Can Household and Personal Care Products Really Affect Your Health?

Asthma, Digestive and Respiratory Issues, Eye and Skin Burns, Reproductive Issues, Headaches, Liver and Kidney Damage...
 

These are just a few harmful health effects that household and personal care products have on your health. Sorry, this is a long post, but so important. :) I was amazed and disgusted after seeing a list of the chemicals and health risks in products most people use everyday and sometimes several times a day. I was angry to see that some of these chemicals are even in baby detergent like Dreft, diaper rash cream, baby wash and lotion like Aveeno and Johnson's. I think it is sad that as mothers, we cannot trust the most popular brands or the "gentlest" of products or even "Pediatrician Recommended" brands. I am happy to see that parents are becoming more aware of the effects of these chemcials, especially on babies, and sharing with others. Please read product labels with caution. Make sure to read the ingredients and do your own research, companies can print words like these without strict regulations. These chemicals may have alternative names so I have listed the synonyms for the chemicals also. I'm not saying that if you use a product with these chemicals, it guaranteed that you will immediately have health problems, but why would you want to breathe or put these chemicals on your body at all?

MONOETHANOLAMINE (MEA)
Synonyms: 2-Aminoethanol, 2-Hydroxyethanamine, Ethanol, 2-amino-, Ethanolamine, MEA

Toxicity Information:

Inhalation has been reported to cause asthma, immediate allergic response, acute liver damage and chronic hepatitis, severe eye and skin burns. May be harmful if inhaled or absorbed through skin. Irritating to skin, eyes, respiratory system. Large doses produce sedation, coma, and death following depression of blood pressure and cardiac collapse. 

Chemical found in:

• Tide Liquid Laundry and Tide Free Liquid Laundry
• Dreft Liquid Laundry
• Cheer Liquid Laundry
• Ivory Snow Liquid Laundry
• Gain Liquid Laundry
• Dawn Power Dissolve
• 409 Spray Degreaser
• Easy Off Oven Cleaner
• Damp Rid Mold & Mildew Control
• Windex
• Pledge
• Spray n' Wash Stain Remover

SODIUM HYDROXIDE
Synonyms: Ascarite, Caustic Soda, Soda Lye

Toxicity Information:

Causes 75% of all caustic injury to the esophagus of kids under 5 years old. Can cause burns in tissues, chronic skin irriation, irriation to the respiratory tract, can cause liver and kidney damage. Inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact with material may cause severe injury or death. Instructions for first aid if inhaled is to move the person to fresh air, if they are not breathing administer artificial respiration. 

Chemical Found in:

Household Products:

• Cascade Rinse Formula
• 409 Degreaser
• Clorox Clean Up Spray and some Cleaners
• Soft Scrub Liquid Gel
• Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner and some Cleaners
• Comet Cleanser with Bleach
• Soft Scrub
• Easy Off Oven Cleaner
• Palmolive Antibacterial Hand Soap
• Woolite Liquid Wash
• Tide Ultra Liquid
• Shout Laundry Stain Remover
• Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush
• Arm & Hammer Detergent
• Tilex

Personal Care Products:

• Johnson's Baby Wash
• Aveeno Naturals
• Aveeno Baby Cream and some bath products
• Old Spice Deodorant
• Some Olay Total Effects, Regenerist, and Pro-x creams
• Oil of Olay Body Washes
• Jergins Skin Firming Moisturizing
• Softsoap Hand Soap
• Neutrogena Moisture for Sensitive Skin
• Dove Ultra Moisturizing BodyWash
• Method Foaming Hand Wash
• Gilette Shave Gel
• Pantene Shampoo

Now think of how many times the toxic chemicals from the dishwasher or laundry detergent are lingering through your home every time you do a load of dishes or laundry. How about when you use your Oil of Olay body wash in the shower, then you use your anti-wrinkle face cream, brush your teeth with Crest and then throughout the day you are putting on your Aveeno moisturizer. Oh, and don't forget that i'm sure you will do a little wiping down of the counters and maybe wash your hands a few times with Softsoap or Method hand wash. This is a lot of exposure to one chemical that your body experiences in one day and all of the things you put on your body are absorbed directly into your bloodstream. Stay tuned, these are only a few chemicals but I will be posting more.

