Back when I was a kid, pollution was considered an outdoor problem: fouled water ways, smoggy air, litter. Thanks to monumental legislation like the Clean Air Act and cultural shifts–anyone remember Woodsy Owl and Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute?–we’ve made a lot of progress over the past quarter century cleaning up and preserving the great outdoors (which isn’t to say we don’t have a long ways to go). And, yet, at the same time, pollution inside our homes–yes inside!–has in all likelihood gotten worse.
Indoor air pollution is a distressingly common problem: EPA studies have found that levels of volatile organic compounds are frequently 2-5 times higher indoors than out, and sick building syndrome is estimated to affect 30% of buildings worldwide. While there are many sources of indoor air pollution, the materials we use to build our homes–those same materials that are supposed to give us shelter–are all too often part of the problem. Known and emerging concerns with building materials include:
For many building materials, the jury is out about the extent to which toxins in the products put occupants at risk. On the other hand, toxins are–to put it mildly–never a good thing. Even if they can be installed in such a way as to minimize risks to occupants, they may still pose a risk to installers. Not to mention that toxins always pose upstream and downstream health concerns.
Consider, for example, PVC: used in a wide range of building products, from plumbing pipes to siding, PVC releases carcinogenic dioxins during manufacturing and disposal by incineration. And yet for certain applications, PVC is widely considered to be safe to building occupants. PVC floor tile may off-gas endocrine disrupting phthalates into your home, but PVC siding–well, not so much.
Does this mean it’s OK to use PVC for plumbing and siding? Well… it depends on who you ask. The health impacts of manufacturing and disposal are enough to put PVC in any form on my “Do Not Use” list. But homebuiders and homeowners have to weigh different and often competing priorities when making decisions about materials. Budgetary constraints often require compromises. PVC siding is highly durable and has lower maintenance needs than wood siding–not to mention that it’s cheaper. Do these benefits outweigh the health costs of PVC? There is no easy answer to this question.
But knowledge is power. Thanks to growing consumer demand and maturation of the green building industry, there are a number of resources out there to help consumers navigate the maze of building products. Some of my favorites are:
- The US Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide. Geared towards the consumer market, this website contains a host of articles about and an extensive product directory of healthy building materials.
- The Healthy Home Plans website offers very clear and highly informative articles about indoor air quality and healthy building materials.
- The Perkins + Will Precautionary List. While geared more towards professionals, this also a good resource for consumers looking to create a Do Not Use list. When chemical exposure is a top concern, it’s good to create such a list and to share it with everyone who is involved in your building project.
- Healthy Child, Healthy World. This site is targeted towards parents and includes a great Q&A section on toxins in building products.
The best advice I can give is: do your homework. You can’t begin to avoid health hazards in building materials if you don’t know where they may lurk, how dangerous they may be, and what the alternatives are.
Image Credits: How Stuff Works & Green Home Guide
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I don’t know about you but the continual onslaught of news about our myriad exposures to toxins can make me feel kind of crazy. Last week it was carcinogenic cellphones. Two months ago it was hormone disruptors in supposedly safe BPA-free plastic… I sometimes feel that the only solution is to isolate my family in a hermetically sealed box, or at least throw out everything we own and start over. Only those aren’t real solutions, are they?
Although exposure to toxins in the environment does pose risks to our health, small changes can make a big difference. Yes, it’s true! A few simple adjustments in our daily habits and choices can dramatically reduce exposure to toxins. This is especially true in our homes, which is where we spend the majority of our time and have the most control. Here are some tips to help you get started.
Leave Your Shoes at the Door
An astonishing 60% of house dust originates outdoors, and much of it is tracked in on our feet. Studies have shown that house dust contains many hazardous chemicals including lead, arsenic & even DDT, a pesticide which was banned in 1972. Because smaller particles of dust tend to stay attached to your shoes, you can take a big bite out of your home’s toxic dust burden simply by leaving your shoes at the door.
Keep It Clean
Even if we could stop all outdoor dust at the door, we’d still have to deal with the dust that originates inside. This dust also contains hazardous substances, including brominated flame retardants (BFRs), which are found in a wide variety of household goods including furniture and electronics. Healthy Child, Healthy World recommends regular dusting and vacuuming (preferably with a HEPA filter) to capture BFRs. Of course, regular cleaning also helps pick up other unwanted and potentially unhealthy dust particles, including pollen and dust mites that are a trigger for allergy and asthma sufferers.
