I was reading about yoga poses today on one of my favorite websites when I came across an article about hazardous household cleaning products.
Some of these are seriously toxic substances that cause kidney, liver and brain damage, but they can be found in ordinary household cleaners that we use every day:
– Chlorinated phenols can be found in toilet bowl cleaners and are toxic to respiratory and circulatory systems.
– Diethylene glycol found is found in window cleaners and depresses the nervous system.
– Phenols can be found in disinfectants are toxic to respiratory and circulatory systems.
– Nonylphenol ethoxylate can be found in laundry detergents and all-purpose cleaners. It is banned in Europe and could biodegrade slowly into even more toxic compounds.
– Formaldehyde is often found in spray and wick deodorizers and could cause cancer.
The list goes on and on and on. Read the rest here.
It troubles me how companies market some of these products as “protecting” your child against germs. I was not a clean kid. I rarely washed my hands before dinner, would play in the mud all day, and only bathed when it got too much for my mother to handle. Yet here I am, 31-years-old, without a single allergy or major health problem… fit as a fiddle, knock on wood. So when I see a “disinfectant” that is supposed to be used on kitchen counters being marketed as something a parent should use daily to “protect” their child from bacteria, I cringe. Those things often contain very toxic substances. While the labels are careful to say “don’t ingest” one must wonder what twenty years of exposure to them over a long period of time can do to one’s health.
I am not trying to cause a panic. All I’m saying is that we use a little common sense. Plain old water and vinegar might not smell like flowers or lemon drops, but it kills just as many forms of bacteria as most of these other toxic cleaners. If you want to use a more heavy-duty disinfectant or cleaner after cooking raw chicken, fine. But you don’t need to turn your kitchen into a toxic waste dump because you spilled a few drops of milk. Vinegar will do just fine…
Leave a Reply