Please note: These are only some of the products that may contain these chemicals. For more information on the products and toxicity, please visit the Toxicology Data Network or the Hazardous Substance Database at http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/list?tbl=TblChemicals&alpha=A

Click here to see why chemical cleaners are so harmful

Click here to purchase Get Clean non-toxic products

Vunerability of Children Related to Typical Household Cleaners

If you haven't decided to make the change to non-toxic cleaners and remove all chemical cleaners from your home, I hope these statistics will help you make the change to a healthier home!

Why are children so vulnerable?


Children exposed in the womb are at greatest risk of all. Because cellular structures change so rapidly during embryonic and fetal growth, a toxic exposure at the wrong moment can permanently alter further development... Government and university scientists are currently investigating the possibility of a connection between fetal exposures to toxins and developmental disabilities such as ADHD.

Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present in water, food, or air.

Asthma is the most common serious chronic disease of childhood.

Children's metabolic pathways, especially in the first months after birth, are immature. Their ability to metabolize, detoxify and excrete many chemicals differs from adults.

Carcinorgenic and toxic exposures sustained early in life, including prenatal exposures, appear more likely to lead to disease than similar exposure encountered later.

There are over 80,000 chemicals registered with the EPA and fewer than 20% of them have been tested for toxicity.

Organic pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside. According to the EPA, sources of organic pollutants from household cleaners include: solvents, wood preservatives, aerosol sprays, cleansers and disinfectants, and air freshners. Health effects from organic pollutants include: eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; and damage to liver, kidney, and cental nervous system. Many organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals; some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans.
Source: U.S. EPA

Source of data: Data Related to Typical Household Cleaners. Compiled by Shaklee Corporation. For all sources, see Shaklee Article.
Sources: U.S. EPA, New Chemicals Program, Landrigan, P.J. & Weiss; Natuional Research Council

A Healthier Way of Cleaning

How clean is your house really? I'm not talking about sparkling countertops and floors you can eat off of, i'm talking about the air inside your home that you and your family breathe. A five year study conducted by the EPA found that pollutants from household products made the typical American home two-to-five times more polluted than the outside air. It seems that we are always worried about smog and chemicals in the air we breathe outside, but what we didn't know is that we are risking our health in the comfort of our own home. Products like oven cleaners, carpet cleaners, chlorine, glass cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, and all-purpose cleaners contain harmful and toxic chemicals. These chemicals can lead to cancer, liver damage, asthma, respiratory problems, and has many health related risks.

Here is a scary statistic for you: According to a 15-year study presented at the Toronto Indoor Air Conference, women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. The study concluded that this was a direct result of the increased exposure to toxic chemicals, many of which are found in common household products.

So I know, you are thinking, but we have used these products for years, right? Maybe not. Think of when your great grandparents were growing up, how many cleaning products do you think they had in their home? A lot of people cleaned with vinegar, baking soda, soap and water. Can you imagine what the household cleaning product aisle looked like 100 years ago compared to now? Now there are cleaning solutions for everything and you have the option of endless different scents with each cleaner. Do you want cleaner with Febreeze, cleaner with bleach, fabric softener with lasting beads or extra fragrance, detergent for dark clothes, detergent for cold cycles... the list goes on and on. There are other options... safe, chemical-free, and non-toxic incredible cleaners that outperform many traditional brands.

I take pride in knowing that I am doing my best to get rid of as many chemicals that I can in my home for my family. My husband grew up having asthma and has always had issues with bronchitis every time he gets sick so it is important to me to avoid respiratory irritants in our home. Imagine replacing all of your cleaners with a simple and concentrated cleaning line that has no harsh chemicals and is completely safe, natural and non-toxic. There are alternatives to the fumes and harsh chemicals! The best part is you will actually save money in making the switch! I love that I can clean right next to my daughter without having to worry about her being exposed to chemicals or fragrances. Here's to a healthier home and a healthier family!

Take a look at this video for more info:

http://embraceyourlife.myshaklee.com/us/en/whynow.html#/cleanhome