The Problem with Unhealthy Indoor Air

We face an environmental ealth crisis where we least
expect one. Ask most people about air problems, and
they’ll look to the outdoors. We know that pollution from vehicles, factories, and even backyard grills has reduced air quality considerably.

But most don’t realize that the air they’re breathing inside may be even worse!

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called indoor air pollution one of the nation’s top environmental health concerns. The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating this disturbing phenomenon, too. In fact, the
WHO states that 40% of all buildings pose a serious threat to health because of polluted air.

Here’s why:

Three “hidden” hreats to the air you breathe indoors.
Starting with the energy crisis in the 1970s, we began sealing our homes, offices, and other indoor environments to reduce
energy consumption. We’ve continued to do so as energy bills have soared throughout most of the nation in recent years. Many of our indoor environments just recirculate stale air without ever cleaning it.

FACT: The EPA called indoor air pollution one of our
nation’s top environmental health concerns.
FACT: A cubic foot of untreated indoor air can contain
up to 20 million particles such as pollen, dander, and smoke.

The problem is that our homes, cars, offices, hotel rooms, college dorms, and other indoor environments are filled with things we never want to breathe in: particulates: Indoor air
contains solid particles and tiny liquid droplets—up to 20 million per cubic foot in untreated rooms. More than 99%
can’t be seen, and many particles are small enough to enter your lungs. Pollen, ash, and dust come indoors from the outside. Pets give off dander. Dust mites, feeding on decomposing skin, thrive in mattresses. And cigarette smoke
lingers. Second-hand smoke has been identified as a major health risk.
Microbials: Microscopically small living health hazards—
bacteria, fungi, and mold—thrive in moist indoor environments.
Mold grows to some degree in almost every man-made structure. Worse, mold loves heating and cooling ducts. Every
time someone turns on heat, air-conditioning, or ventilation, a variety of microbes may blow into rooms serviced by the ducts. This happens in cars, trucks, office buildings, and hotels, too.
Gases: A variety of gases escape from our carpets, drapes, and furniture. Cleaning products, copy machines, paints,
insect spray, hair spray, and insulation emit gases as well. Many are chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are easy to breathe in. We can’t always
smell indoor gases—which pose a hidden danger.

When looking for an air purification system that is most effective, make sure it removes pollen particles found in outdoor air, clothing and pets. Removes dander, skin cell debris found in litter boxes and pets. Cleans tobacco smoke, mold and bacteria as well as gases and odors from solvents, chemical cleaners and air fresheners.

Everyone should have clean, healthy air in their homes. Make sure your home is a healthy one!

Information obtained from Shaklee Corporation.

You know that good, healthy feeling you get when you’ve just
cleaned house? Sorry to spoil it, but you may have just made
your home dirtier. Think of it this way. You wouldn’t let your kids play with toxic chemicals, so why would you let the baby crawl over a floor that’s just been wiped with them? That’s much more dangerous than the range juice that was just there.
How dangerous? Just take a look at these statistics.
• Over 90% of poison exposures happen at home.
• Common chlorine bleach is the #1 household chemical
involved in poisoning.
• Organic pollutants, found in many common cleaners and
even air fresheners, are found at levels 2 to 5 times higher
inside your home than out.
• A person who spends 15 minutes cleaning scale off shower
walls could inhale three times the “acute one-hour exposure
limit” for glycol ether-containing products set by the California ffice of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
• Common cleaners give off fumes that can potentially
increase the risk of kids developing asthma, the most
common chronic childhood disease.
• 1 in 13 school-aged children has asthma. Rates in children
under five have increased more than 160% from 1980 – 1994.
• Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound
for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more ood, and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this s that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present in water, food, or air.
• If your home is anything like the average U.S. home, you
generate more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste
each year (the EPA designates toilet cleaners, tub and tile
cleaners, oven cleaners, and bleach as hazardous waste).
To find out what’s lurking on our shelves, go to the National
Institutes of Health Library of Medicine Household Products
Database. You can search almost any brand of cleaner you use, find ut what’s in it, and uncover its inks to health effects. Or search y chemical ingredients (see list below for some examples) and discover what brands contain it. The information may shock you.
Chemical ingredients to look out for:

