What kind of dangerous
chemicals are in your home?

Just a few fun facts about the chemicals we allow in our homes, around our family, our children, & our pets. Artificially scented air fresheners & beauty items are actually toxic concoctions that contain grotesque amounts of dangerous chemicals. Some of these chemicals serve to deaden your sense of smell, are added as propellants, some as perfume, & some are pesticides.

Currently, no regulation exists to enforce honest advertising & product safety, consequently, this allows many companies to falsely advertise their products as natural or botanical while including these foul components. Don’t be fooled.

Chemical Product Facts:

Most synthetic air fresheners interfere with your ability to smell by coating your nasal passages with an oil film, or by releasing a nerve-deadening agent.

Most air fresheners don't actually eliminate the source of the odor--they simply mask the bad smell with fragrance. Like other fragrance products, air fresheners are created with any of over 3000 synthetic chemical ingredients. Manufacturers are not required to list ingredients on the label, using instead the generic term "fragrance”.

Air fresheners and deodorizers that come in aerosol form frequently contain petrochemical propellants such as butane, isobutene and propane--all of which are neurotoxic at high concentrations. The tiny droplets that are released into the air when you spray an aerosol don't just disappear. Though you can't really see them, they are easily inhaled into the lungs, where they can irritate airways, especially among children and asthmatics. They are also highly flammable.

Though one blast of an air freshener is unlikely to cause harm, multiple fragrances and frequent use can make indoor air quite polluted, especially if your home is poorly ventilated.

Even when the chemicals have fallen out of your breathing space, they land on the floor, carpeting, or furniture, leaving residues. When children play on the carpet, for example, they may ingest the fragrance chemicals by touching the rug and then putting their hands into their mouths. Carpeting also tends to act like a "sink," where indoor air pollutants can collect. Adding potentially hazardous chemicals from fragrances to the mix may result in unexpected combinations with unknown toxicity.

New research shows that a chemical compound found in many air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs and other deodorizing products, may be harmful to the lungs. Human population studies at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) found that exposure to a volatile organic compound (VOC), called 1,4 dichlorobenzene (1,4 DCB) may cause modest reductions in lung function., which may indicate actual harm to the lungs.

An analysis of more than a dozen common household air fresheners found that most contain chemicals that may affect hormones and reproductive development, particularly in babies, said The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The federal government does not currently test air fresheners for safety or require manufacturers to meet any specific safety standards. NRDC tested 14 different brands of common household air fresheners and found that 12 contained the hormone-disrupting chemicals known as phthalates. The products that tested positive included ones marketed as “all-natural” and “unscented.” None had phthalates in the list of ingredients or anywhere else on the label.

Air fresheners are now a $1.72 billion industry in the United States – a 50 percent increase from 2003 – with an estimated 75 percent of households using air fresheners. Despite the industry’s size, it is minimally regulated, not having to meet any standards specific to their products.

Air fresheners are not tested for a variety of chemicals, including phthalates, because the government does not require it.

“Manufacturers are getting away with marketing products as ‘natural’ when they’re not, and that’s because no one is stopping them,” said Mae Wu, an attorney in NRDC’s health program. “Our research suggests this could be a widespread problem in a booming industry that – so far – has been allowed to do what it wants.”

The tests, believed to be the first in the United States, cover only a fraction of the air freshener market. Tests included aerosol sprays, liquids that emit a continuous scent and a solid. The phthalates in these air fresheners may be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

Studies have found that levels of certain pollutants are far greater indoors than outdoors. With volatile organic chemicals, indoor personal exposures were typically two to five times outdoor levels with pollution levels higher inside homes than outdoors.[112] Persons using mothballs and bathroom toilet deodorants had greatly increased exposures to paradichlorobenzene.[113]

The EPA does not have authority to regulate indoor air quality directly (although it can control some sources of indoor air pollution such as airborne releases of volatile organic chemicals from drinking water). No federal law requires the Agency to establish indoor air quality standards. To date, the EPA's efforts to improve indoor air quality have focused primarily on research, coordination between different federal agencies, and public education. The potential risks to children from indoor air pollutants are significant.

