When making the decision to “go green” the list of “should nots” is equally as important as the “shoulds”…
I recently ran across a fabulous list of the should nots that are very much worthy of a mention. This list comes from Healthy Child Healthy World and includes the top 10 toxic products that you DON’T need in your home. Without further ado, start checking the checklist!:
- Air fresheners – they’re full of chemicals, synthetic fragrances and even anesthetics that can be inhaled into our lungs (ewww!)
- Bottled water – this water is no less contaminated (and sometimes MORE contaminated) than your tap water… add the BPA content of the plastic bottles and they are simply bad news.
- Canned goods – their epoxy resin linings often contain BPA, linked to hormone disruption, heart disease and obesity.
- Couch cushions – avoid anything containing foam that says it meets California TB 117 because they contain toxic fire retardant (like those horrible mattresses!) They’re linked to cancer, birth defects, and thyroid, reproductive and neurological disorders.
- Drain, oven and toilet bowl cleaners – they contain lye and acids that can burn skins, eyes and internal tissues.
- Dry cleaned clothes – even though the chemical perchloroethylene (or perc) is applied elsewhere, it is linked to a number of cancers and even bringing home those clothes (and wearing them!) dramatically increases your exposure.
- Oil-based paints and finishes – they can contain up to 300 toxic chemicals and 150 carcinogens … enough said.
- Perfume and cologne – one formulation can contain literally hundreds of chemicals that can absorb through the skin and accumulate in the bodies.
- Pesticides – these chemical poisons linger and contaminate the air and undoubtedly get dragged into our homes.
- Rubber duckies! – okay, and ANYTHING that contains PVC or vinyl. They can leach phthalates (linked to hormone distruption) and lead (a potent neurotoxicant).
Please check out Healthy Child Healthy World’s original post for more great information on all of these “toxic 10”, as well as important suggestions for substituting better options…
So, how many are still in or around your home?… I’ll bet you’re about to change that, aren’t you?!?
Real Rubber Duckies are rubber. They’re okay. 🙂 I thought I was safe on the list – but don’t we all have a couch?? What to do??
.-= PureMothers´s last blog ..Earth Day Exploration =-.
Learn more about Hemp plastics and other alternative organic based plastics by Googling “hemp plastic”. There are alternatives, but we all have to learn about them and start demanding them.
There is one brand of canned goods that doesn’t include BPA in the lining — EDEN Organics. It’s pricier but well worth it for something like beans. I tried getting dried beans but haven’t seemed to master cooking them properly, or including the time to prepare before i need them. Nice to know there is one safe cheating alternative!