Use Your Kitchen & Bath Fans
Our kitchen and bath fans aren’t there just to get rid of bad smells. Their primary job is to evacuate hazardous emissions such as carbon monoxide and sulfur oxide, which are released by all combustion appliances, and water vapor, which we produce when we cook, shower, etc. Water vapor sounds harmless but especially in a small, enclosed space like a bathroom it can be a breeding ground for mold. We can mitigate these hazards simply by using our fans (just make sure they are vented to the outside–not, say, to the inside of your attic, in which case they’re simply transferring emissions from one part of your house to another). To learn more check out the Homeowner’s Guide to Ventilation, published by the New York Energy Research and Development Authority.
Pass on Pesticides & Herbicides
One of the first commitments I made when I embarked on my own green living journey was to stop using pesticides and herbicides on my lawn: that was four years ago and I’ve never looked back. Now I’m working on eliminating all pesticides from my home (I still use pesticides to kill the mice that find their way into my basement through my field stone foundation every winter). It is true that some pests, such as mice and termites, which are hazardous to your health and/or damaging to your home, may need to be treated with pesticides. But in many cases there are equally effective, safer alternatives. Beyond Pesticides is an excellent resource if you are ready to take this step. My favorite section of their site is their Alternatives Fact Sheets, which offer recommendations for effective, least toxic control for a wide range of pests.
You Are What You Eat
Last but not least, our food choices have a profound impact on our exposure to toxins. There are great tools and resources our there to help us make safer choices and–here’s the good news–studies show that these choices do make a difference. Choosing organic produce, for example, has been shown to lower the levels of pesticides in our bodies. Here is where I’d recommend you start:
- Avoid produce with high residues of pesticides. This is easier than it sounds thanks to the Environmental Working Group, which every year publishes a list of the “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables with the highest residues of pesticides and the “Clean Fifteen” fruits and vegetables with the lowest residues.
- Avoid food packaged in plastic that has been shown to leach potentially unsafe compounds. Plastic containers have a number on the bottom inside a triangular recycling symbol. 2, 4 & 5 are widely recognized to be safe. There are concerns about the safety of 1, 3, 6 & 7. To learn more Healthy Child, Healthy World has published a plastic safety guide.
- Choose meat and dairy products from animals that have not been treated with growth hormones or antibiotics. Look for USDA certified organic, or products that you can be reasonably certain are hormone and antibiotic free (either because they are labeled or because you buy from a trusted source).
- Limit your consumption of canned food, which almost always contains BPA in its liners. Choose frozen instead, or look for food packaged in glass or aseptic cartons. There are also a few companies offering BPA-free cans (such as Eden).
Given the ubiquity of potentially harmful substances in our environment, it can sometimes feel impossible to protect yourself. But please don’t despair! The small steps that we take over time add up. And every step we take makes a difference.
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I had thought that by practicing organic lawn & garden care at home, my family was protected against exposure to pesticides and herbicides. And since my city of Newton, MA has committed to practice Integrated Pest Management (PDF) on city property I have always felt reasonably safe from exposures at school, city parks, etc. But then I learned that state agencies, including the MBTA, are allowed to spray along rights of way through our city including train tracks, highways, trails, etc. I have since become involved in an effort, led by Green Decade, a Newton-based environmental non-profit, to advocate for residents’ right to know what is being sprayed and when.
The following piece was written by Ellie Goldberg, long-time leader in the search for alternatives to pesticides, to educate Newton residents about this issue. If you don’t live in Newton, I urge you to find out what is being sprayed, who is spraying it, and when in your town. After all, what you don’t know can hurt you. But what you DO know can be a catalyst for change.
The MBTA, the Turnpike, the Highway Department, DCR Urban Parks and CSX Railway plan to spray herbicides in Newton this summer. According to the Vegetation Management Plans, which have been approved by the Dept. of Agricultural Resources, the chemical products they use are Roundup-Pro or Razor-Pro alone or in combination with Arsenal, Escort XP, Oust Extra or Oust XP.
The MBTA will spray tracks and ballast areas and the brush on the immediate perimeter sometime in late July and twice in late August, according to applicator Mark Lacombe from Northern Tree Service. Green Decade believes that residents have a right to know where and when herbicides are sprayed, especially near homes, yards, gardens and children’s play areas, as well as public parkways, roads, sidewalks, paths and trails.