Due to their greater respiratory rates, children breathe a proportionately greater volume of air than adults. As a result, children inhale more pollutants per pound of body weight. They also spend more time engaged in vigorous activity than adults. In addition, because of young children's height and play habits (crawling, rolling) they are more likely to be exposed to pollutants or aerosols that are heavier than air and tend to concentrate in their breathing zone near ground level.

Children's physiological vulnerability to air pollution arises from their narrower airways and the fact that their lungs are still developing. Irritation caused by air pollutants that would produce only a slight response in an adult can result in potentially significant obstruction in the airways of a young child.

The harm caused by air pollutants has been recognized by medical scientists, government officials, and the public for some time.

This information was sourced from:

www.Consumerlawpage.com/article/household-chemicals.shtml

www.nih.gov/news/pr/jul2006/niehs-27.htm

www.ourlittleplace.com/air.html

www.nrdc.org/media/2007/070919.asp

www.nrdc.org/health/kids/ocar/chap4

Commonly Used Synthetic Chemicals

Benzyl Acetate- Common ingredient found in perfume, cologne, shampoo, fabric softener, stickup air freshener, dishwashing liquid and detergent, soap, hairspray, bleach, after shave, & deodorants. Is carcinogenic (linked to pancreatic cancer); "From vapors: can be irritating to eyes and respiratory passages, can stimulate a cough. Can be absorbed through the skin causing systemic effects.

Benzyl Alcohol- Found in perfume, cologne, soap, shampoo, nail enamel remover, air freshener, laundry bleach & detergent, deodorants, & fabric softeners. Is irritating to the upper respiratory tract, causes headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, CNS depression, and death in severe cases due to respiratory failure.

Butane- A Neurotoxicant(exposure can cause adverse effects on the nervous system). Chemicals toxic to the central nervous system can induce confusion, fatigue, irritability, and other behavioral changes.

DEA, TEA, MEA - Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA), and Monoethanolamine (MEA) are hormone disruptors. They are also known to combine with nitrates to form cancer-causing nitrosamines. If a product contains nitrites (used as a preservative or present as a contaminant not listed on labels) a chemical reaction can occur either during manufacturing or after a product is made. There is no way to know which products contain nitrosamines because government does not require manufacturers to disclose this information on the label.

A 1997 study by the U.S. National Toxicology Program found that these compounds themselves might also be carcinogenic. Repeated skin application of DEA was found to cause liver and kidney damage in animals. The study also discovered that when absorbed through the skin, DEA accumulated in organs. TEA may also cause contact dermatitis in some individuals.

1.4 Dichloribenzene- A white solid compound with a distinctive aroma, similar to mothballs. Typically used primarily as a space deodorant in products such as room deodorizers, urinal and toilet bowl blocks, and as an insecticide fumigant for moth control.

Dioxins - You won't find dioxin listed on any label. It's formed as an accidental by-product of some manufacturing processes using chlorine, especially paper bleaching and the creation of plastic. Dioxin is one of the most powerful carcinogens known and accumulates in body fat. Mainstream deodorants and anti-bacterial soaps are suspect. Chlorine bleached tissues, toilet paper and cotton balls can contain dioxin. Plastic bottles may leach dioxin into creams, shampoos and other products we use daily.

DMDM Hydantoin, Diazolidinyl Urea and Imidazolidinyl Urea - DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea and imidazolidinyl urea are preservatives that release formaldehyde. It is estimated that 20 per cent of people exposed to this chemical will experience an allergic reaction. Exposure to formaldehyde may cause joint pain, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness and loss of sleep. In lab tests, formaldehyde has caused cancer and damaged DNA. Formaldehyde is a known sensitizer. Imidazolidinyl urea may cause contact dermatitis in some individuals.

Ethanol- Found in perfume, hairspray, shampoo, fabric softener, dishwashing & laundry detergent, shaving cream, soap, air fresheners, nail color & remover, & paint/varnish remover. On EPA Hazardous Waste list; symptoms: "...fatigue; irritating to eyes and upper respiratory tract even in low concentrations..." "Inhalation of ethanol vapors can have effects similar to those characteristic of ingestion. These include an initial stimulatory effect followed by drowsiness, impaired vision, ataxia, stupor..." Causes CNS disorder.

