C, Title 29, Section
1500.82 2Q1A]
Ø3 groups of people are primarily affected by indoor chemical concentrations
because they spend more time indoors and their immune systems are weaker.
The 3 groups are:
·Infants and toddlers
·Chronically ill
·Elderly
[Source: 1988 EPA, 5-year study]
ØIn 1901, cancer was rare: 1 out of 8,000. Since the Industrial Revolution,
the cancer rate today has risen to 1 in 3 and by the year 2002, it will be 1
in 2.[Source: The American Cancer Society]
ØThe top 12 cancer-causing products (called the “Dirty Dozen”) in the
average home include the following:
·Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder w/Talc
·Crest Tartar Control Toothpaste
·VO5 Hair Conditioner
·Clairol Nice-n-Easy Hair Color
·Ajax Cleanser
·Lysol Disinfectant
[Source: The National Cancer Prevention Coalition]
ØLiquid dish soap is the leading cause of poisonings in the home for
children under the age of six (over 2.1 million accidental poisonings per
year). Most brands of liquid dish soap contain formaldehyde and ammonia.
ØOf the chemicals found in personal care products:
·884 are toxic
·146 cause tumors
·218 cause reproductive complications
·778 cause acute toxicity
·314 cause biological mutations
·376 cause skin and eye irritations
[Source: United States House of Representatives Report, 1989]
ØThe State of California recently passed legislation requiring a 45%
reduction in the amount of toxins found in:
·Hairspray aerosols
·Furniture polish
·Window cleaners
·Air fresheners
·Shaving cream
·Laundry detergents
·Nail polish remover
·Insect repellent
·Hair styling gel and mousse
[Source: Healthy Homes in a Toxic World]
ØOut of 2,435 pesticide poisonings in a one-year period, over 40% were due
to exposure to disinfectants and similar cleaning products in the
home.[Source: State of California Study]
ØJust by reducing (not eliminating) environmental carcinogens alone, we
would save at least 50,000 lives taken by cancer annually.[Source: Dr. Lee
Davis, former advisor to the Secretary of Health]
ØMost laundry detergent contains a form of NTA. NTA is a substance we may
reasonably anticipate to be a carcinogen.
[Source: The Merck Index]
ØHousehold bleaches which claim to disinfect are classified as pesticides
under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. Inadvertently mixing bleach with
other cleaners that contain ammonia produces a toxic chloramines gas. These
toxic gases can cause coughing, loss of voice, a feeling of burning or
suffocation, and even death.
[Source: Guide to Hazardous Products Around the Home, Household Hazardous
Waste Project, 1989]
ØWomen who work in the home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than
women who work outside of the home.
[Source: 17- year EPA study]
Ø150 chemicals found in the home have been connected to allergies, birth
defects, cancer and psychological disorders.
[Source: The Consumer Protection Agency)
ØAs more toxic chemicals have been introduced to our everyday environment in
greater amounts over the last 20 to 30 years, the level of toxins stored in
adipose tissues (fat cells) of our bodies have risen. Bioaccumulation
studies have shown that some toxins store in our bodies for life. Greater
and greater amounts are being stored at younger ages. One study showed that
in the fat of 100% of the people tested was 1,4-Dichlorobenzene , a chemical
found in most household deodorizers and room fresheners.
ØDiseases that used to occur later in life are now appearing at younger
ages. Diseases that used to be rare are more frequent. For example
·There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of
pesticides into household products.
</·Cancer is now the #2 killer of children – second only to accidental
poisonings. Since 1977 the rate of cancer among American children has been
steadily rising at a rate of nearly 1% each year.[Source: National Cancer
Institute]
·There is an increased risk for leukemia in children where parents have used
pesticides in the home or garden before the child’s birth.[Source: Journal
of the National Cancer Institute]
ØSome products release contaminants into the air right away, others do so
gradually over a period of time. Some stay in the air up to a year. These
contaminants, found in many household and personal care products can cause
dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, eye/skin/respirator y tract
irritations and some cause cancer.[American Lung Association]
ØAsthma was once a very rare disease. Now the condition is extremely common
– the asthma rate has tripled in the last 20 years with nearly 30 million
Americans currently afflicted.[Source: Consumer Federation of America, 1997]
ØIn one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma (29% for men, 82%
for women). The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women’s
longer exposure times to household chemicals. [Source: Center for Disease
Control]
ØChildhood asthma has increased by more than 40% since 1980.
[Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, June 1997; 105 (6)]
ØAsthma death in children and young people increased by a dramatic 118%
between 1980 and 1993.[Source: Environmental Health Threats to Children,
Environmental Protection Agency 175-F-96-001, September 1996]
ØThe average child visits the doctor 23 times in the 1st 4 years of life,
with the most common complaint being respiratory ailment.[Source: National
Center for Health Statistics, 1997]
ØAttention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in adults and children is also rising – in
1993, 4.5 million children took the drug Ritalin so they could sit still
long enough to learn. By 1998, 11.4 million children were being drugged with
this powerful Class-2 narcotic.[Source: Your Children and Ritalin, The
Detroit news (March 8. 1998)]
ØEven small doses of neurotoxins, which would be harmless to an adult, can
alter a child’s nervous system development. [Source: Environmental Health
Perspectives 106 Supplement 3:787-794 (June 1998)]
ØDeveloping cells in children’s bodies are more susceptible to damage than
adult cells that have completed development, especially for the central
nervous system. During the development of a child, from conception through
adolescence, there are particular windows of vulnerability to environmental
hazards. Most disturbing – until a child is approximately 13 months of age,
they are virtually no ability to fight the biological and neurological
effects of toxic chemicals.[Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J.
Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]
ØToday, children have chemical exposures from birth that their parents
didn’t have until they were adults. Because children are exposed to toxics
at an earlier age than adults, they have more time to develop
environmentally triggered diseases, with long latency periods, such as
cancer.
[Source: Environmental Policy and Children’s Health, Future of Children,
Summer/Fall 1995; 5(2): 34-52]
ØFormaldehyde is a highly toxic substance. It is a known cancer-causing
agent. It damages the neurological connectors in the body. It is an irritant
to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs and may cause:
·skin reactions
·ear infections
·headaches
·depression
·asthma
·joint pain
·dizziness
·mental confusion
·nausea
·disorientation
·phlebitis
·fatigue
·vomiting
·sleep disturbances
·laryngitis
ØOne in five people are sensitive to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is commonly
found in:
·drugs
·mouthwash
·hairspray
·cosmetics
·cleaning products
·perfumes
·waxes
·hair setting lotions
·shampoo
·air fresheners
·fungicides
·fingernail polish
·floor polishes
·dry cleaning solvents
·toothpaste
·laundry spray starch
·antiperspirants
·… just to name a few
DO YOU STILL WANT TO USE PRODUCTS IN YOUR HOME THAT CONTAIN FORMALDEHYDE?
ØDue to the increase in toxic buildup in our bodies, including the toxic
buildup of formaldehyde, dead bodies are not decomposing as fast as they
used to.
·Bodies now start to decompose within 7 to 10 days after death.
·During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese bodies started to decompose within 24 to
48 hours. However, Americans didn’t start to decompose for 4 to 5 days.
·Twice as much formaldehyde was needed to embalm a person 20 years ago
compared to today.
How many of these names would you have recognized as formaldehyde?
·Formalin
·Methanal
·Methyl Aldehyde
·Methylene Oxide
·Oxymethylene
·Bfv*
·Fannoform*
·Formol*
·Fyde*
·Karsan*
·Methaldehyde
·Formalith*
·Methylene Glycol
·Ivalon*
·Oxomethane
·Formalin 40
·Formalin
·Formic Aldehyde
·Hoch
·Paraform
·Lysoform*
·Morbocid
·Trioxane
·Polyoxmethylene
* denotes trade name
ØThe following products are just a few that are so toxic that they should be
disposed of in a toxic waste dump:
·floor care products
·furniture polish
·window cleaners
·bug spray
·nail polish remover
[Source: Water Pollution Control Federation]
ØWarning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion;
however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion.
90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.
ØGovernment regulations require that only the most EXTREMELY toxic
substances must contain a warning label. Labels that say the following
should be removed from your house immediately:
·“Do not induce vomiting”
·“Corrosive – rinse from skin immediately”
·“Harmful or fatal if swallowed”
·“Call physician immediately”
·“Warning!” (may mean that as little as 1 teaspoon of product can harm or
kill adult)
·“Danger!” (means that as little as 5 drops can harm or kill an adult)
ØPhenol is an extremely caustic chemical that burns the skin. Absorption of
phenol through the lungs or skin can cause:
·central nervous system damage
·pneumonia
·respiratory tract infection
·heart-rate irregularities
·skin irritation
·kidney and liver damage
·numbness
·vomiting
·and can be fatal
ØPhenol is a very common chemical and is regularly found in the following
common products:
·air fresheners
·aftershave
·bronchial mists
·chloroseptic throat spray
·deodorants
·feminine powders & sprays
·hair spray
·decongestants
·mouthwash
·aspirin
·solvents
·acne medications
·antiseptics
·calamine lotions
·cleaning products
·detergents
·furniture polish
·hair setting lotions
·lice shampoo
·polishes
·cold capsules
·all-purpose cleaners
·aerosol disinfectants
·anti-itching lotions
·carnex
·cosmetics
·disinfectant cleaners
·hand lotions
·lip balms
·sunscreen and lotions
·insecticides
·cough syrups
·… just to name a few
DO YOU STILL WANT TO USE PRODUCTS IN YOUR HOME THAT CONTAIN PHENOL?
Additional Research Links:
Here is a list of several research sites regarding toxins and chemicals in
the home. This is by far not the extent of what is available on this
important subject. This is a drop in the bucket, but enough to show us why
we all need safer healthier products in our homes everyday!!
60
- Chemical Education Foundation
Kids and Chemicals with Bill Moyers:
They also gave a website where you can check on the environment in your area
Community Groups call on Massachusetts Governor to Regulate Toxic Chemicals
in Consumer Products
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Please visit this page of the Breast Cancer Fund's website...and more.
Melaleuca is so far ahead in offering the public what it needs, deserves and
is now beginning to demand...
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Toxin Brew News
Here are a couple more interesting sites for allergies and chemicals:
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The GOOD NEWS is that if you want a safe alternative ( and who wouldn't after knowing what is in these products) then I can personally help you. Just send me over an e-mail and in the subject line put I want to switch stores! I will reply back to you ASAP and give you all the info you need. pastoramyann@yahoo.com
