| Toxic Chemicals in your Home Summary of Information Presented April 28, 2000, by Kay Hizer, Director of "Healthy Choices,"Healthy Choices is a nonprofit organization comprised of doctors, nurses, environmental scientists and educators committed to teaching the public about the hazards of chemicals in our homes and how we can avoid or minimize the risks. 50% of all illness is due to poor indoor air quality (Source: 1989 State of Massachusetts Study) 3 groups of people are primarily effected by indoor chemical concentrations because they spend more time indoors and their immune systems are weaker. The three groups are: · Infants and Toddlers · Elderly · Chronically ill (Source: 1988 EPA, 5 year study) The top 12 cancer causing products in the average home include the following: · Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder with Talc · Crest Tartar Control Toothpaste · VO5 Hair Conditioner · Clairol Nice N Easy Hair Color · AJAX Cleanser · Lysol Disinfectant (Source: The National Cancer Prevention Coalition) Liquid Dish Soap is the leading cause of poisonings in the home (contains formaldehyde and ammonia in most brands) Of the chemicals found in personal care products: · 884 are toxic · 146 cause tumors · 218 cause reproductive complications · 314 cause biological mutations · 376 cause skin and eye irritations (Source: United States House of Representatives report, 1989) The State of California recently passed legislation requiring a 45% reduction in the amount of toxins found in: · Hairspray aerosols · Furniture polish · Window cleaners · Air fresheners · Laundry detergents · Nail polish remover · Insect repellent · Hair styling gel and mousse · Shaving crème (Source: Healthy Homes in a Toxic World) Out of 1,435 pesticide poisonings in 1 a one year period, over 40% were due to exposure to disinfectants and similar cleaning products in the home. (Source: State of California Study) |
| Just reducing (not eliminating) environmental carcinogens alone, would save at least 50,000 lives from cancer annually. (Source: Dr. Lee Davis, former advisor to the Secretary of Health) Woman who work in the home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than woman who work outside of the home. (Source: 17 year EPA study) Over the last 20-30 years, as more toxic chemicals have been introduced in greater amounts, the level of toxins stored in our bodies has risen. Bio-accumulation studies have shown that some toxins store in our bodies for life. Greater and greater amounts are being stored at younger ages. Diseases that used to occur later in life are now appearing at younger ages. Disease that used to be rare are more frequent. For example: · There has been a 28% increase in childhood cancer since the addition of pesticides into household products (Source: National Cancer Institute) · In one decade, there has been a 42% increase in asthma (29% for men; 82% for women - the higher rate for women is believed to be due to women's longer exposure times to household chemicals) (Source: Center for Disease Control) |
| Due to the increase in toxic buildup in our bodies, including the toxic buildup of formaldehyde, dead bodies are not decomposing as fast as they used to. (Source: National Institutes of Health) Bodies now start to decompose within 7 to 10 days after death. |
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