By Leah Zerbe, updated 8/28/2011 1:15:49 PM ET
EMMAUS, PA — Cleaning house doesn’t mean nasty chemicals have to
pollute your home. Your next home cleaning campaign or daunting do-it-yourself
projects can be done without poisoning the air or tainting your local water
supply. Most of our safer alternatives will even save you money, too.
Here are five chemical culprits to kick out of your house—and the
nontoxic options that should move in instead.
1. Coal-tar driveway sealant:
If you plan to seal your blacktop driveway this spring, avoid coal-tar based
sealants. They contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which studies
suggest can be carcinogenic, toxic, and mutagenic. When rainwater and other precipitation
hit your driveway, the toxic chemicals run off into your yard and into your
local drinking water supply. In fact, this situation has been compared to
dumping quarts of motor oil right down a storm drain.
Better alternative: Gravel
and other porous materials are best for driveways, because they allow rainwater
to sink into the ground, where it’s filtered and won’t inundate water treatment
plants. But if you do seal blacktop, pick asphalt sealant and stay away from
any product that has coal tar in its name (or products simply called “driveway
sealant”). Lowe’s and Home Depot have already banned the bad stuff, but smaller
hardware stores may still carry it.
2. Synthetic pesticides:
Chemical weed and bug killers both fit under this category and should be
avoided both inside and outside of your house. (And dont' fall for the ones
that pretend to be "natural.") Researchers link herbicides to various
forms of cancer, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; insecticides have been
connected to brain damage in kids.
“This is a good time of the year to resolve not to use pesticides on
lawns and gardens,” says Phil Landrigan, MD, an internationally recognized
leader in public health, director of Mount Sinai's Children's Environmental
Health Center, and Rodale.com advisor. “A few dandelions or buttercups or other
little flowers in the middle of the lawn are not unsightly.”
Better alternative: Combating
an indoor bug problem is as simple as cleaning up crumbs, sealing food in
containers, and using wood shims and a caulking gun to fill pest entry points.
If you’re spending big bucks on chemicals for a turflike lawn, reconsider.
Pesticides and chemical fertilizers kill the health of the soil and create a
lawn that allows for little rainwater absorption, which contributes to
flooding. Try replacing some sod with plants native to your area; they don’t
require as much water and maintenance.
If you’re dead-set on the idea of a perfect grassy lawn, get out there
and weed by hand or with organic methods. The extra exercise will help you burn
off your winter love handles. Check OrganicGardening.com for advice on
chemical-free lawn care, and see our story on chemcial-free fixes for common
lawn problems.
3. Antibacterial soap: The
antimicrobial chemical triclosan in antibacterial soaps is believed to disrupt
thyroid function and hormone levels in people; when it mixes into wastewater,
it can cause sex changes in aquatic life. And health experts believe that
overuse of this and other antibacterial chemicals is promoting the growth of
bacteria that are resistant to antibacterial treatment.
Better alternative: Good
old-fashioned soap and warm water will kill just as many germs, studies have
shown. If you must use a hand sanitizer, pick one that’s alcohol-based and
doesn’t list triclosan or other chemicals on its label.
4. Synthetic fragrances:
Fragrance may be the most common type of chemical in your house. Used in
laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, cleaning supplies and
disinfectants, air fresheners, deodorizers, shampoos, hair sprays, gels,
lotions, sunscreens, soaps, perfumes, powders, and scented candles, fragrances
are a class of chemicals that may take you extra time and effort to avoid. But
it’s worth it. The term “fragrance” or “parfum” on personal care product labels
can be a cover for hundreds of harmful chemicals known to be carcinogens,
endocrine disrupters, and reproductive toxicants, even at low levels.
Better alternative: Go the
unscented route whenever possible, especially with soaps and detergents. Avoid
any kind of air freshener or deodorizer, including sprays, gels, solid disks,
and oils, suggests Anne Steinemann, PhD, University of Washington researcher
who focuses on water quality and fragrances in consumer products. She’s also a
Rodale.com advisor. “These products do not clean or disinfect the air, but they
do add hazardous chemicals to the air we breath,” she says. “Instead of
chemical air fresheners, freshen the air with better ventilation and by setting
out some baking soda,” she suggests. You also can place a bowl of white vinegar
in a room to dispel a funky smell.
5. Harsh cleaning products:
Isn’t it ironic that we actually contaminate our air when we use harsh
chemicals—some of which are carcinogens—to “clean” our homes? Ammonia can
trigger asthmatic attacks, and harsh oven cleaners and drain openers can cause
terrible damage to children who come into contact with them. “Every year we
have these dreadful third-degree burns of the throat and esophagus because kids
got into cleaners under the sink,” Landrigan says.
Better alternative: Take any
cleaner whose ingredient list reads like a chemistry textbook to a hazardous
waste disposal center in your municipality and replace the cleaners with
ecofriendly ones that have simple, natural ingredients.
Better yet, save tons of money and pull out Grandma’s homemade cleaning
concoctions, including:
• A general cleaning solution of one part white vinegar and nine parts
water will kill 90 percent of bacteria and many spores, explains germ expert
Donna Duberg, assistant professor of clinical laboratory science at Saint Louis
University. Spray it on and let it dry to a nice shine on its own. The best
surprise about distilled white vinegar? “Store brands work just as well as
brand names,” says Duberg. “You can buy a gallon for $1.89 and make more than
10 gallons of cleaning solution. The only other thing you need is a spray
bottle.” When you’re finished using a vinegar cleaning solution, dump it down
your garbage disposal or toilet for bonus odor control.
• For a window glass cleaner, mix one part white vinegar with one part
water and spray. Duberg says you even can use newspapers instead of paper
towels to wipe the glass clean and save money.
• When cleaning in the kitchen after prepping meat, use hot, soapy
water first (we like simple, unscented castile soaps) and then follow with the
vinegar-water solution.
Source: http://www.today.com/id/44258903/ns/today-today_health/t/toxic-chemicals-you-should-banish-your-home/#.UhQkW-SQbvc
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