Is Your Home Toxin-Free?

You may think that your home is the safest haven for you when it comes to toxins and pollutants that litter the very air you breathe, but you need to think twice. When statistics show that indoor pollution and poisoning are proven to be more lethal than those found outdoors, it is right time to reassess what you know about your common household items, to keep your family and yourself truly safe.

We have all been using these household items, unwary of the potential risks we expose ourselves to, where even the youngest of kids can be exposed to accidental poisoning. Sometimes, we often think that sniffing these household items can do no harm, like a perfume would do, but you must know that it can be potentially lethal specially when you have teens around your home who want to play around with these stuff. These can be anything – from your deodorant, paint, solvents, nail polish, gas, air fresheners, or even cooking spray. Know that these contain tiny particles invisible to the naked eye, which will make way to your lungs and eventually, to your blood and cells.

Inhaling can be as fatal as ingesting these chemical substances and sometimes, negligence can result in children being rushed to the nearest ER because they have come across with something they thought to be delicious. Even your furry friends can get sick from accidental poisoning from these common household products. For example, if you are using pesticides for your garden, your dog may come contact with it and get sick. Even your seemingly harmless tick and flea powder may cause severe reactions such as vomiting, extreme salivation, diarrhea, or even death. Pesticides can bring neurological disorder to your pets, poisoning them with contents like diazinon, fenthion, or carbanates.

Here are Five Most Common Household Items that Can Be Potentially Dangerous for You:

1. Cleaning and Bleaching Products

There’s nothing wrong with being clean – from using alcohol, detergents, bathroom bowl cleaner, metal polishers, to your window cleaner. Know that these are strong chemicals which can cause allergic reactions, or put you at risk of inhalation. Some of these comes in colorful bottles that children may accidentally ingest it.

2. Polishers, Paint, Adhesives and Waxes

This includes car and furniture wax, mineral oil, kerosene, nail polish, paint, cement glue, pine oil, metal polich, shoe polish, and turpentine.

3. Cosmetics

From bubble baths, makeups, hair sprays, perfumes, lotions, anti-bacterial soap to after shaves – these can all cause not only allergic reactions, but also premature aging and accidental poisoning. Beware of personal items containing parabens since it can cause cancer in the long run. Even your mineral powder can cause nanoparticles to spread to your lungs, giving you an upper respiratory tract infection. Buy only natural and organic skin care products if you can find them.

4. Insecticides and Pesticides

From your harmless-looking moth balls, rat poison, insect spray, garden sprays, to herbicide – know that you can put yourself at risk from asphyxiation where your body is depleted of oxygen, other than accidentally ingesting these items.

5. Prescription Pills and Supplements

These drugs can be good, if taken as prescribed. However, there are many cases of children mistaking medicines for candy and suffering a fatal price to pay.

Know that any household item, which are of poor quality and questionable origin, can contain traces of harmful substances that can be fatal. For this reason, we hear product recalls every now and then, like this toy where the beads can cause the same effects as that of a date rape drug when swallowed. Then, we have the dangers of BPA ( Bisphenol A ) in many plastic items like a baby’s drinking bottle. As a rule of the thumb, keeping dangerous materials out of children’s reach and educating them about it helps prevent accidents to happen. You need to make sure that you store these items properly so they avoid leakage that will threaten to contaminate the very space where you live. Read your labels very well and be organized with your items. If your budget allows you, choose only those that are natural, safe, and toxin-free. Make Your Home Truly Safe and Health-Friendly!

Dr. Martin’s Video on Dangerous Household Cleaning Products: