New Study Finds Toxic Chemicals in Many Conventional Cleaners

You don't have to purchase products that are hazardous to you and your family's health. Go to www.livetotalwellness.com/maryann and find out how you can be safer and healthier.

New Study Finds Toxic Chemicals in Many Conventional Cleaners
Contributed by Seventh Generation

Call it another nail in the coffin of conventional cleaning products: A new study has found that literally dozens of popular household cleaners contain undisclosed toxins that have been linked to asthma, fertility and other problems. The research points out something most consumers still don't realize. Namely, that the household products they think are safe really aren't.

The new report, from Montana-based non-profit Women's Voices for the Earth, examined Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for dozens of top-selling conventional cleaning products and found that most of formulas they studied contain one or more chemicals linked to any number of negative health effects.

MSDS are chemical information summary sheets whose use in manufacturing and commercial settings is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. These standardized forms provide varying degrees of additional data about the chemicals, products, or formulas used by a specific facility or in a specific product. They must be prepared for the employees of any company that handles the chemicals or products in question so that everyone can better understand the hazards associated with the materials with which they're working. Since federal regulations do not require cleaning product manufacturers to fully disclose all the ingredients their formulas contain on product labels, an MSDS for a particular product is usually the best and often only way to figure out what hazards it contains.

Even so, MSDS do not necessarily list all the ingredients a cleaner contains. The law requires that only those hazardous ingredients present in levels above one percent (or one tenth of one percent for carcinogens, neurotoxins, and teratogens (chemicals capable of affecting fetuses) need be disclosed even though many chemicals pose a clear and present danger in lesser amounts. In addition, MSDS' need only list materials that meet the agency's official definition of hazardous. If a chemical has not yet been formally placed on OSHA's lists of known hazardous materials, it doesn't need to appear on an MSDS.

In studying cleaning product MSDS, Women's Voices for the Earth found that a number of chemicals linked to asthma and reproductive disorders kept appearing, including:

• Monoethanolamine (MEA), a solvent that appeared in laundry detergents, and all-purpose and floor cleaners.

• Ammonium quaternary compounds, disinfectants used in disinfectant sprays and toilet cleaners.

• Glycol ethers, like 2-butoxyethanol, solvents added to glass cleaners and all-purpose spray cleaners.

• Alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs), surfactants used in laundry detergents, stain removers, and all-purpose cleaner.

• Phthalates, fragrance carriers that were discovered in glass cleaners, deodorizers, laundry detergents, and fabric softeners.

Scientific studies have linked EGBE to reproductive problems like testicular damage, reduced fertility, death of embryos, and birth defects. People exposed to high levels of EGBE for a few hours experience nose and eye irritation, headaches, vomiting and a metallic taste in their mouths. A 2006 California Air Resources Board study on indoor air quality and cleaning products found that people using common products that contained EGBE could be exposed to amounts up to 12 times higher than that state's one-hour safe-exposure standard.

Because manufacturers rarely offer complete ingredient disclosure on their cleaning products' labels, there's really only one thing consumers can do to protect themselves and their families from any hidden hazards those products contain: Only buy products whose labels tell you everything they contain. Don't rely on promises of safety or environmental benefits. Even products marketed as earth-friendly can contain toxic ingredients. Where cleaners are concerned, ingredients labels speak louder than claims. Knowing what ingredients are in the products you use, and keeping your family away from any that keep secrets is the healthiest advice a person can receive.

To find out more about conventional cleaning products, obtain a free on-line copy of the new study, and learn about the Women's Voices for the Earth Safe Cleaning Products initiative visit http://www.womenandenvironment.org/.

[To find cleaning products on OTA's searchable directory, click here]

To find products that are safe for you, your family and the environment that are made without the toxic chemicals go to www.livetotalwellness.com/maryann

What Does Mercury Have To Do With It?

Sweetness and Blight
Why is the FDA unwilling to study evidence of mercury in high-fructose corn syrup?

Last month, two new studies reported traces of mercury in products made from high-fructose corn syrup, the food industry's favorite sweetener. Rather than act to correct the situation, the FDA has hewn closely to the corn industry's party line: 1) no mercury shows up in HFCS (although we haven't tested it); 2) and besides, detected levels are so low that they could cause no harm. Really?, asks Tom Philpott. He shines a hard light on the FDA's claims, asking why the agency won't ban the mercury-associated industrial chemical used to make high-fructose corn syrup -- and he explains what Erin Brockovich has to do with it all.

Do you still want to use products in your home that are causing indoor air pollutants and health issues?

Look for safer, healthier products go to www.livetotalwellness.com/maryann or www.200Green.com/abiz4health

Environmental Protection Agency
studies have shown that indoor air pollutants are
3 to 70 times higher than outdoors.