• Sodium hydroxide
• Hydrochloric acid
• Butyl cellosolve
(2-Butoxyethanol)
• Formaldehyde
• Bleach (sodium hypochlorite)
• Ammonia
• Sulfamic acid
• Petroleum distillates
• Sulfuric acid
• Lye (potassium hydroxide)
• Morpholine
www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/ingredients.htm

Safe for you, your home, and your planet.™

4 simple ways to Get Clean.

Your home should be the safest, healthiest, cleanest place in the whole world. So we’ve put together some pretty easy things you can do to make your family safer and your home healthier. And, as it turns out, what’s good for your home is good for the earth and everyone else on it, too. So let’s make our homes healthy. Let’s clean our hearts out.

Let’s Get Clean!

1. Get the dirt. Educate yourself about what you bring into your home at www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/products.htm
2. Have a clean-for-all. Put on the gloves and get rid of the nasty stuff in your home. Responsibly, of course. Your
local waste collection service has guidelines for proper household hazardous waste disposal, as well as collection
sites for things like paint, batteries, and cleaners. Whatever you do, please don’t toss this stuff in the garbage.
3. Welcome healthy into your home. Commit to carefully considering everything that crosses your doorstep.
Here are some safe, healthy things to have in your home:
• Cleaners that are truly cleaner. Get Clean offers product choices that are: nontoxic, natural, biodegradable,
concentrated, and hypoallergenic.

• Fresh air. Open your windows to reduce indoor air pollution.
• Essential oils. Use these instead of air fresheners.
• Plants. Besides being nice to look at, they can absorb harmful gases and help clean the air.
• Organic cotton bedding. Avoid standard bedding treated with chemicals.
• Floors made of recycled and renewable resources.
• Healthier paint. That new paint smell can be as nasty as it smells. Choose low VOC paint instead.
4. Clean up our collective home. Make the earth healthier for all of us who call it home by using these things in yours:
• Compact fluorescent lighting. They last a whole lot longer.
• Energy Star-rated appliances. Save money and energy.
• A low-flush toilet. Replace the largest user of water in your house. Ultra low flushers cut water use by one-fifth.
• Low-flow showerheads. Same pressure. Less water.
• Your flicker finger. Turn off lights and appliances when you’re not using them.
• Gray water system. Install one to recycle used household water for your lawn.
• Tankless water heater. Save money, energy, and space in the broom closet.

Information obtained from Shaklee Corporation

Toxic Alert!

An average home generates over 25 pounds of toxic, hazardous waste each year.  Much of this waste can be attributed to household cleaning products.

The EPA says that only a fraction of the more than 75,000 registered chemicals have gone through testing for human health concerns.

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

More than 9 out of every 10 suspected poison exposures occur at home with household products.

Are Any Of The Products Listed Below in Your Home?

1. Carpet Cleaners are extremely toxic to children.  The fumes given off by carpet cleaners can cause cancer and liver damage.

2. Chlorine is a chemical most frequently involved in household poisonings in the United States.  May cause reproductive, endocrine, and immune system disorders.

3. Degreasers may contain petroleum distillates and butyl cellosolve, which can damage lung tissues and dissolve fatty tissue surrounding nerve cells.

4. Drain Cleaners are one of the most hazardous products in the home.  Can contain lye, which is a strong caustic substance that causes severe corrosive damage to eyes, skin, mouth and stomach.  Can be fatal if swallowed.

5. Glass Cleaners may contain ammonia.  Fumes from ammonia can irritate skin, eyes and respiratory system.

6. Mold and Mildew Removers are often acute respiratory irritant.  May damage lungs, eyes and skin.

7. Oven Cleaners are one of the most dangerous cleaning products.  Can cause severe damage to eyes, skin, mouth and throat.