Although notification is no defense against exposure nor protection from herbicide drift and run off, it does alert us to the State’s use of pesticides. Unfortunately, the State’s fact sheets use 1980s research to claim there is no herbicide run-off or drift. Current research shows these claims to be untrue.
Eight Newton residents recently met new Health Commissioner Dori Zalesnik and Senior Environmental Health Specialist John McNally to advocate for a policy of transparency and community notification of all the herbicide applications by all of the state agencies. State regulations require that the applicators put a notice in at least one newspaper 48 hours before the herbicide application. However we believe that it is not an adequate alert now that so many of us rely on digital communication.
During our meeting at the Health Department, we asked about using the city’s 311 system to notify residents of spraying. Dr. Zalesnik said she was unsure if this would be an appropriate use of the system. As an alternative, Marcia Cooper, Green Decade president, offered to collect emails from interested residents to provide to the Health Department. Dr. Zalesnik could then simply send out emails when she gets a 21 day notice from the herbicide applicators of the estimated ten-day time frame for the spraying.
If you would like the Green Decade to put your email on the notification list, please contact us with your email address. For more information on herbicides, cancer and the Precautionary Principle, see the following resources:
Ellie Goldberg is the founder of Healthy Kids, which provides educational planning services for kids with chronic health conditions. Ellie also blogs at Don’t Spray ‘em. Outsmart ‘em, a site dedicated to educating the public about the health and environmental risks of pesticides and herbicides and advocating for the use of safer alternatives.
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Newton, MA Farmers' Market
One of the things I’ve discovered on my green living journey is that each season presents unique challenges to and opportunities for making sustainable choices. Summer is time for enjoying local food. Winter a time for tracking energy bills.
Of course, many of my green practices do not fluctuate: remembering reusable bags is something I try to do all year. But many of my practices do shift with the seasons, such as line drying my clothes (spring-fall) and using fans as much as possible to cool my house (summer). Over time, I’ve learned that these shifts present opportunities to reassess my green goals and to plot the next steps in my green journey.
Each new season I take a moment to consider those areas of my life that I have not yet “greenified” and ask myself whether the time is right take on new goals, or re-dedicate myself to earlier commitments. What opportunities does this season offer to live more sustainably? And what can I do to seize the moment?
Here’s how I’m answering these questions this spring:
- I’ve become vigilant about protecting my family from chemicals in food and consumer products– everyone, that is, except my dog (Sorry Butter! If you only knew…). Every month, from early spring through late fall, I treat Butter with the same chemical flea and tick treatments that I always have. But lately it’s gotten harder to do this in good conscience (click here to learn more). Now that I’ve kicked the chemicals from most other areas of our lives, it’s time to protect my pup. While I’m at it, I’ll investigate alternatives to “conventional” dog food too.
- OK, I have to confess there is one other area of my life where I continue to rely on chemicals. I kill the mice that find their way into my home every fall and winter. I hire a pest company (gasp!) to lay pet and kid-proof bait boxes with poison. When the mice eat the poison they get thirsty and exit the house in search of water. Sometime after that they bleed to death internally. Not very humane, I know–not to mention that it introduces poison into the food chain (was anyone else horrified to read about owls dying from eating poisoned rats?). I will never tolerate mice living in my house–they are too much of a health and safety hazard (pdf)–but there’s got to be a better way to “treat” for them. I’ve taken some preventative measures already (e.g., pest screen) but I’m going to find out if there are others. And I’m going to test out more ecologically-sound methods of eliminating mice that may continue to get in (total prevention with a field stone foundation may prove impossible). I’ve got about 6-8 months before they again seek refuge in my home…
- Last but not least, I’m going on a book buying hiatus. For a while last year I had gotten into a good groove of visiting the library for kids’ books. But I never stopped buying my own books and so, slowly, I went back to buying books for my kids too. I would be in the bookstore buying a book for myself and would pick up 1 or 2 or 3 books for my kids. And soon our bookshelves were overflowing with Rainbow Fairy and Rangers Apprentice books that are simply NOT worth owning. So from now on there’s a book rule. Unless it’s a classic or spectacular work, we’ll get it at the library, through a swap, or from a second hand bookshop.
