Poison in Our Cupboards

            While the FDA requires ingredients to be labeled on food unfortunately most ingredients used in cleaning supplies remain unlabeled. Many of us have long been aware that some commercial products can cause allergies or irritation and that quite a few of them have caution labels on them.  What most of us could not know is just how toxic and complex the ingredients in many common products are.  But that is changing.

            Recently the Environmental Working Group released an extensive study on over 2000 household cleaning products. Some material in this article is paraphrased from their report.  EWG’s website http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners presents useful information for understanding product labels and avoiding products that may pose the most risk. The results are eye opening; 53% of the products rated had chemicals known to cause lung damage, 22% contained ingredients known to cause asthma in otherwise healthy individuals and chloroform escaped from some products containing bleach.

            I’m going to summarize some of the offenders here. EWG recommends avoiding air fresheners all together – in any form – even those that have natural sounding names include chemicals that can trigger allergies or asthma. In addition I’ve read that contrary to the marketing ploys, products that claim to refresh fabric or surfaces in your house or car do not remove the odor source. They disperse toxic chemicals that fool you into thinking things smell clean but can disrupt your healthy functioning.  EWG suggests fresh air or circulating fans instead.  My old standbys – white vinegar or lemon juice – can be placed in a shallow bowl, sprayed from a pump bottle or simmered for a few moments to neutralize odors. Aerosol is so effective at dispensing countless tiny particles into your lungs that it is used for medical inhalers.  Toxic deodorizers or cleaners dispensed from aerosols enter your system just as efficiently.  A friend of mine passed out and ended up in a coma while using spray oven cleaner and had a prolonged recovery.  The trade off of health for convenience just isn’t worth it.

            EWG says anti-bacterial products can spur the development of drug resistant super bugs. The news of the super infections that occur in fastidious hospitals bears this claim out.    It seems that trying to overly sanitize an environment hinders people’s ability to develop immunities. Many suggest washing properly with soap and hot water is adequate and that children are worse off being kept in an unnaturally sterile environment.   

            Next on the list is fabric softener and dryer sheets. I’ve read elsewhere that dryer sheets contain chemicals that can cause depression. I’ve personally had trouble breathing when scented ones are in use.  They warn that these can irritate the lungs and cause allergies or asthma.  They recommend a little vinegar in the rinse cycle if laundry needs softening. I feel we’ve been seduced by advertising into equating perfumed scents with cleanliness. Clean fabric has only a very slight, neutral smell of linen or cotton, etc. and a clean house smells like the outside air around it.  In reality added fragrances are the opposite of fresh.  Are we really fooled or satisfied by artificial scents made of a mix of unfamiliar chemicals? This toxic brew does not belong on the clothing touching our skin or the sheets our children sleep on.   For true fragrance add a touch of lavender essential oil or other natural and safe fragrance to your wash water.

            Two interesting and useful areas on the site are the “Top Products” for safe ingredients and the “Hall of Shame”.  I was startled to see two products in my cabinets have very bad ratings. Natural doesn’t mean non-toxic. Many products with “green” in the name are dangerous.   Surprisingly it seems many dish soaps are toxic and residue can easily remain on your plates.  Make sure you know how to interpret label information and read the cautionary statements on products for starters.  If it says “poison”, “toxic”, “may cause severe burns” or “may be fatal” etc. ask yourself if you really want that product in your home.  Kids do get into things so please be very careful if children are ever around your home.  As a practical matter don’t store dangerous items under the kitchen sink – put them up on a high, closed shelf and have the cabinet lock or have a safety latch on it if children might get into it. 

While it may seem overwhelming one can make changes without much difficulty.  Start with simple, basic, food or health and beauty aid quality items such as vinegar, lemon juice and castile soaps for cleaning whenever possible. Read up a bit on products before selecting them; knowledge is the key to a safer, healthier home.

Thoughtful Consumption Makes a Difference

            We are constantly bombarded with marketing trying to reassure us that we will have ‘the good life’ when we buy the products they are plying.  While certain conveniences are helpful we know we do not need the latest thing to prove ourselves successful.  A smaller voice may encourage us to be smart shoppers.  Many of us are concerned with health and the environment.  But how can anything packaged in plastic be ‘green’?  Can I really make a difference with a light bulb or different tissue paper? What is the truth? 

            I wish I had an easy answer; that we can have what we need and want without despoiling the environment or exploiting laborers.  In this global era it is very difficult to know the scientific, economic and ethical answers.  Fortunately we can tap into a variety of resources to help select the right products and best habits.  Let’s look at a few examples.

            Saving water and keeping water clean is crucial as there is limited potable water on the planet.  The average US home could cut consumption by 10% or more using water saving devices and best practices.  But this savings pales in comparison to water savings we can make at meal time.  Waterfootprint.org estimates the water needed to produce a kilogram of beef at 15400 liters, for a kg of bread at 1600 liters for and for a kg of milk 1000 liters.  It also takes 10000 liters of water to make a kg of cotton.   If you are concerned about fresh water eating less meat frees up a lot more water than just changing an aerator on your faucet.   Likewise, buying fewer new textiles, by choosing durable, classic items or buying second hand and keeping your things carefully will help. Yes, conserve water at home but shift focus; remember how much water is consumed ‘invisibly’ by foods and commodities we often buy without considering the impact.

            These kinds of suggestions inevitably bring about a comment to the effect of ‘but you are putting people out of jobs when you don’t buy more stuff’.  In reality we are simply shifting the kinds of industries that are in demand and moving the labor force around.   I wouldn’t expect anyone to still buy toxins like asbestos insulation or lead pipe ‘to preserve jobs’.   People die from toxic building supplies and from lack of fresh water. The culture has to get clear and switch to safer products and with demand and competition better products get developed.   So if we all insist on more durable, well made clothing and are willing to pay for it the people who produce those items do better. Other producers begin to notice sales of flimsy and cheap goods go down. And more tailors, cleaners and repair people get jobs helping us with things we keep longer.  Producers have to adjust to compete – the environment and our personal pocketbook both win when less stuff is constantly produced and thrown away.  Keeping factories running constantly to sell more goods without concern as to if they are needed, useful or practical and without concern about the pollution from the creation, packaging, marketing and shipping of these goods is ridiculous.   The market gets saturated.   What is sad is that so many people are still easily beguiled by ‘the latest’ item that may be essentially the same as the prior item except for having a new button or new feature. In the big scheme of things is absolutely unnecessary and will predictably end up in the landfill in short order.

            So how do we make a difference here?  Forgive me in advance if I sound sanctimonious.  As the time of Thanksgiving approaches I suggest that everything is more interconnected than we might assume. Consider this with every decision from what you buy for dinner to how you wrap a gift to where you choose to live.  Every time you drop something into a waste basket, every time you hand the clerk payment you can have a positive impact.  And I assert every little bit does help. So be on the winning side with your choices!