Remove poisons from your home
10 Cancer-Causers to Remove From Your Home
posted by Melissa Breyer Jan 21, 2009 11:00 am
By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Care2
Given poor government regulation, many of the cleaning products available on the market contain “everyday” carcinogens such as formaldehyde, nitrobenzene, methylene chloride, and napthelene, as well as reproductive toxins and hormone disruptors. Not to mention other ingredients that cause liver, kidney and brain damage, allergies and asthma. I really am a happy person–not your basic Eeyore type, but toxic cleaning products seriously get my goat. One of the best things you can do to detox your home is to create one of Annie’s simple non-toxic cleaning kits to use–most of the ingredients you probably already have on hand.
But there are a host of products, other than those used for basic cleaning, that often contain carcinogenics. This list, from Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic (New Society Publishers, 2007) by Liz Armstrong et al, cautions against 10 household products, in addition to cleaners, that you should avoid having in your house.
1. Air fresheners: Often contain napthelene and formaldehyde. Try zeolite or natural fragrances from essential oils. For more information, see Easy Greening: Air Fresheners.
2. Art supplies: Epoxy and rubber cement glues, acrylic paints and solvents, and permanent markers often contain carcinogens. For more information, see Arts and Crafts: Make it Safe.
on February 17th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I would like to congratulate you for all the educational information that you furnish on your website regarding the toxicity of commercial air fresheners. Mia Rose Products, Inc., has been pushing to convey the health risks of spraying artificial fragrances (what you breathe goes into your bloodstream) for over 20 years.