The following information came from a conference call with Kay Heizer, Director of “Healthy Choices” (a non-profit organization comprised of doctors, nurses, environmental scientists and educators committed to teaching the public about the hazards of chemicals in our home and how we can avoid or minimize the risks):

50% of all illness is due to poor indoor air quality[Source: 1989 State ofMassachusetts Study]

Ø Since 1950, at least 70,000 new chemical compounds have been invented and dispersed into our environment. Only a fraction of these have been tested for human toxicity. We are, by default, conducting a massive clinical toxicology trial, and our children and their children are the experimental animals. [Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]

150 Chemicals found in the home are connected to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders. [Source: Consumer Protection Agency (CPA)]

The United States of America Federal Code of Regulations exempts manufacturers from full labeling of products if used for personal, family or household care. [Source USA FCR: Section 1910.1200C, Title 29, Section 1500.82 2Q1A]

Ø 3 groups of people are primarily affected by indoor chemical concentrations because they spend more time indoors and their immune systems are weaker. The 3 groups are:

· Infants and toddlers

· Chronically ill

· Elderly

[Source: 1988 EPA, 5-year study]

Ø In 1901, cancer was rare: 1 out of 8,000. Since the Industrial Revolution, the cancer rate today has risen to 1 in 3 and by the year 2002, it will be 1 in 2. [Source: The American Cancer Society]

Ø The top 12 cancer-causing products(called the “Dirty Dozen”) in the average home include the following:

· Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder w/Talc

· Crest Tartar Control Toothpaste

· VO5 Hair Conditioner

· Clairol Nice-n-Easy Hair Color

· AjaxCleanser

· Lysol Disinfectant

[Source: The National Cancer Prevention Coalition]

Liquid dish soap is the leading cause of poisonings in the home for children under the age of six (over 2.1 million accidental poisonings per year). Most brands of liquid dish soap contain formaldehyde and ammonia.

Ø Of 2,983 chemicals found in personal care products:

· 884 are toxic

· 146 cause tumors

· 218 cause reproductive complications

· 778 cause acute toxicity

· 314 cause biological mutations

· 376 cause skin and eye irritations

[Source: United States House of Representatives Report, 1989]

Ø The State of California recently passed legislation requiring a 45% reduction in the amount of toxins found in:

· Hairspray aerosols

· Furniture polish

· Window cleaners

· Air fresheners

· Shaving cream

· Laundry detergents

· Nail polish remover

· Insect repellent

· Hair styling gel and mousse

[Source: Healthy Homes in a Toxic World]

Ø Out of 2,435 pesticide poisonings in a one-year period, over 40% were due to exposure to disinfectants and similar cleaning products in the home. [Source: State of California Study]

Ø Just by reducing (not eliminating) environmental carcinogens alone, we would save at least 50,000 lives taken by cancer annually. [Source: Dr. Lee Davis, former advisor to the Secretary of Health]

Ø Most laundry detergent contains a form of NTA. NTA is a substance we may reasonably anticipate to be a carcinogen. [Source: The Merck Index]

Ø Household bleaches which claim to disinfect are classified as pesticides under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. Inadvertently mixing bleach with other cleaners that contain ammonia produces a toxic chloramines gas. These toxic gases can cause coughing, loss of voice, a feeling of burning or suffocation, and even death. [Source: Guide to Hazardous Products Around the Home, Household Hazardous Waste Project, 1989]

Ø Women who work in the home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside of the home. [Source: 17- year EPA study]

Ø 150 chemicals found in the home have been connected to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders. [Source: The Consumer Protection Agency)

Ø As more toxic chemicals have been introduced to our everyday environment in greater amounts over the last 20 to 30 years, the level of toxins stored in adipose tissues (fat cells) of our bodies have risen. Bioaccumulation studies have shown that some toxins store in our bodies for life. Greater and greater amounts are being stored at younger ages. One study showed that in the fat of 100% of the people tested was 1,4-Dichlorobenzene, a chemical found in most household deodorizers and room fresheners.

Ø Diseases that used to occur later in life are now appearing at younger ages. Diseases that used to be rare are more frequent. For example: There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of pesticides into household products. Cancer is now the #2 killer of children – second only to accidental poisonings. Since 1977 the rate of cancer among American children has been steadily rising at a rate of nearly 1% each year. [Source: National Cancer Institute]

· There is an increased risk for leukemia in children where parents have used pesticides in the home or garden before the child’s birth. [Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute]

Ø Some products release contaminants into the air right away, others do so gradually over a period of time. Some stay in the air up to a year. These contaminants, found in many household and personal care products can cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, eye/skin/respiratory tract irritations and some cause cancer. [American Lung Association]

Ø Asthma was once a very rare disease. Now the condition is extremely common – the asthma rate has tripled in the last 20 years with nearly 30 million Americans currently afflicted. [Source: Consumer Federation of America , 1997]

Ø In one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma (29% for men, 82% for women). The higher rate for women is believed to be due to women’s longer exposure times to household chemicals. [Source: Center for Disease Control]

Ø Childhood asthma has increased by more than 40% since 1980. [Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, June 1997; 105 (6)]

Ø Asthma death in children and young people increased by a dramatic 118% between 1980 and 1993. [Source: Environmental Health Threats to Children, Environmental Protection Agency 175-F-96-001, September 1996]