In addition to pursuing these green goals, I’ll also be using Practically Green, looking out for other seasonal opportunities to spring forward in my green journey. If you aren’t yet a member, I urge you to join: it’s free, it’s fun, and it allows you to keep up with your friends’ green journeys.
In the meantime… I invite your thoughts and comments on my next steps: Do you have any mice prevention tips for homes that can’t be completely sealed? Have you found a natural flea & tick care treatment that really works?
I also invite you to share your next steps in your green journey. How will you spring forward this season?
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My backyard garden
When I embarked on my green living journey a couple of years ago, one of the first things I changed was the way we cared for our lawn and garden. And let me tell you, there was a lot to change. When we became homeowners a decade and a half ago, we immediately began “treating” our lawn & garden with regular doses of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. A few years after moving in, we “improved” our property by installing an irrigation system. And, of course, we also planted several new perennials and shrubs, and even a couple of trees. Can you guess what our prime selection criterion was? They were pretty.
But then I started to learn: that Roundup, which we were using to kill weeds in our lawn, is really bad for people; that our irrigation system was watering the storm drains as much as it was watering the yard; that many of the pretty plantings we had installed were providing scarce food for native pollinators. The more I learned the more horrified and overwhelmed I became. We had dug ourselves so deep into these practices, it seemed almost impossible to crawl back out. But we have–small step by small step we weaned ourselves away from our unhealthy and unsustainable habits. And in the process, we have created a yard that is healthy for us, that provides habitat for native species, and that relies on natural processes and food sources to sustain itself.
One of the first things we did was to hire Risa Edelstein, an ecological landscape designer, to help us get started. Edelstein, who is currently President of the Ecological Landscaping Association, advised us to first get our yard off chemicals. She tells all new clients that “The first and most important step is to stop using chemicals. No pesticides. No synthetics.” If you’re someone who is attached to the dream of a perfect lawn, take a moment to learn about the environmental and health risks we court by chasing this dream. You may find it easier to give up.
At the same time as we have switched to organic lawn care practices (click here to learn more), we’ve also steadily decreased our lawn, confining it to areas where we actually use it for playing (less lawn is better first and foremost because lawns waste incredible amounts of water). Over time we have added plantings in this freed-up space, focusing–with Edelstein’s guidance–on plants that are suitable for our site and provide habitat for native species.
Mophead Hydrangea
“Going native” has been an incredible learning process for me. While it didn’t take long for me to understand why lawns are unsustainable, I didn’t realize how devitalized the average suburban garden is until I was well into my work with Edelstein. One day while we were discussing plant options for my side yard, I mentioned that I really liked hydrangeas with those big showy, long lasting blooms (known as mopheads). She informed me that those blooms are sterile and that the sterility is the reason why they are able to last so long. Now I understood why I rarely saw bees buzzing around one of these showy hydrangeas! And I finally got Edelstein’s passion for native plants. “The importance of native plants as wildlife habitat – including bees, butterflies, bird, bats, etc. – is very exciting especially given the stresses we are seeing (i.e, Colony Collapse Disorder, White Nosed Bats Syndrome),” she explains.
The third area in which we have made great progress is in our use of water. Just by decreasing our lawn, we reduced our water needs significantly. But other changes in our watering infrastructure and habits have mattered equally as much.
One change that made a big impact was our decision to completely turn off the zones of our irrigation system that waterour garden beds. I’ve learned from Edelstein that plants don’t need to be regularly watered once they’ve established themselves, which typically takes a season or two (assuming they are suitable for your site). So now we water our gardens only when needed–i.e., when we’re trying to establish a new plant or if the garden is under stress from a period of extreme dryness.
Trenching for My Rain Garden
We also looked to our roof. Why were we directing so much of the rain that fell on this surface into storm drains? And then using potable water to meet our irrigation needs? The more I thought about it, the crazier it seemed. So last spring, we created a rain garden, which is just a fancy way of saying that we trenched our downspouts to a portion of our garden.
The last step on our path towards water conservation will occur this season, when we add a couple of rain barrels to water our vegetable garden. If you want to grow vegetables you do have to water them regularly. But you don’t need to do it with drinking water!
And so my journey towards a more eco-friendly yard continues… There’s much more to do but the progress we’ve made so far has made a big difference.
