Ask About This ArticleWe banished asbestos from our homes because it was killing us.
Most of us banished tobacco from our homes because it was killing us.
Time to take a close look at chemical-based household cleansers, because they could be killing us.
There is huge outrage at the proliferation of poison-laced human and animal food, toothpaste, and toys coming out of China. Nothing, however, is being said about the poison-laced, chemical-based laundry room products, air fresheners, carpet shampoos, dishwasher detergents, drain cleaners, oven cleaners, mold and mildew cleaners, antibacterial cleaners, laundry room products, toilet bowl cleaners, car wash products, and all-purpose household cleanser. The scary thing is, these products are not being imported from China: they are all made right here, in North America.
The Chinese products were found to contain anti-freeze, carcinogens, lead.
American cleansing products have been known to contain, among other things, carcinogens, neurotoxins, and corrosives. All perfectly legal, American-made killers, readily available at your local supermarket, corner store, hardware store, pharmacy. To date, nobody has called for a mass recall. Not loud enough, anyway.
All-purpose household cleansers have been known to contain:
Ammonia: a very volatile chemical which is known to cause kidney and liver damage.
Butyl cellusolve: neurotoxin, rapidly penetrates skin.
Ortho phenylphenol: a severe eye and skin irritant.
Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA): react with nitrites to develop carcinogenic nitrosomines.
Coal tar colors: known carcinogens often used to color or tint products.
Parabens: hormone disrupting, often used as a preservative.
Household air-fresheners have been known to contain:
Formaldehyde: a highly toxic, known carcinogen.
Ethoxylated nonyl phenol: skin contact can cause swelling, burning, peeling, circulatory collapse, coma and even death.
Naphthalene: a suspected carcinogen.
Xylene: a neurotoxin.
Butane gas: also a neurotoxin.
Paradichlorobenzene: a carcinogen often present in solid deodorizers.
Household :furniture polish have been known to contain: Petroleum Distillates: highly flammable, can cause skin and lung cancer.
Ethoxylated nonyl phenol: skin contact can cause swelling, burning, peeling, circulatory collapse, coma and even death.
Nitrobenzene: Easily absorbed through the skin, extremely toxic.
“The average American uses about 25 gallons of toxic products per year in their home.” (Source: Prosperity Without Pollution, by Joel S. Hirschorn and Kirsten V. Oldenburg, 1991).
Harsh facts.
These are just three of the products used on a daily basis in our homes. The list of poisons goes on, and includes Methylene chloride, (carcinogen, a neurotoxin and a reproductive toxin). Monoethanolamine, (kidney and reproductive damage, depression of the central nervous system). Linear alkylate sulfonate, (known liver damaging agent).
“Manufacturers simply hide their products' riskier ingredients.” World Wildlife Fund
You will not find any of these killer chemicals listed on the labels of your cleaning products. Unlike the food and drink sector, manufacturers and distributors of household cleaning products in the US and Canada are not required by law to list ingredients, toxic or otherwise, on their labels. Just about the only valid information you will find on your average cleaning product label is “Keep out of the reach of children” Even this is a fraud. It should read, “Keep out of the reach of the whole damn world”
“ There are 30,000 chemicals on which we have inadequate or no safety data, many of which are disguised by manufacturers.” The European Union
The poison doesn’t stop at your home. When you have finished with your cleansers, you flush them into the drainage system which means into your local streams, rivers and lakes. That way, everyone, including the wildlife, gets a share of your toxins.
How did this all come about? Good question. Your grand-parents, possibly even your own parents, did most of their household cleaning using relatively safe, traditional ingredients commonly found in most homes: baking soda, vinegar, salt, lemon juice, vegetable oil, soap, borax, hydrogen peroxide and washing soda. Today, most of us use and trust the oh, so convenient chemical-based cleaning products. This is because, after the end of WW II, petroleum-based chemicals came into their own, and the huge, powerful corporations who produced them also developed chemical-based cleaning products. They put their marketing departments to work, and here we are today, poisoning ourselves, our families, and our ecosystem.
The manufacturers know about the lethal dangers of their chemicals, all right, but they’re not about to do anything about it. A few half-measures perhaps, a green label here and there, cut back on the more noxious chemicals, but no recalls. No way.
I mean, it’s okay to kill off the customer, but you never, ever kill a cash-cow.
So, what can you do?
1: Go the Whole Hog.