Ø The average child visits the doctor 23 times in the 1^st 4 years of life, with the most common complaint being respiratory ailment. [Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 1997]

Ø Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in adults and children is also rising – in 1993, 4.5 million children took the drug Ritalin so they could sit still long enough to learn. By 1998, 11.4 million children were being drugged with this powerful Class-2 narcotic. [Source: Your Children and Ritalin, The Detroit news (March 8. 1998)]

Ø Even small doses of neurotoxins, which would be harmless to an adult, can alter a child’s nervous system development. [Source: Environmental Health Perspectives 106 Supplement 3:787-794 (June 1998)]

Developing cells in children’s bodies are more susceptible to damage than adult cells that have completed development, especially for the central nervous system. During the development of a child, from conception through adolescence, there are particular windows of vulnerability to environmental hazards. Most disturbing – until a child is approximately 13 months of age, they are virtually no ability to fight the biological and neurological effects of toxic chemicals. [Source: Herbert L. Needleman, M.D., Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., Raising Children Toxic Free]

Ø Today, children have chemical exposures from birth that their parents didn’t have until they were adults. Because children are exposed to toxics at an earlier age than adults, they have more time to develop environmentally triggered diseases, with long latency periods, such as cancer. [Source: Environmental Policy and Children’s Health, Future of Children, Summer/Fall 1995; 5(2): 34-52]

Ø Formaldehyde is a highly toxic substance. It is a highly suspected cancer-causing agent. It damages the neurological connectors in the body. It is an irritant to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs and may cause:

· skin reactions

· ear infections

· headaches

· depression

· asthma

· joint pain

· dizziness

· mental confusion

· nausea

· disorientation

· phlebitis

· fatigue

· vomiting

· sleep disturbances

· laryngitis

Ø One in five people are sensitive to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is commonly found in:

· drugs

· mouthwash

· hairspray

· cosmetics

· cleaning products

· perfumes

· waxes

· hair setting lotions

· shampoo

· air fresheners

· fungicides

· fingernail polish

· floor polishes

· dry cleaning solvents

· toothpaste

· laundry spray starch

· antiperspirants

· … just to name a few

DO YOU STILL WANT TO USE PRODUCTS IN YOUR HOME THAT CONTAIN FORMALDEHYDE?

Ø Due to the increase in toxic buildup in our bodies, including the toxic buildup of formaldehyde, dead bodies are not decomposing as fast as they used to.

· Bodies now start to decompose within 7 to 10 days after death.

· During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese bodies started to decompose within 24 to 48 hours. However, Americans didn’t start to decompose for 4 to 5 days.

· Twice as much formaldehyde was needed to embalm a person 20 years ago compared to today.

How many of these names would you have recognized as formaldehyde?

· Formalin

· Methanal

· Methyl Aldehyde

· Methylene Oxide

· Oxymethylene

· Bfv*

· Fannoform*

· Formol*

· Fyde*

· Karsan*

· Methaldehyde

· Formalith*

· Methylene Glycol

· Ivalon*

· Oxomethane

· Formalin 40

· Formalin

· Formic Aldehyde

· Hoch

· Paraform

· Lysoform*

· Morbocid

· Trioxane

· Polyoxmethylene

* denotes trade name

Ø The following products are just a few that are so toxic that they should be disposed of in a toxic waste dump:

· floor care products

· furniture polish

· window cleaners

· bug spray

· nail polish remover

[Source: Water Pollution Control Federation]

Ø Warning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion; however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion. 90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.

Ø Government regulations require that only the most EXTREMELY toxic substances must contain a warning label. Labels that say the following should be removed from your house immediately:

· “Do not induce vomiting”

· “Corrosive – rinse from skin immediately”

· “Harmful or fatal if swallowed”

· “Call physician immediately”

· “Warning!” (may mean that as little as 1 teaspoon of product can harm or kill adult)

· “Danger!” (means that as little as 5 drops can harm or kill an adult)

Ø Phenolis an extremely caustic chemical that burns the skin. Absorption of phenol through the lungs or skin can cause:

· central nervous system damage

· pneumonia

· respiratory tract infection

· heart-rate irregularities

· skin irritation

· kidney and liver damage

· numbness

· vomiting

· and can be fatal

Ø Phenolis a very common chemical and is regularly found in the following common products:

· air fresheners

· aftershave

· bronchial mists

· chloroseptic throat spray

· deodorants

· feminine powders & sprays

· hair spray

· decongestants

· mouthwash

· aspirin

· solvents

· acne medications

· antiseptics

· calamine lotions

· cleaning products

· detergents

· furniture polish

· hair setting lotions

· lice shampoo

· polishes

· cold capsules

· all-purpose cleaners

· aerosol disinfectants

· anti-itching lotions

· carnex

· cosmetics

· disinfectant cleaners

· hand lotions

· lip balms

· sunscreen and lotions

· insecticides

· cough syrups

· … just to name a few

DO YOU STILL WANT TO USE PRODUCTS IN YOUR HOME THAT CONTAIN PHENOL?

ASK me how you can find safer, healthier products!

www.200Green.com/abiz4health