A clean house is essential for preventing various health concerns and ensuring the wellbeing of you and your family, but what if the products you’re cleaning with are more harmful than the mess itself? A lot of household products contain nasty chemicals which may do more blockage than benefit to your wellness, causing major health problems such as cancer, allergies and even genetic mutations. While that may be a tempting route into potential superhero powers, I’m not sure I’d really want to be “Chemical Man”. So let’s look at the major culprits that are affecting your family, as well as a few safer superheroes that you can use in their place:
1. Coal-tar driveway sealant: If you seal your own blacktop driveway, you should do so without the use of coal-tar based sealants. This is because these products are packed with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic; in other words, your driveway sealant can cause damage to your body, including cancer and even mutations. This happens when precipitations hit the driveway, as the chemicals run into your local water supply. Therefore, a far better alternative is gravel or other porous materials, as these allow rainwater to sink into the ground, where the water is filtered of chemicals and won’t inundate water treatment facilities.
2. Synthetic pesticides: This includes both chemical weed and bug killers, both of which should be avoided inside and outside of your house – even the ones that claim to be “natural”. Phil Landrigan, MD, director of Mount Sinai’s Children’s Environmental Health Centre, warns, ‘This is a good time of the year to resolve not to use pesticides on lawns and gardens. A few dandelions or buttercups or other little flowers in the middle of the lawn are not unsightly.’ As herbicides can cause cancer, and insecticides have been connected to brain damage in kids, weed by hand or using organic methods – the extra exercise will help you burn off your winter love handles. For bugs inside your home, a safe cleaning method can be as simple as clearing up crumbs, sealing food in containers, and using wood shims and a caulking gun to fill pest entry points.
3. Antibacterial soap: In antibacterial soaps you have a chemical called triclosan, which is thought to disrupt your thyroid function as well as your hormone levels. Moreover, wellness experts believe that if you overuse triclosan and other antibacterial chemicals, what you’re doing is promoting the growth of bacteria that are resistant to antibacterial treatment. Good old-fashioned soap and warm water, on the other hand, won’t cause these problems and studies have shown that this method kills just as many germs – no matter what antibacterial soap adverts say. However, if you are desperate to use a hand sanitizer, at least go for one that doesn’t contain triclosan and is alcohol-based.
4. Synthetic fragrances: If you use laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, cleaning supplies and disinfectants, air fresheners, deodorisers, shampoos, hair sprays, gels, lotions, suns creams, soaps, perfumes, powders, and scented candles, you’re using synthetic fragrances in your home. The term “fragrance” or “parfum” on personal care product labels is often a cover for hundreds of harmful chemicals known to be carcinogens, endocrine disrupters, and reproductive toxicants. Therefore, it’s best to go for unscented products, and avoid all air fresheners and deodoriser. This is recommended by Anne Steinemann, PhD, a University of Washington researcher who focuses on water quality and fragrances in consumer products. She comments, ‘These products do not clean or disinfect the air, but they do add hazardous chemicals to the air we breathe. Instead of chemical air fresheners, freshen the air with better ventilation and by setting out some baking soda.’