Interested in learning more about eco-friendly lawn & garden care? Buzz on over to these other posts
Quick and Easy Home Composting
Organic Lawn Care
Waterwise
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Last week wrought another crack in the veneer of “safe plastics”as research showing that newer BPA-free plastics are prone to “estrogenic activity” made the national news.
Needless to say this news unleashed a new wave of angst among consumers searching for safe and affordable storage containers for food & beverages. I was among them. I had given up my old polycarbonate bottles when I learned that they were leaching the endrocrine disrupting compound BPA. After struggling to find acceptable substitutes–especially for my kids–I was relieved when companies began to come out with BPA-free plastic bottles and cups with the same strength and resilience as the old BPA-laden ones. For the past two years my son has been carrying his water to school in a BPA-free Camel Bak. Not anymore.
It wasn’t long after the research made national news that the frustrated emails from clients and students started to come in. “I switched all my plastic baby bottles and sippy cups to BPA-free ones,” wrote one mom and participant in a Green Parenting Class Series. “Now what should I do?” The short answer is: seek out alternatives that are generally recognized to be safe. Right now my list of materials that are generally recognized to be safe for food and beverage storage includes the following:
- Plastics labeled with the numbers 2, 4, or 5.
- Stainless steel
- Glass
That’s it.
I’m frustrated about having to winnow down my list of plastic containers that are safe for food storage, but that is just what this new research has led me to do. Unfortunately this isn’t the first time this has happened (studies showing leaching of estrogenic compounds from #1 plastic have led me to take this off my list of safe plastic containers as well). Nor do I expect it to be the last, at least not until chemical companies are required to show that the compounds they produce do not have untoward health consequences when used as intended.
There are efforts underway at both the state and federal levels to reform chemical policy to require pre-market testing and enhance the powers of regulatory agencies to protect consumers. But at the federal level at least, the prospects for comprehensive reform look grim.
The good news is that advances in green chemistry mean that the day when it is technologically feasible to mass produce plastics that are safe for food storage may not so far off: a recent study in Environmental Health Perspectives concludes that there are alternative “monomers, additives [and] processing agents that have no detectable EA and similar costs.” The question is: How do we make the possible real? How do we transform the promise of green chemistry into the reality of truly safe (i.e., proven safe) products?
For most consumers our role in this transformation is twofold:
And, in the meantime, don’t be surprised if my list of plastics that are safe for food storage continues to get smaller.
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It’s soft underfoot. It’s comfortable to sit and play on. It provides good traction and footing. It’s warm. It absorbs sounds. It’s carpet, a flooring choice found in most American homes, including mine.
As a green home and lifestyle consultant, I am professionally attuned to the environmental health impacts of carpet, which include off-gassing potentially harmful chemicals; trapping indoor air pollutants; and harboring mold. But while there are some green home experts who consider carpet one of the least green flooring options (see, for example, this post on Green Home Guide), I believe there are situations where carpet can be a green & healthy flooring choice.
Of course, there are some cases in which carpet should be avoided. Families with severe allergies or asthma may need to steer clear of carpet, no matter how short the pile or how powerful their vacuum. Carpet is also not suitable for damp areas such as bathrooms and basements.
In many other cases, however, carpet can be OK. And while I typically advise clients to consider whether they can meet their lifestyle needs with area rugs instead of carpet, sometimes carpet really is the best flooring choice for the situation. In my house, for example, I have carpet on my stairs to improve footing and in my upstairs hallway to muffle noise outside the bedrooms.
The good news is that when carpet is the right choice for your needs it doesn’t have to compromise your health. By making smart material, installation and maintenance choices your carpet can be clean, green & toxin-free.
When you are in the market for new carpet, make sure to avoid those that may off-gas potentially unhealthy chemicals. For example, PVC, which is often used in carpet backing, can off-gas endocrine-disrupting phthalates. And perfluorchemicals, which are used to protect carpet and other textiles from staining, are persistent bioaccumulative compounds associated with a wide range of health risks including organ damage.
Unless you are up for spending a lot of time doing your own research, it can be extremely challenging to ascertain the composition of the carpets you are considering. Fortunately you can narrow down your search by focusing on carpets that have been certified as low-emitting. The Carpet and Rug Institute has created a Green Label certification for carpets and carpet pads. Carpets that have Green Label Plus certification have met the highest standards under this program.
