Fact Sheet: Safe Substitutes at Home: Non-toxic Household Products

Reprinted with permission by
Tennessee Valley Authority
Regional Waste Management Department

This material was excerpted from:

Safe Substitutes at Home: Non-toxic Household Products

By

Gary A. Davis and Em Turner
University of Tennessee - Knoxville Waste Management Institute
Working Paper

The Household Toxics Tour

Toxic chemicals in the home can be eliminated simply by making thoughtful choices in the supermarket after educating oneself about where the hazards are in common consumer products. How can you determine what toxics you have in your home? Take this "toxics tour."

In the Kitchen

All-purpose cleaner, ammonia-based cleaners, bleach, brass or other metal polishes, dishwater detergent, disinfectant, drain cleaner, floor wax or polish, glass cleaner, dishwashing detergent, oven cleaner, and scouring powder contain dangerous chemicals. Some examples are:

* sodium hypochlorite (in chlorine bleach): if mixed with ammonia, releases toxic chloramine gas. Short-term exposure may cause mild asthmatic symptoms or more serious respiratory problems;

* petroleum distillates (in metal polishes): short-term exposure can cause temporary eye clouding; longer exposure can damage the nervous system, skin, kidneys, and eyes;

* ammonia (in glass cleaner): eye irritant, can cause headaches and lung irritation;

* phenol and cresol (in disinfectants): corrosive; can cause diarrhea, fainting, dizziness, and kidney and liver damage;

* nitrobenzene (in furniture and floor polishes): can cause skin discoloration, shallow breathing, vomiting, and death; associated with cancer and birth defects;

* formaldehyde (a preservative in many products): suspected human carcinogen; strong irritant to eyes, throat, skin, and lungs.

In the Utility Closet

A number of products are likely to contain toxic ingredients: carpet cleaner, room deodorizer, laundry softener, laundry detergent, anti- cling sheets, mold and mildew cleaner, mothballs, and spot remover all usually contain irritant or toxic substances. Examples:

* perchloroethylene or 1-1-1 trichloroethane solvents (in spot removers and carpet cleaners): can cause liver and kidney damage if ingested; perchloroethylene is an animal carcinogen and suspected human carcinogen;

* naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene (in mothballs): naphthalene is a suspected human carcinogen that may damage eyes, blood, liver, kidneys, skin, and the central nervous system; paradichlorobenzene can harm the central nervous system, liver, and kidneys;

* hydrochloric acid or sodium acid sulfate in toilet bowl cleaner; either can burn the skin or cause vomiting diarrhea and stomach burns if swallowed; also can cause blindness if inadvertently splashed in the eyes;

* residues from fabric softeners, as well as the fragrances commonly used in them, can be irritating to susceptible people;

* possible ingredients of spray starch (aside from the starch) include formaldehyde, phenol, and pentachlorophenol; in addition, any aerosolized particle, including cornstarch, may irritate the lungs.

In the Living Room and Bedroom

Even the furnishings of the typical American home can be harmful. Fabrics that are labeled "wrinkle-resistant" are usually treated with a formaldehyde resin. These include no-iron sheets and bedding, curtains, sleep wear -- any woven fabric, but especially polyester/ cotton blends, marketed as "permanent press" or "easy care." More modern furniture is made of pressed wood products emits formaldehyde and other chemicals. Carpeting is usually made of synthetic fibers that have been treated with pesticides and fungicide. Many office carpets emit a chemical called 4-phenylcyclohexene, an inadvertent additive to the latex backing used in more commercial and home carpets, which is thought to be one of the chemicals responsible for "sick" office buildings.

In the Bath

Numerous cosmetics and personal hygiene products contain hazardous substances. Examples:

* cresol, formaldehyde, glycols, nitrates/nitrosamines and sulfur compounds in shampoos;
* butane propellants in hair spray (replacing carcinogenic methylene chloride), as well as formaldehyde resins;
* aerosol propellants, ammonia, formaldehyde, triclosan, aluminum chlorhydrate in antiperspirants and deodorants
* glycols, phenol, fragrance, and colors in lotions, creams, and moisturizers.
In the Studio or Hobby Room

Although legislation controlling many of the dangerous ingredients in hobby materials has recently been passed, exposure to certain art materials remains a health risk. Dangerous chemicals and metals include:

* lead in ceramic glazes, stained-glass materials, and many pigments;
* cadmium in silver solders, pigments, ceramic glazes and fluxes; * chromium in paint pigments and ceramic colores;
* manganese dioxide in ceramic colors and some brown oil and acrylic paint pigments;
* cobalt in some blue oil and acrylic paint pigments;
* formaldehyde as a preservation in many acrylic paints and photographic products;
* aromatic hydrocarbons in paint and varnish removers, aerosol sprays, permanent markers, etc.;
* chlorinated hydrocarbons (solvents) in ink, varnish, and paint removers, rubber cement, aerosol sprays;
* petroleum distillates (solvents) in paint and rubber cement thinners, spray adhesives, silk-screen inks;
* glycol ethers and acetates in photography products, lacquer thinners, paints, and aerosol sprays.
In the Garage

A number of dangerous substances are frequently present, including paint, paint thinner, benzene, kerosene, mineral spirits, turpentine, lubricating/motor oils, and gasoline. Hazards among them include these chemicals:

* chlorinated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in paint thinner can cause liver and kidney damage;

* petroleum hydrocarbons, an ingredient of gasoline, motor oils, and benzene, are associated with skin and lung cancer;

* mineral spirits in oil-based paint are a skin, eye, nose throat, and lung irritant. High air concentrations can cause nervous system damage, unconsciousness and death;

* ketones in paint thinner may cause respiratory ailments; vary according to specific form of the chemical;

* ketones and toluene in wood putty; toluene in highly toxic, may cause skin, kidney, liver, central nervous system damage; may damage reproductive system.

In the Garden Shed

Pesticides, one of the most important single hazards in the home. Around 1,400 pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are ingredients in consumer products. Combined with other toxic substances such as solvents, pesticides are present in more than 34,000 different product formulations.

On the Patio

Charcoal lighter fluid contains petroleum distillates. Besides being flammable and imparting a chemical taste to food, some petroleum distillates contain benzene, a known human carcinogen.