Pesticides are one of the most potent single hazards in the home.  Around 1,400 pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are used as ingredients in consumer products. Combined with other toxic substances such as solvents, pesticides are present in more than 34,000 different product formulations.

For pests in the home, the best offense is a good defense.  The first step is to make the house – especially the kitchen – unattractive to insects by cleaning up food spills immediately, keeping hard-to-reach areas reasonably clean, and removing clutter that can hide pests.  Store foods attractive to pests, such as flour, in the refrigerator.  Water attracts pests, so leaky faucets and pipes should be promptly repaired.  Doors and windows should be well screened.  Cloths should be regularly cleaned and aired and properly stored in paper or cardboard boxes sealed against moths.

A number of nontoxic substances can be used to repel insects.  Generally, they are highly fragrant or volatile herbs or spices.  Powdered red chill pepper, peppermint, bay leaves, cloves, citrus oil, lavender, rosemary, tobacco, peppercorns, and cedar oil can repel various types of insects.

Insects can be deterred without resorting to dangerous chemicals.  Generally, a poison that is not toxic to humans is mixed with a food that insects find attractive and spread in the infested area.  Examples are oatmeal (attractive) and Plaster-of-Paris (poisonous), cocoa powder and flour (attractive) and borax (poisonous).  Old-fashioned flypaper – not a hanging strip of insecticide – is an effective trap.  These methods may be nontoxic for humans, but there are less violent pest control methods available.

For specific house pests, try these solutions:

For ants: sprinkle powdered red chill pepper, paprika, dried peppermint, or borax where the ants are entering.  They find these agents irritating.

For fleas: Feed pet brewer’s yeast in powder to animals mixed with food or by tablets.  The fleas will avoid animal secretions that are high in nutrients from the yeast.

For moths: Air clothes well in the sun.  Store in airtight containers and scatter sachets of lavender, cedar chips, or dried tobacco in with clothing.

For rats and mice: Again, prevention may be the best cure.  Holes in exterior or interior walls should be closed off and storage spaces kept orderly.  Garbage should be kept tightly covered.  To catch rodents, the most efficient system is the oldest, a cat.

For termites: Any wooden parts of the house should be at least 18 inches off the ground as subterranean termites cannot tolerate being exposed to air and light.  They have to build easily visible mud tunnels to get at available wood.  However, most existing houses have only about an 8-inch clearance between wooden parts and the ground, which makes the wood vulnerable.  Metal shields may help discourage termites, but they cannot prevent infestations.

To treat existing termite infestations, there are a few non-toxic alternatives: the “Extermax” system, available in California; and the use of a particular species of nematodes to eat them, a system available from N-Viro Products, Ltd.

For garden pests: In hardware stores, look for new brands of safer insecticides that use soap and water solution to get rid of aphids or pyrethrum for a number of applications.  As more and more people understand the hazards of organic chemicals in the home, market pressure will encourage the introduction of safer products.

Several naturally derived pesticides exist which, in some cases, are less toxic to humans than the organophosphates, carbamates, or organochlorines now widely used.  Pyrethrum is relatively non-toxic to humans and only slightly toxic to aquatic life so it may be the best choice for home gardens.  Using other pests is a good way to integrate nature into controlling insect populations; Sabadilla controls lice, leafhoppers, squash bugs, striped cucumber beetles, and chinch bugs.

For lawn weeds: Use organic lawn care techniques.  Maintenance of your lawn without using any harmful chemicals or toxic products is possible.  Natural fertilizers, weed control, and insect control products are used in conjunction with nature to grow a vigorous and healthy lawn.

Why not use chemicals? The simple answer is… they are not necessary.  Try treating the cause of your lawn problems instead of the symptoms.  Here are the key components to any lawn care program, whether you hire a professional, or do-it-yourself.

Fertilizers: Organic fertilizers consist of compost or composted manure.  They provide nutrients to the soil, which feed the root system of your lawn.  Chemical (synthetic) fertilizers may feed your lawn, but they can also burn your lawn.  For further information on the benefits of using organic fertilizer, check out issues of Organic Gardening.  One of their special reports states, “High organic matter content is the primary reason compost and most other organic fertilizers are superior to chemical fertilizers.  Chemicals don’t provide the carbohydrates that are essential for a healthy soil food web and some of them are so caustic that they can kill soil organisms and inhibit plant growth.”  (Organic Gardening, July/August).

Weed Control: Natural weed control entails some hand weeding while your lawn gathers strength.  By focusing on soil health, your lawn gets thicker, stronger, and more weed resistant.  Also, over-seeding creates stronger grass through diversity.  Chemical weed control entails spraying some form of chemical pesticide on your lawn.  These chemicals have serious potential risks to the health of humans, pets, and the environment.  Pesticides were developed to kill living organisms, they treat the symptom and not the cause of the problem.