8. Toilet Bowl Cleaners are another dangerous cleaning product.  Can contain chlorine and hydrochloric acid.  Harmful to health simply by breathing during use.

Indoor and outdoor pollution affects people of all ages to some extent.  This is true all over the country regardless of status or profession.  The ones who are most affected adversely are the children and women at home.  At one time, people thought of their home as a haven.  A haven means a place of safety.  It’s very true today that our homes contain products that are not safe and that are contributing to health problems, rather than providing a healthier life.

Recent studies attribute most indoor pollution problems to the growing use of chemicals and synthetic materials.  The alternative is to use products as natural as possible in as many areas as possible.  Concern is mounting, environmental awareness is growing, and people are searching for environmentally safe products.

Oprah Winfrey is an advocate on GREEN PRODUCTS.  On Earth Day 2007, Oprah’s program talked about the environment and what our responsibility is towards it.  Oprah showcased her favorite green products and had given everyone in the audience a basket of earth friendly cleaners.  She wanted everyone there to take a part in protecting our environment inside our homes and outside our homes.  Every household needs these GREEN PRODUCTS!

Today’s environment calls for awareness and action!  Our primary goal is to establish healthier homes, toxic free homes, and thus make a positive contribution to the environment.

It is a fact that homemakers are the major source of environmental pollution!  In addition, everyday toxic products in the home contribute to a syndrome called many names; chronic fatigue, chemical sensitivity, hyperactivity and certainly poor immune function, all of which can lead to many diseases!

The Healthy Home is an education program with a positive action emphasis which not only brings awareness but provides you with healthy alternatives.

Chemicals used in the home are recognized as a major contribution to pollution.  Therefore, we must STOP supporting companies that use and produce the products that are detrimental to our health and to our world.  We can make a difference!

The first step is to get rid of toxic (poison) products in your home.  Individually it is a commitment.  Collectively, it is a mission whereby each participant is making a positive contribution to future generations! 

Will you agree to establish a healthy home for you and your family?  Will you agree to share this information with your family and friends to help keep everyone you know healthy and safe as well as our planet?

Everyone has a concern for the environment and the health of their families.  We must take the time today to do the little things that will make the big difference in our tomorrows.

Information obtained from Get Clean Brochure and A Better Health Series, Your Home & Your Health by Jeanne McGowen.

Keeping Your Dogs & Cats Safe From Deadly Viruses

Canine parvovirus is an extremely contagious and potentially lethal disease that is spread through contact with an infected dog’s feces. The virus is so hardy that it can remain on surfaces long after feces are removed, and animal paws and human shoes can easily pick up and spread the virus. Although all dogs are susceptible, both young puppies and older, unvaccinated dogs are especially vulnerable.

Feline leukemia is a potential lethal virus that causes major problems with a cat’s immune system, making the animal more vulnerable to leukemia and a host of other diseases. Feline leukemia can be spread between cats through saliva, urine, and blood; food dishes and litter pans can be a source of infection if they are shared regularly with cats who are ill with the disease.

There are no specific cures for either canine parvovirus or feline leukemia once an animal is ill – prevention is the key to stopping the spread of these deadly diseases.

Keeping your pet immunized against disease – with an initial vaccination and regular boosters – is essential. To help limit your pet’s exposure to these diseases, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) recommends regular cleaning with a disinfecting solution for areas where pets live.

Mixing chlorine bleach with ammonia or vinegar can release a harmful gas that is unhealthy to our furry friends. Also, household bleach, most commonly used by veterinarians, loses its effectiveness within an hour.

Find a disinfectant that is safe for your pets and kind to the earth, biodegradable, yet effective against 33 pathogens or disease-causing organisms including canine parvovirus and feline leukemia. The result will be a healthy, happy, vibrant, loyal, furry friend for life!