April 2005
Reduce your child's exposure to chemicals
Many common household products contain potentially hazardous ingredients.
In addition to largely unknown chronic effects, many chemicals in common household products pose immediate danger if accidentally ingested. For those reasons, consumers should read labels carefully and choose products that appear to pose the lowest risk. It's not easy. You may see product labels that say "nontoxic" or "nonirritating," but those claims are not clearly defined or verified, says Consumers Union (publisher of this Web site) on one of its Web sites, www.eco-labels.org.
To avoid the immediate danger of accidental ingestion of toxic substances, people who live with children or have young visitors should childproof their home and buy products in child-resistant containers. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1.2 million children a year accidentally ingest chemicals or medicines found in the home. Here are some additional tips:
MEDICATIONS: LOCK 'EM UP
Accidental ingestion of just one pill or teaspoonful of certain drugs can kill a 22-pound child. Special caution is needed with antipsychotics (chlorpromazine, thioridazine); calcium channel blockers (nifedipine, verapamil); opioids (methadone, morphine); quinine derivatives (chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine); tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, desipramine); and certain oral hypoglycemics (chlorpropamide, glipizide). Even seemingly harmless vitamins and minerals can be dangerous in excessive doses.
If you have little ones at home or as visitors, keep all medicines and nutritional supplements tightly closed in childproof containers and well out of reach. Consider using cabinet locks and latches to make the contents of cabinets inaccessible to children.
ARTS AND CRAFTS: CHOOSE SAFER PRODUCTS
Use caution when choosing art supplies for children. Lead, a probable carcinogen and developmental toxin, has been banned from children's paints. But adult artist's paints and ceramic glazes can contain lead and other toxic heavy metals. Spray paints can contain propellants such as butane that are extremely flammable. Superglues can contain acetone or methyl ethyl ketone, with fumes that can irritate the eyes and affect the nervous system. Rubber cement can contain n-hexane, which can also harm the nervous system with chronic exposure.
Products carrying the "AP" (for Approved Product) seal of the Art & Creative Materials Institute, a nonprofit association of art and craft product manufacturers, are certified to be nontoxic, though the toxicological tests used are considered proprietary information and therefore could not be fully verified by Consumers Union.
AUTO PRODUCTS: BE CAUTIOUS WITH ANTIFREEZE
Antifreeze can contain ethylene glycol, a toxic chemical that smells and tastes sweet, and is particularly hazardous to children or pets that may lick it off driveways and garage floors. In 2003 nearly 1,000 people ended up in emergency rooms because of antifreeze poisoning, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Dilute any antifreeze spills by hosing them off. Sierra antifreeze contains propylene glycol, a less toxic chemical than ethylene glycol. But any antifreeze becomes a hazardous mixture by the time it's flushed from a car's radiator.
PEST CONTROL: MINIMIZE USE
Pesticides are, by design, poisons. Insecticides and roach killers commonly contain organophosphates or carbamates, which if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed in large-enough doses can cause nausea, tremors, headaches, muscle aches, and, on rare occasions, even death. Synthetic pyrethroids, analogs of a natural insecticide compound, pyrethrum, can trigger asthma attacks and are suspected of disrupting hormone activity in humans. Mothballs work by emitting paradichlorobenzene vapors, a likely carcinogen, which if inhaled can cause headache and nausea, and can be fatal if young children swallow them. Rodent killers typically contain warfarin, a developmental toxin that can cause internal bleeding (though it's reasonably safe when used as a drug to thin the blood).
Try Integrated Pest Management (IPM), an approach that attempts to control unwanted insects by the least toxic means. For instance, unleash ladybugs near rose bushes to keep aphids away. Consider electric mosquito traps that catch and kill some mosquitoes outdoors. Use an insect repellent that contains the lowest concentration of the chemical deet that works for you, and wash it off when you get home. Indoors, set mouse traps and try to find and seal their entry points. Try ant traps and roach traps that use nontoxic ingredients that affect the bugs' reproduction. Put seasonal clothes in airtight bags and store them in a cool place.