Another great option is to rely upon the recommendations of independent & well-respected buying guides, including The Green Guide’s carpet buying guide. You can also visit your local sustainable design showroom or building supply center. In my area (Greater Boston) there are two great local sources of green & healthy building products: Terrene Sustainable Building Supplies in Newton and The Green Depot in Stoneham.
Once you’ve purchased your carpet, you need to be think about how you are going to install it. The greenest & healthiest method is to tack it down. If you or your installer feel that an adhesive is necessary, choose a low or no-VOC adhesive to reduce your family’s risk of exposure to chemical off-gassing. CRI also certifies low-emitting adhesives.
Miele Brand HEPA Vacuum Cleaner
Finally you need to properly clean your carpet so it doesn’t become a magnet for indoor air pollutants. In any home, especially a home with carpeting, the first step to leave your shoes at the door (if you have a dog, clean his feet after he comes in from outside). Most of the indoor air pollutants in our homes come from outside, and many of these are tracked in by our shoes. I would also strongly recommend that you vacuum regularly with a HEPA-filtered vacuum, which does a much better job of trapping dust and dirt than vacuums with conventional filters.
The bottom line is that while carpet may not be appropriate for every room or every family, for many rooms and many families it can be a green & healthy choice.
If you’re interested in learning more about green & healthy flooring materials, including carpet, both Healthy Child, Healthy World and The Green Home Guide have published handy flooring guides.
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That time of year has come again: school supply shopping. My daughter and I had plenty of company doing our back to school shopping this afternoon. It seemed as if everyone in my city had descended on Staples!
So there we were along with dozens of others picking out markers, pencils, glue and folders and I found myself wondering: Are these products safe? And how would I know?
A little research confirmed my suspicions that back-to-school supplies–like many consumer goods–are chock full of industrial compounds. Products like markers, crayons, notebooks and lunchboxes contain chemicals that have been associated with a range of diseases including allergies, asthma, cancer and behavioral disorders.
Chemical reform legislation that is making its way through Congress will hopefully change this, and put the burden on industry to prove that chemicals are safe before they go to market, as well as pull those suspected or known to be hazardous.
But in the meantime, I return to my original question: how are we to know which markers, notebooks, and lunchboxes are safe?
Fortunately, there are some great resources we can turn to for help answering this question:
The Environmental Working Group has put together a series of Healthy Home Tips to help families choose safe, non-toxic products. Their Back to School Guide offers great tips for how to keep toxins out of your kids’ schools supplies.
The Center for Health, Environment and Justice has also created a guide focused on avoiding PVC. PVC is one of the most toxic plastics and yet is found in a wide variety of consumer goods, including those designed for children. Examples include backpacks, lunchboxes, and three ring binder. You can download CHEJ’s guide by clicking here and find out more about PVC by clicking here.
But what about school lunches? Plastics, pesticides, additives in processed food–these can also expose our kids to unhealthy chemicals. Fortunately, Healthy Child, Healthy World has created a handy pocket guide to help you make safer food & food storage choices.
Happy & healthy shopping!
Post updated August 28, 2011
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When you hear the word pollution what image comes to mind? Perhaps it’s oil washing ashore the gulf coast, or power plants spewing black smoke, or smog hovering over congested freeways.
Back when I was a kid we learned that pollution was a threat to the great outdoors: damaging habitats, rendering waterways unsafe for swimming, and sullying the beauty of the natural world. We also learned that we could do something: Woodsy Owl encouraged us to “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute!” We picked up trash and learned to recycle; and our government passed groundbreaking legislation—such as The Clean Air Act—that has gone a long way towards cleaning up our outdoor air and waterways.
But while we’ve been cleaning up the outdoors, another form of pollution has reared its head. It’s called indoor pollution and it has seriously compromised the health of our homes, schools, offices and other indoor spaces. Here are the grim facts:
- “Body Burden” studies conducted by the CDC have detected over 200 industrial chemicals in the blood and urine of test subjects. Many of these chemicals—including the now infamous BPA—are common in consumer products.
- Almost every week a new study comes out linking chemical exposure to a wide range of health risks from asthma and allergies to cancer to developmental disorders. Click here and here for examples.
While we no longer behave like the Drapers in Madmen, shaking picnic remnants onto the ground, we still have a serious pollution problem on our hands.
