What&#39;s Lurking Under Your Sink?

!±8± What's Lurking Under Your Sink?

SEVEN STEPS THAT COULD SAVE A LIFE - WHAT'S LURKING UNDER YOUR SINK?

STEP 1: RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM

The Consumer Product Safety Commission report that "of chemicals commonly found in the home for cleaning 150 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities. 'The National Safety Council reports that "more children under four die of accidental poisoning at home than are accidentally killed with a gun." "According to a 15-year study presented at the Toronto Indoor Air Conference, women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. The study concluded that this was a direct result of the increased exposure to toxic chemicals, many of which are found in common household products." "According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety one-third of substances used by the fragrance industry are toxic."

STEP 2: UNDERSTAND THE FACTS

A lot of people have no clue about the harmful toxins found under their sink and through out their home that they use everyday for cleaning their home. All those cleaning products we use on a daily basis such as, Air Fresheners, Carpet Cleaners, Bleach, Ammonia, Oven cleaners, Toilet Bowl Cleaners and Furniture Polish and many more are harming our children and pets without us knowing it. Many of us tend to think anything sold in a supermarket must be safe.. Many people use bleach to clean and disinfect sinks and toilets. Why shouldn't they? The bottle doesn't say how toxic it is! All the company cares about is making people think the product is great to kill germs as it does but it is also very harmful. Even after the smell is gone, its residual fumes linger in the air you breathe. Opening a window won't remove all of the fumes.

Airborne toxins aren't the only danger posed by household cleaners. Did you know the air inside most American homes is worse than the air outside? The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air pollutants may be 2 to 5 times higher than out of doors, and in some homes are as much as 100 times higher! What's more, 90% of all poisonings are a result of household toxins. The problem is the collection of cleaners under the average sink. Many cleaners give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Even when you keep bottles firmly closed and stored, the cleaners can often still exude VOCs into the air--fumes you and your children are breathing. VOCs have been implicated in everything from asthma and other respiratory problems to cancer. Children are at greatest risk, since they're both smaller than adults and are still growing. And that's not the only problem these chemicals can cause. Here is a rundown of some of the worst chemicals in common household cleaners and what you can use instead.

STEP 3: KNOW YOUR POISONS

Here are some great facts about household cleaning products found in many homes. Formaldehyde, phenol, benzene and toluene are found in common household cleaners. Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Children are at more risk because children tend to put toys in their mouths and lie on the floor and so on, and they are ingesting more chemicals than an adult would. A pregnant woman can also pass the toxins to their unborn child! Children exposed in the womb are at greatest risk of all. The central nervous system is especially vulnerable. Scientists are currently investigating the possibility of a connection between fetal exposures to toxics and developmental disabilities such as ADD and ADHD disorder. Chemicals commonly found in homes have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, skin reactions, headaches, depression, asthma, and so on.

Mothers that stay home with their children are at higher risk for getting any of these diseases because they are using cleaning products on a daily basis. Constant exposure to toxic chemicals in our food, air and water has been shown to lower our threshold of resistance to disease and alter the body's metabolism, causing nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalances, developmental disorders. We also know that toxins from cleaning products are suspect for incidents of Autism, ADHD, and ADD. In Fact an EPA Report to Congress stated that indoor air pollutions are one of the nation's most important environmental problems. According to the EPA most homes have airborne concentrations of hazardous chemicals that are two to five times higher than outdoors. Also we know that these chemical cleaning product increase allergies and affect our immune system.

STEP 4: UNDERSTAND THE DANGER

The chemical most frequently involved in household poisoning.

Chloride Bleach: Chloride bleach is very strongly corrosive. Its fumes alone can irritate or burn skin, eyes and lungs. If it's swallowed, it can cause vomiting or pulmonary edema--the filling of the lungs with fluid. Needless to say, don't store bleach near ammonia. Not only that, don't mix bleach with vinegar. It can trigger the release of toxic gas. Bleach is found all on its own, and in caustic drain cleaners. That's why you should NEVER NEVER NEVER use anything else in conjunction with a drain cleaner, or mix drain cleaners. If you use a drain cleaner, don't followup with a different one for at least 24 hours. Bleach does have a limited place in some households. If there is a person with a blood-borne communicable disease in your house, like HIV, very dilute bleach may be your best and safest bet for keeping others from becoming infected if there is a blood spill. But other than the fore mention bleach should not be in your home!

Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. You know that weird smell new office carpet has? That's off-gassing, and what you're breathing in probably contains formaldehyde. Formaldehyde fumes can also trigger asthma attacks, headaches, and skin and eye irritation. In the home, formaldehyde is found as a preservative in air fresheners, spray starch, shampoos, deodorants and many other products. The problem is, it's not always listed as an ingredient. And sometimes it's listed as part of another ingredient or can contaminate another ingredient, like the sodium laureth sulfate commonly used in shampoos. The best advice for avoiding formaldehyde is, if you can't pronounce an ingredient, don't buy the product. Essential oil diffusers can be used instead of air fresheners, non-SLS shampoos are now commonly found (Dr. Bronner's castile soap makes fine shampoo, for instance, and is so useful around the house), and so are natural deodorants.

