Facts about House Cleaning Products
Did You know............
- Household cleaners and air fresheners — particularly those with pine, orange and lemon scents — may emit harmful levels of toxic pollutants.
- Exposure to some of these pollutants and their byproducts may exceed regulatory guidelines when used repeatedly or in small, poorly ventilated rooms.
- A person who cleans a shower stall for 15 minutes with a product containing glycol ethers — known toxic air contaminants — may be exposed to three times the recommended one-hour exposure limit.
- Using air freshener in a child's room with an air purifier that creates ozone can result in formaldehyde levels 25 percent higher than is recommended and formaldehyde is a known carcinogen.
THE KEY........
Don't stop cleaning, but clean with consciousness that cleaning products themselves contain materials that shouldn't be inhaled.What Are Cleaning Products
- They are also sources of hundreds of potentially harmful chemicals. Some of these products release contaminants into the air right away; others do so gradually, over a period of time.
- The harmful components in many household and personal care products can cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, and eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation; some can cause cancer. When you use these products, make sure that you are in an area with adequate ventilation.
- Contamination from household products, if limited to low levels for short periods of time, does not pose a serious health threat. Where there is prolonged exposure and where there is a possible contamination from many different products, the effects can be serious, even fatal.
There are five basic rules to follow when using hazardous household products:
- Whenever possible, avoid using hazardous household products. Use nontoxic alternatives instead.
- When purchasing household products, buy only as much as you need; do not buy bulk quantities. Store hazardous products and materials carefully
- Dispose of hazardous products carefully.
- Always read the product label and follow manufacturer instructions.
- Minimize exposure when using hazardous products.
Health Effects of Using Cleaners Improperly
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath
- Eye, throat and lung irritation
- Skin rashes
- Burns
- Liver damage
- Aerosol containers may explode if exposed to heat causing burns
- Chlorine bleaches can irritate and burn skin and eyes. Even the fumes from chlorine bleach are irritating to eyes and nose
- Anemia
- Liver damage
- Convulsions
- Possible coma
Never mix chlorine bleach with other substances to make a cleaning solution. These mixtures produce very dangerous gases that can be deadly.
Pregnancy and Cleaning Products Fact Sheet
http://www.womenandenvironment.org/campaignsandprograms/SafeCleaning/Hazards_ReproHarm_FactSheet.pdf