 Chemicals in the Home
by Ann Burnett
Research by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) into chemicals in the home has turned up disturbing results on the levels of contamination in people's blood. The cause is the ubiquitous use of man-made chemicals in everyday items.
Of most concern are those which persist in the environment for years, like DDT, or are hormone disrupting and may cause defects, or those which build up in our bodies and can be passed on to future generations.
In the home, carpets, furniture, electrical goods, cosmetics, cleaning agents and food all contain chemicals hazardous to us. WWF suggests that we can at least reduce this level of exposure by taking some simple steps, A, B and C: Avoid, Buy and Change.
Avoid any plastics marked with a triangle containing 3 or 7, as both types contain chemicals which can leach into the food inside, particularly canned foods lined with those plastics and babies’ bottles.
Avoid triclosan is commonly used in cleaning and anti-bacterial products such as soaps, sponges, washing-up cloths and disinfectants as well as toothpaste.
Avoid pthalates (parfum) are found in many cosmetics and toiletries.
Avoid dioxins are used in bleaching toilet tissue, sanitary products and paper towels.
Avoid volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) can be carcinogenic or cause asthma and are used in synthetic carpets and upholstery. Stain repellents, flame retardants and dry cleaning solvents all emit chemicals into the home.
The WWF suggests various tactics to reduce these levels: |