Ammonia: Ammonia is often found in all-purpose household cleaners. It's a very effective degreaser and glass cleaner. Unfortunately, its fumes are also highly irritating. Ammonia can cause severe eye irritation, headaches and lung damage. It's also extremely poisonous to fish and other aquatic life, even in dilute amounts. That means that any ammonia you put down the drain is poisoning the water around you. Ammonia poses an even greater danger when combined with other household chemicals. Combining ammonia and bleach, for example, creates ammonia gas, which can be fatal if breathed in. If you insist on using ammonia, only use it diluted with water. NEVER mix ANYTHING else with ammonia!

Carpet Cleaners: Contact with chemicals found in some carpet cleaners may cause irritation to the eyes, respiratory tract and skin. Carpet Cleaners may eliminate the stain in your carpet but also leave toxins in the carpet which you will breathe in.

Dishwashing Soap: Dishwashing products contain chlorine in a dry form that is highly concentrated. Each time you wash your dishes, some residue is left on them, which accumulates with each washing. Your food picks up part of the residue.

Oven Cleaner: One of the most toxic products people use in their homes. This contains lye and ammonia, which eat the skin, and the fumes linger and affect the respiratory system.

Laundry Detergent: Chemicals from laundry detergents are deposited on clothing and bed linens as they are washed.

Glass Cleaner: When you use glass cleaner and clean your windows and then your child sticks her mouth to the glass, as a lot of children do, imagine how many toxins she ingested.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Toilet bowl cleaners can be one of the most dangerous cleaning products. Can contain chlorine bleach and hydrochloric acid, Harmful to health, simply by breathing during use.

Step 5: DON'T BE FOOLED BY COMMERCIAL ADS

Hardly any of these substances have been tested for safety, but have been added to our food, water and cleaning products, and most often without informing us of any dangers.

STEP 6: PROTECT YOUR FAMILY BY STOP USING HARMFUL CHEMICALS

How do you protect your family from all the chemicals used in your home? First of all, Stop using them and find out what is safe to use in your home that won't harm your family. Look for products that Guarantee unconditional safety. Find out what test and how many test they run on their products. Do they test for heavy metals, pesticides, or any of ht hundreds of other harmful contaminants. Make sure they say no to: Parabens, Triclosan, Phthalates, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLES), 1,4-Dioxane, Propylene Glycol, Volatile Organic Cleaning Compounds (VOCs), Hydrochloric Acid, Ammonia, Sodium Hydroxide, Butyl Cellosolve, Formaldehyde, Bisphenol-A, Petroleum Distillates, Toulene, Chlorine Bleach. Disposing of household chemicals. So now I've got you looking at those multi-hued bottles under the sink with a jaundiced eye. Let's get rid of them! you say. Great! But don't just toss them in the trash. Contact your local disposal company or government agency. Many of them have special toxin disposal days where you can bring your household chemicals and dispose of them safely. If you dispose of your own trash, NEVER burn used household cleaner containers, and don't bury half-used containers of stuff. Contact the manufacturer for safe disposal methods.

STEP 7: THE SOLUTION - THERE ARE SOLUTIONS!

There are alternative that work as well or better than what you are using now! We recommend green cleaning products here is why: Green cleaning products are safe. Find a green cleaning company that says it products are all natural.. Made sure they perform tests on every single ingredient for heavy metals, pesticides, or any of hundreds of other harmful contaminants. And that they continue to conduct quality test annually to guarantee the purity and safety of each and every product. Make sure the company says their products are 100% safe to use and guaranteed. Just Some of NO List: NO Parabens NO Triclosan NO Phthalates NO Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) NO Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLES) NO 1,4-Dioxane NO Propylene Glycol NO Volatile Organic Cleaning Compounds (VOCs) NO Sodium Hydroxide NO Butyl Cellosolve NO Formaldehyde NO Bisphenol-A NO Petroleum Distillates NO Toulene NO Chlorine Bleach NO Banned Substances NO Hydrochloric Acid NO Ammonia.

Do the products use biodegradable cleaning agents, which means they break down easily instead of hanging out in the ground for hundreds of years? Also that they have no phosphates, borates, nitrates, or other stuff the planet doesn't appreciate. Are they super concentrated, and you add water so we can subtract waste? This has tons of implications. Literally. Less weight to ship. Less product to use. Less packaging to throw away. So you can get that clean feeling about your house, knowing you're keeping the planet clean, too.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE When you buy the green cleaners instead of the stuff you probably buy: You keep tons of packaging waste out of landfills You eliminate greenhouse gas emissions Green cleaners are safe for you, your home, and your planet.

Did you know that when you buy some common cleaners, a lot of what you're buying is water? Look for green cleaners that can make a more economical cleaner by making it concentrated. Learn more at http://www.livingwithsolutions.com