Insect Control: Organic insect control is done using beneficial insects, such as nematodes.  They control grubs and over 250 other root pests.  Chemical pest control products sterilize soils, killing beneficial microbes, earthworms, and pollinators.

The Patio

Charcoal lighter fluid contains petroleum distillates.  Besides being flammable and imparting a chemical taste to food, some petroleum distillates contain benzene, a known human carcinogen.

A simple and much more effective alternative exists for the charcoal lighter fluid used to start the backyard barbecue.  A metal, chimney-pipe cylinder, which holds the charcoal above a burning piece of newspaper and relies on the air flow under the charcoal to quickly bring it to glowing hot, is available at most discount stores.  It readies the charcoal for cooking much more quickly without the chemical taste and fire hazard of lighter fluid.

Garage, Garden, Patio, Utility Closet, Hobby Room

The Utility Closet

In this area a number of products are likely to contain toxic ingredients: carpet cleaner, room deodorizer, laundry softener, laundry detergent, anti-cling sheets, mold and mildew cleaner, mothballs, and spot remover all usually contain irritant or toxic substances.

Here are some toxic ingredients to avoid:

Perchloroethylene or 1-1-1 trichloroethane solvents (in spot removers and carpet cleaners): can cause liver and kidney damage if ingested; perchloroethylene is an animal carcinogen and suspected human carcinogen;

Naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene (in mothballs): naphthalene is a suspected human carcinogen that may damage eyes, blood, liver, kidneys, skin, and the central nervous system; paradichlorobenzene can harm the central nervous system, liver, and kidneys;

Hydrochloric acid or sodium acid sulfate (in toilet bowl cleaner): can either burn the skin or cause vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach burns if swallowed; also can cause blindness if inadvertently splashed in the eyes;

Residues from fabric softeners, as well as the fragrances commonly used in them, can be irritating to susceptible people;

Possible ingredients of spray starch (aside from the starch) include formaldehyde, phenol, and pentachlorophenol; in addition, any aerosolized particle, including cornstarch, may irritate the lungs.

The Hobby Room

Although legislation controlling many of the dangerous ingredients in hobby materials has recently been passed, exposure to certain art materials remains a health risk.

Dangerous chemicals and metals include:

Lead in ceramic glazes, stained-glass materials, and many pigments;

Cadmium in silver solders, pigments, ceramic glazes, and fluxes;

Chromium in paint pigments and ceramic colors;

Manganese dioxide in ceramic colors and some brown oil and acrylic paint pigments;

Cobalt in some blue oil and acrylic paint pigments;

Formaldehyde as a preservative in many acrylic paints and photographic products;

Aromatic hydrocarbons in paint and varnish removers, aerosol sprays, permanent markers, etc.;

Chlorinated hydrocarbons (solvents) in ink, varnish and paint removers, rubber cement, aerosol sprays;

Petroleum distillates (solvents) in paint and rubber cement thinners, spray adhesives, silk-screen inks;

Glycol ethers and acetates in photography products, lacquer thinners, paints, and aerosol sprays.

There are some nontoxic choices that can be made when buying art or craft supplies, but because some techniques require certain materials, minimizing exposure may be the best alternative.

In painting and print making, ready-mixed water-based paints or inks can be used.  If you must be exposed to paint dust use a toxic dust respirator approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).  Ventilate the space thoroughly whenever using any kind of solvents, whether in painting or in lithography, intaglio, or photoetching.  Solvents also should be avoided while pregnant.

Enamels are usually lead-based and can contain other toxic metals such as cadmium and nickel. Use lead-free enamels whenever possible and make sure kilns are vented outside.

For pottery as well, outside vented kilns are important, as is a careful choice of materials – most potters know to avoid lead glazes and lead frits, but many don’t know that flint, feldspars, fluorspar, and some compounds containing barium, lithium, manganese, or nickel can also be toxic.  Children should avoid the pottery studio, as they are more highly susceptible to the toxins used in pottery than are adults.

Photography presents a number of toxic hazards that are difficult to avoid.  Minimize exposure to photo chemicals by using gloves, mixing chemicals in a mixing box with holes in the sides for gloved hands, and providing adequate ventilation.

A number of dangerous substances are frequently present, including paint, paint thinner, benzene, kerosene, mineral spirits, turpentine, lubricating/motor oils, and gasoline.  Hazards among them include these chemicals:

Chlorinated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in paint thinner can cause liver and kidney damage;

Petroleum hydrocarbons, an ingredient of gasoline, motor oils, and benzene, are associated with skin and lung cancer;

Mineral spirits in oil-based paint are a skin, eye, nose throat, and lung irritant.  High air concentrations can cause nervous system damage, unconsciousness, and death;

Ketones in paint thinner may cause respiratory ailments which vary according to the specific form of the chemical;

Ketones and toluene in wood putty: toluene is highly toxic, may cause skin, kidney, liver, central nervous system damage; may damage reproductive system.