The storage space under the kitchen sink may be the most deadly poison zone in your home. This area is commonly used to store household cleaning agents, furniture polish, detergents, stain removers, degreasers, and other assorted chemicals that promise to make every home a sparkling, shiny, sanitized museum that will be the envy of the neighborhood. Ironically, these common chemical agents are extremely hazardous and account for 96% of all poisonings reported.
Cleaning solutions may contribute to such maladies as: fatigue, depression, headaches, allergies, asthma attacks, cancer, and immune syndromes. Even when used properly, according to label directions and often when NOT used at all these chemicals “OFF-GAS” vapors that produce profound chronic harm because they linger in the indoor environment. Children are especially vulnerable to chemical fumes released by these products.
Childhood cancers have risen 20% over the last two decades and is the # 1 killer of children by disease. Asthma rates have tripled in children over the past twenty years. Asthma deaths in children have increased 118% since 1980. Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) and learning disorders have skyrocketed over the last twenty years. All of these conditions have been directly or indirectly linked to the use of chemicals in the home.
The Average American uses about 25 Gallons of chemical products per year in their homes. Of the 17,OOO chemicals that appear in common household products only 30% have been adequately tested. Medical doctors and scientists that have evaluated these chemicals have agreed that there is a definitive connection between failing health and the use of common household cleaning agents. One study found women who worked at home had a 54% higher cancer rate than those who worked outside the home.
According to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and State of California study in 2001, 41% of all cleaning chemicals were considered “DANGEROUS”; and 6 % were “TOO DANGEROUS” to store or use either in a commercial facility or the home.
Here is a list of the most common active ingredients to avoid:
Active Ingredient: Ammonia
Products and Uses: Glass Cleaners or General-purpose Cleaners
Health Effects: A powerful eye irritant, a respiratory irritant that may trigger asthma. May be a contributing factor for bronchitis and pneumonia. Inhalation of fumes may cause weakness and dizziness. Extended use may cause a chronic lung condition, or in extreme cases, suffocation, and death!
Active Ingredient: Paradichloro–benzene
Products and Uses: Toilet bowl deodorizers, fumigants
Health Effects: Possible carcinogen (cancer-causing agent)
Active Ingredient: Petroleum Distillates
Products and Uses: Furniture Polish; Heavy-duty Cleaners; Car Wax; Flea Treatments
Health Effects: Eye, skin, and respiratory irritant. May also contain traces of benzene–a carcinogen.
Active Ingredient: Sodium Hypochlorite ( Household Bleach )
Products and Uses: Wide range of household cleaners, disinfectants, deodorizers
Health Effects: CORROSIVE. Eye, skin, and respiratory irritant – especially hazardous to those with heart conditions or asthma.
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