The good news is that Congress is finally acting to protect our health. The Safe Chemicals Act of 2010 would require safety testing of all industrial chemicals and give EPA greater authority to pull chemicals that are deemed a threat. You can voice your support for a strong bill by calling your representatives in Congress.
And here’s another piece of good news. When we change our behavior we reduce our exposure and our body burden. We don’t need to and shouldn’t wait for Congress to act. We can begin right now to make choices that will make a difference for our health & the environment. Here are some tips to help you get started:
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By now, you’ve probably heard that many of the harsh chemicals that we spray, wipe, and scrub our homes with are not so good–for us or the planet. But maybe you’re a little fuzzy about why or what you should do to protect yourself and maintain a modicum of cleanliness.
First, here are some reasons why many of the ingredients in conventional cleaners aren’t so good (for more information see Healthy Child, Healthy World):
- Some (such as ammonium quaternary compounds and phthalates) are associated with asthma and allergies.
- Some (such as phthalates and llkyl phenol ethoxylats or APEs) are suspected or known endocrine disruptors.
- Some are suspected or known carcinogens (such as diethanolamine or DEA).
- Some form toxic byproducts when exposed to other compounds, or may be contaminated by toxic byproducts (for example, chlorine reacts with organic matter in drinking water to produce trihalomethanes, which may cause cancer and possibly developmental effects).
- Some pollute are water ways and are harmful to acquatic life (such as phosphates and EDTA).
- And some have been associated with more than one health and/or environmental concern.
Unfortunately, full ingredient disclosure is neither required nor common practice for household cleaning products, making it very difficult to find out exactly what is in these products. Adding insult to injury, many manufacturers have rushed to fill the growing market for green cleaners with products whose credentials are questionable and/or difficult to vet and verify.
In the face of this, The Natural Products Association has just stepped in with a voluntary standard and certification for natural home care products. The NPA standard is a vast improvement over the current state of affairs, providing a guaranteed level of protection against exposure to toxins.
But it does not–surprise, surpise–provide everything that a health and environmentally-conscious consumer would want. For example, the antibacterial triclosan is allowable under the standard even though it has been linked to a host of health and environmental concerns including endocrine disruption and the development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Of course, no standard is perfect, and I suspect that an imperfect standard is better than none at all.
In addition, there is a lot that an educated consumer can do to protect herself from chemicals in cleaning goods without relying on a standard. Advocates for local and sustainable food often advise consumers to “know your farmer.” Well I’d like to give the same advice for cleaning products. It is possible to “know your cleaning product manufacturer.” Of course it probably won’t be as personal but you can find out a lot of dependable information from conscientious, environmentally responsible companies that fully disclose all ingredients, like Seventh Generation and Ecover. In the absence of full ingredient disclosure you can generally trust specific claims, like “chlorine free” or “no petrochemical ingredients.”
Perhaps even easier and much less costly, you can also make your own cleaning products from natural & non-toxic household staples such as lemon, baking soda, vinegar and salt. In my house we use a mix of packaged and homemade cleaning products. There’s been some trial and error as we’ve tried to find and make products that we like. We started with Seventh Generation laundry detergent but have since switched to Ecover. We made our own floor cleaner from vinegar and water but we’ve since added a little Ecover floor soap to the mix. We have had only moderate success using baking soda and vinegar to open clogged drains but refuse to use chemical drain opener. So there’s a learning curve and an adjustment process–but I’d rather this than breathing in allergens, carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.
If you’d like to give DIY cleaners a try here are some resources to get your started
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Back when I was a kid, pollution was considered an outdoor problem: fouled water ways, smoggy air, litter. Thanks to monumental legislation like the Clean Air Act and cultural shifts–anyone remember Woodsy Owl and Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute?–we’ve made a lot of progress over the past quarter century cleaning up and preserving the great outdoors (which isn’t to say we don’t have a long ways to go). And, yet, at the same time, pollution inside our homes–yes inside!–has in all likelihood gotten worse.
Composite or pressed wood products such wood veneer, plywood, particleboard & MDF (commonly used in cabinetry), which often contain and off-gas formaldehyde, a known carcinogen;
Love your newsletter. We used an effective natural herbicide from a green company in Orange, VA, near Charlottesville, that might also offer a natural flea and tick product. Can’t remember the name of the company. ML
Comment by May Lynn — April 20, 2011 @ 8:33 pm