Many common household products contain potentially hazardous ingredients.
In addition to largely unknown chronic effects, many chemicals in common household products pose immediate danger if accidentally ingested. For those reasons, consumers should read labels carefully and choose products that appear to pose the lowest risk. It's not easy. You may see product labels that say "nontoxic" or "nonirritating," but those claims are not clearly defined or verified, says Consumers Union (publisher of this Web site) on one of its Web sites, www.eco-labels.org.
To avoid the immediate danger of accidental ingestion of toxic substances, people who live with children or have young visitors should childproof their home and buy products in child-resistant containers. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1.2 million children a year accidentally ingest chemicals or medicines found in the home. Here are some additional tips:
MEDICATIONS: LOCK 'EM UP
Accidental ingestion of just one pill or teaspoonful of certain drugs can kill a 22-pound child. Special caution is needed with antipsychotics (chlorpromazine, thioridazine); calcium channel blockers (nifedipine, verapamil); opioids (methadone, morphine); quinine derivatives (chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine); tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, desipramine); and certain oral hypoglycemics (chlorpropamide, glipizide). Even seemingly harmless vitamins and minerals can be dangerous in excessive doses.
If you have little ones at home or as visitors, keep all medicines and nutritional supplements tightly closed in childproof containers and well out of reach. Consider using cabinet locks and latches to make the contents of cabinets inaccessible to children.
ARTS AND CRAFTS: CHOOSE SAFER PRODUCTS
Use caution when choosing art supplies for children. Lead, a probable carcinogen and developmental toxin, has been banned from children's paints. But adult artist's paints and ceramic glazes can contain lead and other toxic heavy metals. Spray paints can contain propellants such as butane that are extremely flammable. Superglues can contain acetone or methyl ethyl ketone, with fumes that can irritate the eyes and affect the nervous system. Rubber cement can contain n-hexane, which can also harm the nervous system with chronic exposure.
Products carrying the "AP" (for Approved Product) seal of the Art & Creative Materials Institute, a nonprofit association of art and craft product manufacturers, are certified to be nontoxic, though the toxicological tests used are considered proprietary information and therefore could not be fully verified by Consumers Union.
AUTO PRODUCTS: BE CAUTIOUS WITH ANTIFREEZE
Antifreeze can contain ethylene glycol, a toxic chemical that smells and tastes sweet, and is particularly hazardous to children or pets that may lick it off driveways and garage floors. In 2003 nearly 1,000 people ended up in emergency rooms because of antifreeze poisoning, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Dilute any antifreeze spills by hosing them off. Sierra antifreeze contains propylene glycol, a less toxic chemical than ethylene glycol. But any antifreeze becomes a hazardous mixture by the time it's flushed from a car's radiator.
PEST CONTROL: MINIMIZE USE
Pesticides are, by design, poisons. Insecticides and roach killers commonly contain organophosphates or carbamates, which if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed in large-enough doses can cause nausea, tremors, headaches, muscle aches, and, on rare occasions, even death. Synthetic pyrethroids, analogs of a natural insecticide compound, pyrethrum, can trigger asthma attacks and are suspected of disrupting hormone activity in humans. Mothballs work by emitting paradichlorobenzene vapors, a likely carcinogen, which if inhaled can cause headache and nausea, and can be fatal if young children swallow them. Rodent killers typically contain warfarin, a developmental toxin that can cause internal bleeding (though it's reasonably safe when used as a drug to thin the blood).
Try Integrated Pest Management (IPM), an approach that attempts to control unwanted insects by the least toxic means. For instance, unleash ladybugs near rose bushes to keep aphids away. Consider electric mosquito traps that catch and kill some mosquitoes outdoors. Use an insect repellent that contains the lowest concentration of the chemical deet that works for you, and wash it off when you get home. Indoors, set mouse traps and try to find and seal their entry points. Try ant traps and roach traps that use nontoxic ingredients that affect the bugs' reproduction. Put seasonal clothes in airtight bags and store them in a cool place.