Ethyl Alcohol- A mild eye, skin and Respiratory Tract Irritant.

FD&C Colours - Used extensively in personal care products, FD&C colours are made from coal. Coal tar colours have been found to cause cancer in animals and many people experience allergic reactions like skin irritation and contact dermatitis. They are listed as FD&C or D&C, followed by a colour and a number. Example: FD&C Red No. 6, or D&C Green No. 6.

Formaldehyde- Highly toxic and a known Carcinogen. Has been admitted by the EPA to be a cause of cancer. Causes respiratory infection.

Fragrance - Synthetic fragrances are the most common ingredient found in personal care products. "Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to 4,000 separate ingredients. Most or all of them are synthetic. Symptoms reported to the FDA have included headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and allergic skin irritation. Clinical observations by medical doctors have shown that exposure to fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other behavioral changes." (Home Safe Home, Debra Lynn Dadd).

Fragrance is a known trigger of asthma. Many of the compounds in fragrance are suspected or proven carcinogens. Phthalates in perfumes are known hormone disruptors. In 1989 the US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health evaluated 2,983 fragrance chemicals for health effects. They identified 884 of them as toxic substances. The US Environmental Protection Agency found that 100% of perfumes contain toluene, which can cause liver, kidney and brain damage as well as damage to a developing fetus.

Lanolin - Lanolin is a common allergen and because of this has been replaced in many products. But there is another reason to be cautious about lanolin. Lanolin is derived from sheep’s wool. It may contain residues of insecticides into which sheep are dipped to control external parasites. These insecticides are fat-soluble. Dr. Samuel Epstein, chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, says these chemicals are likely to migrate through the skin and into the bloodstream. However, some sheep producers now control parasites by injecting sheep with insecticides, which work by circulating through the animal’s bloodstream. The best way to know if the lanolin in a personal care product is free of insecticide is to look for a certified organic product. Uncontaminated lanolin is perfectly safe, although it can cause contact dermatitis in some people. Lanolin oil, a more refined product, has been found to have little insecticide residue. Purified lanolin oil is a healthy product, as long as you aren't allergic to it.

Lead - Lead is a known carcinogen and hormone disruptor. It is readily absorbed through the skin, and accumulates in the bones. It causes neurological damage and behaviour abnormalities, and large accumulations can result in leg cramps, muscle weakness, numbness and depression. Lead is found in some hair dyes.

Nonylphenols - This estrogen-mimicking chemical is a surfactant used for its detergent properties. It can be found in some plastics, as well as shaving creams, shampoos and hair colours. It can be created when certain chemicals commonly found in personal care products break down. Nonylphenols can be a component in polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a compound often found in acrylic nails. They are persistent in the environment and of such concern that many European countries are phasing them out. Some manufacturers have voluntarily discontinued their use.

Parabens - An estrogen mimic, parabens are preservatives with antibacterial properties. Widely used in all kinds of personal care products, paraben is usually preceded by the prefixes methyl-, ethyl-, butyl-, or propyl-. Parabens can cause allergic reactions or contact dermatitis in some people. Preservatives are one of the leading causes of contact dermatitis. There are safer practical alternatives to parabens, including vitamin E, vitamin C and grapefruit seed extract.

Paradichlorobenzene – A particularly nasty ingredient in air deodorants. This particular pesticide is used mothballs & is an eye irritant and, according to the National Toxicology Program (NTP), could possibly cause reproductive problems & cancer.

PEG - Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is used in cleaners and some oven cleaners to dissolve oil and grease. It can also be found in many personal care products. PEG may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen. Dioxane readily penetrates the skin. While dioxane can be removed from products easily and economically by vacuum stripping during the manufacturing process, there is no way to determine which products have undergone this process. Labels are not required to list this information.

Phenol- Exposure to skin can cause swelling, burning, peeling, and an outbreak of hives. Can cause cold sweats, convulsions, circulatory collapse, coma and even death.

Phenylenediamine - Used in permanent hair dyes, phenylenediamine can cause eczema, bronchial asthma, gastritis, skin irritation and even death. It is also a carcinogen. It can react with other chemicals to cause photosensitivity. The US Food and Drug Administration proposed legislation which would have required warning labels on products, advising that this ingredient can penetrate skin and has been determined to cause cancer in lab animals. If passed, beauty salons would have had to post warnings for their customers. Cosmetic industry lobbyists defeated the proposal.

Phthalates - Everyone in the general population is exposed to phthalates from one source or another. They are found in many products from plastics to shampoo. These hormone-disrupting chemicals are suspected of contaminating breast milk and causing damage to the kidneys, liver, lungs and reproductive organs. One type of phthalate, diethyl phthalate (DEP) is commonly found in fragrances and other personal care products. Phthalates are used to enhance fragrances, as solvents, and to denature alcohol. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives (December 2002) found that DEP is damaging to the DNA of sperm in adult men at current levels of exposure. DNA damage to sperm can lead to infertility and may also be linked to miscarriages, birth defects, infertility and cancer in offspring. DEP is the phthalate found in the highest levels in humans. Recent product tests found the chemical in every fragrance tested in the United States. Manufacturers are not required to list phthalates on product labels, so they are difficult to avoid.

The State of California notes that five types of phthalates—including one that we found in air freshener products—are “known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm.” Young children and pregnant women should be especially careful to avoid contact with these chemicals.

Polysorbate 60 and Polysorbate 80 - Polysorbate 60 and polysorbate 80 may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen. Dioxane readily penetrates the skin. While dioxane can be removed from products easily and economically by vacuum stripping during the manufacturing process, there is no way to determine which products have undergone this process. Labels are not required to list this information.

Propylene Glycol - Propylene glycol is recognized as a neurotoxin by the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety in the U.S. It is known to cause contact dermatitis, kidney damage and liver abnormalities. It is widely used as a moisture-carrying ingredient in place of glycerine because it is cheaper and more readily absorbed through the skin. The Material Safety Data Sheet for propylene glycol warns workers handling this chemical to avoid skin contact.

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (Quats) - Listed on labels as benzalkonium chloride, cetrimonium bromide, quaternium-15 and quaternium 1-29, these compounds are caustic and can irritate the eyes. Quaternium-15 is a formaldehyde releaser and the number one cause of preservative-related contact dermatitis. There is concern about their potential as sensitizers. For about 5% of people, quats are an extreme sensitizer and can cause a variety of asthma-like symptoms, even respiratory arrest. When they are used with hot running water, steam increases the inhalation of vapours. These compounds are used in a wide range of products as preservatives, surfactants and germicides. They make hair and skin feel softer immediately after use but long-term use will cause dryness.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate - This chemical is a known skin irritant and enhances allergic response to other toxins and allergens. The U.S. government has warned manufacturers of unacceptable levels of dioxin formation in some products containing this ingredient. The chemical can react with other ingredients to form cancer-causing nitrosamines. Sodium lauryl sulfate is used as a lathering agent. It is present in ninety per cent of commercial shampoos, as well as skin creams and some brands of toothpaste.

Sodium laureth sulfate may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a carcinogen. Dioxane readily penetrates the skin. While dioxane can be removed from products easily and economically by vacuum stripping during the manufacturing process, there is no way to determine which products have undergone this process. Labels are not required to list this information.

Talc - Talc is a naturally occurring mineral which is carcinogenic when inhaled. In addition, women who regularly use talc in the genital area are at increased risk for ovarian cancer. Airborne talc in body powders and antiperspirant sprays can irritate the lungs. Talcum powder is reported to cause coughing, vomiting, and even pneumonia. Many pediatricians now tell parents to avoid using talc on babies as it can cause respiratory distress, sometimes resulting in death. Talc is found in blushes, face powders, eye shadows, liquid foundation and skin fresheners. Used near the eyes, it can irritate sensitive mucous membranes. Talc in liquid formulations poses minimal risk.

References:

www.lesstoxicguide.ca

www.Consumerlawpage.com/article/household-chemicals.shtml

www.nih.gov/news/pr/jul2006/niehs-27.htm

www.ourlittleplace.com/air.html

www.nrdc.org/media/2007/070919.asp

www.nrdc.org/health/kids/ocar/chap4