Warning: You Can't Trust Warning Labels!
You may think you know what is in a product and its potential harms by
reading ingredient and warning labels. Think again. Manufacturers are
not required to list the exact ingredients on the label. Also,
chemical names are often disguised by using innocuous trade names. So,
even if the chemical is listed on the label, you may not recognize it
for what it is. Even if the harsh and dangerous active ingredients are
listed on a package, often time the remainder of ingredients are
lumped into a category known as inert (not active) ingredients. This
term may lead you to believe that these chemicals are not toxic or
hazardous. In fact, many of the 1,000 different chemicals used as
inert ingredients are more harmful than the active ingredients. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not require manufacturers
to identify most inert chemicals, or disclose their potential harmful
effects. Even suspected carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) are used
as inert ingredients in household products.
Regarding warning labels. One New York study found that 85% of
products they examined had incorrect warning labels. Some were labeled
poisonous, but weren't; others were poisonous but weren't labeled as
such; others gave incorrect first aid information. And there are
absolutely no warnings on products about possible negative effects of
long-term exposure. This is unfortunate because most diseases linked
to chemical exposure are the result of long-term exposure.
If we don't know what is in it, and we don't know if it can hurt us,
how are we supposed to make an intelligent decision about whether or
not to bring this product into our home?
Cleaning products
(just a few that I know are used in house cleaning)
Air freshener- toxic; may cause cancer; irritates, nose, throat, and
lungs.
Disinfectant- very toxic; causes skin, throat, and lung burns; causes
coma.
Drain cleaner- toxic; causes skin burns; causes liver and kidney
damage.
Oven cleaner - toxic; causes skin, throat and lung burns.
Window Cleaner- toxic; causes cns disorders; causes liver and kidney
disorders.
Floor/Furniture polish - toxic causes cns disorders, may cause lung
cancer
Spot remover- toxic; may cause cancer, may cause liver damage.
All Purpose Cleaner - causes eye damage; irritates nose, throat and
lungs.
Toilet bowl cleaner - very toxic; causes skin, nose, throat and lung
burns.
Chlorinated scouring powder- toxic; highly irritating to nose, throat
and lungs.
Dishwasher Detergent - toxic; causes eye injuries, damage to mucous
membranes and throat.
As I said just a few.
One Common Ingredient
Although it would take a second book to cover all the ingredients
commonly used in the products above, I want to let you know about one,
formaldehyde, as an example. Formaldehyde is used frequently in both
cleaning and personal care products because it is a cheap
preservative. The following information is taken from a Material
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) which , by law, must be supplied to anyone
who uses any chemical product in the workplace. The MSDS for
formaldehyde warns: Suspected carcinogen; may be fatal if inhaled,
swallowed, or absorbed through the skin; causes burns; inhalation can
cause spasms; edema (fluid buildup) of the larynx and bronchi, and
chemical pneumonitis, extremely destructive to the tissue of the
mucous membrane. All these symptoms and more are caused by
formaldehyde. Yet manufacturers can put formaldehyde in shampoo and
not list it as an ingredient! You will be shocked to learn that
formaldehyde is a common ingredient in baby shampoo, bubble bath,
deodorants, perfume, cologne, hair dye, mouthwash, toothpaste, hair
spray and many other personal care items.
Formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogen. If all cancers start with the
abnormal growth of just one cell, then why allow any amount into or
onto your body?
Toxic Chemicals and the Human Body
Your body is a very complex, very fragile system of chemical reactions
and electrical impulses. When you consider a single cell breathes,
uses energy, and releases waste much like your whole body does, you
can begin to understand how even small amounts of harmful chemicals
can affect the performance of the body's processes. Chemicals enter
the human body in three ways: ingestion, inhalation, and absorption.
Ingestion
Ingestion brings to mind the image of a young child opening the
cabinet under the sink and drinking something deadly. Well, each year
nearly 1.5 million accidental ingestions of poisons are reported to
U.S. Poison Control Centers. The majority of the victims are under the
age of twelve and have swallowed a cleaning or personal care product.
It amazes me how many deadly chemicals are stored under sinks or on
bathroom counters and bathtubs within easy reach of young children.
Inhalation
It may surprise you to learn that poisoning by inhalation is more
common and can be much more harmful, than ingestion. When something
harmful is swallowed, the stomach actually begins breaking down and
neutralizing the poison before it is absorbed into the bloodstream.
However, when you inhale toxic fumes, the poisons go directly into the
bloodstream and quickly travel to organs like the brain, heart, liver
and kidneys. Many products give off toxic vapors which can irritate
your eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and give you headaches, muscle
aches, and sinus infections. The process of releasing vapors into the
air is called outgassing. Outgassing occurs even when a chemical is
tightly sealed in its container. If you doubt this, simply walk down
the cleaning aisle at your local grocery store, and notice how
strongly it smells of toxic vapors, even though the containers are
sealed tight.
Absorption
Most people never guess this.
Finally, you need to realize the potential threat absorption poses.
One square centimeter of skin (less than the size of a dime), contains
3 million cells, four yards of nerves, one yard of blood vessels, and
one hundred sweat glands. We've all heard the ads for nicotine patches
and analgesic creams. These medicines work by being absorbed into the
bloodstream through the skin. Even some heart medicines are
administered through transdermal (through the skin) patches. Any
chemical that touches the skin can be absorbed and spread throughout
the body. This can even happen when you come in contact with a surface
that was treated with a chemical days or even weeks earlier. I had no
idea that my children could be harmed by crawling across the kitchen
floor we had just cleaned. I thought that we were being conscientious,
not reckless.
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