Go back to yesteryear, to the mom-and-pop recipes of baking soda, vinegar, salt, lemon juice, vegetable oil, soap, borax, hydrogen peroxide and washing soda. It’s hard work, but you’ll get a good feeling out of it. You’ll be pouring fewer poisons into your rivers and lakes, and you will give yourself and your children a toxin-free home. However, if you lead a busy 21st century life, like so many of us, it may be a difficult regime to keep up. Never fear, there is the:
2: Half and Half Solution.
Cut all doses of chemical-based cleansing products in half (at least). Chemical cleansers, like soda drinks, are all about overkill. The manufacturer wants you to go overboard with his chemicals. Boosts the bottom line, keeps the CEO’s compensation way up there (The CEO- who shall be nameless- of a major chemical company raked in more than $16,000,000 in 2006, according to the SEC). So, use less of his glop. Dilute by 75% your chemical all-purpose household cleanser, unless you live in a landfill. Decide if your laundry really is all that dirty, cut the recommended detergent dose by at least half. Dilute chemical cleansers with mom-and-pop traditional ingredients. Banish air fresheners, use real lavender, baking soda, fragrant dried herbs or, wow! open a window. Clean less. Remember, not all germs and microbes are deadly- there are many that are necessary and beneficial to life. When you’ve got time, try a little baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and hydrogen peroxide, pretend you are grandma and you can still see the stars at night. Above all, stop believing the TV commercials for household cleansers. Think of them as propaganda, and live longer.
3: Alternative products.
These little-known home cleaning products are as effective and convenient as their toxic cousins, though perhaps less easy to find (see below) and perhaps a little more expensive. They are specifically designed to be as safe as possible for the environment and the user. Generally, they are scent-free, hypoallergenic, biodegradable and free of phosphates, NTA, organic and petroleum solvents, and other endocrine disrupters, pH extremes, toxic preservatives and carcinogens. Check out the links below.
There are basically two approaches to alternative cleansers.
- There are the updated variations on the traditional approach: lemon juice, eucalyptus oils, borax, so on and so forth. Healthier for everyone, with a minimum impact on the ecosystem.
- Then there is the biotechnological approach. Put simply, this involves using naturally cultivated microorganisms (bacteria- the friendly ones) to detect and remove contaminants (dirt, grease, and bacteria- the nasty ones). Once their job is done, biotechnological cleansers revert back to their original bacterial form, with no danger to humans or the environment.
David and Goliath
Most manufacturers of environmentally preferable, non-toxic cleaning products are tiny, almost mom-and-pop operations. They are the pioneers, and their fight to promote their infinitely safer solutions often takes on a David and Goliath dimension. Big Chemical is not going to cede even the tiniest slice of its lucrative market without a fight. I mean, the hell with a safer environment, healthier homes. We’re talking bottom line here.
Pioneers, heroes
One particular David and Goliath story illustrates perfectly the almost evangelical determination of the small guy to overcome the seemingly insurmountable domination of the behemoth. Two small-town pioneers in the depths of Quebec, Canada, had a theory, then painstakingly researched and developed a breakthrough range of biotechnological products. They held Big Chemical at bay, and realized their vision to bring household and commercial cleaning back to sanity.
They deserve a medal. Visit them at:
www.innu-science.com
or their international marketing arm at
www.nubioproducts.com
Links. By no means an exhaustive list. Go Google.
USA
http://www.citrusmagic.com/
Natural products from renewable resources which cause no harm to the environment.
http://www.ecomall.com/biz/clean.htm
A line of commercial and household cleaning products that are environmentally preferable to and, in virtually all cases, at least as effective as existing toxic products.
http://www.ediblenature.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPRODGROUP&ID=56
Safe, all-natural, non-toxic household cleansers.
http://www.householdclean.com/
A wide range of cleaning products made with environmentally friendly and biodegradable formulas. Highly effective results without the use of harsh chemicals.
Canada
www.nubioproducts.com
Specializing in state-of-the-art biotechnological household and commercial cleaners.
http://www.greenhomewellness.com/down-east-all-purpose-cleaner-green-home-pr-77.html Biodegradable household cleaning products, free of phosphates, NTA, organic and petroleum solvents, NPE’s and other endocrine disrupters, pH extremes, toxic preservatives and carcinogens.
UK
http://www.biodegradable.biz/
A family-owned, ethically motivated company, promoting the use of hypoallergenic, environmentally responsible detergents that have a minimum impact on the ecosystem.
International
http://www.ecover.com
A Belgian company, Ecover is internationally active in the production of ecological cleaners. Products to be found in at least 20 countries worldwide.
www.nubioproducts.com
A Canadian company specializing in the worldwide distribution of state-of-the-art biotechnological household, commercial and industrial cleaning products.
Tags: laundry room, coal tar, mold and mildew, liver damage, cleansing products
