Top Actions to Protect Your Health

• What are the top actions I can take to protect myself and my family from toxic chemicals?
• I have young children and am concerned about their exposure to toxic chemicals. What can I do to protect them?
• How are we exposed to toxic chemicals in products we use every day, like toys and furniture?
• Do you have easy tips I can use while doing my everyday shopping?
• How can I avoid contaminants in food, such as pesticides, mercury, and bisphenol-A?
  
• Why are toxic chemicals found in products we use every day?
• I am a teenager or a parent of teenage children. Are there specific products that teens should try to avoid?
• What are the safest household cleaners?
  

What are the top actions I can take to protect myself and my family from toxic chemicals?

Choose organic produce when you can, especially peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes (imported), spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. (Non-organic counterparts of these foods contain the highest levels of pesticide residues.)

Learn about seafood and choose types lower in contaminants, such as wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, Atlantic herring, Dungeness crab, Pacific cod, Alaskan black cod, farmed striped bass, farmed catfish, clams, mussels, and Pacific oysters.

If you have a baby, choose baby bottles that are made of glass or BPA-free plastics. Examples include Medela, BornFree, and Playtex’s pastel bottles. Find out more.

Avoid items made of vinyl plastic as often as possible: use cloth lunch bags instead of vinyl lunch boxes, avoid vinyl shower curtains and rain gear, and if remodeling, avoid vinyl flooring.

Don’t use pesticides—including bug killers and weed killers—in your home or garden. Focus on preventing pest problems from developing: plug holes and use window screens to keep bugs outside, and maintain healthy grass in your lawn so that weeds can’t thrive.

Try to stick to a weekly schedule for vacuuming and dusting. Toxic chemicals accumulate in house dust, so this is an easy way to protect your family from various toxic chemicals as well as potential allergens.

I have young children and am concerned about their exposure to toxic chemicals. What can I do to protect them?

If you have a baby: Choose baby bottles made of glass or BPA-free plastics. Glass bottles include Evenflo and Dr. Browns, and BPA-free plastic bottles include Medela, BornFree, and Playtex’s pastel bottles. [links to safer food choices and baby bottle issue of Growing Up Green]

For younger children: Choose toys carefully, especially toys that children chew or suck on and toys that they use every day. Avoid soft plastic toys such bath toys, squeeze toys, and dolls, and choose plastic-free toys made of wood, cloth, wool, or paper. Also avoid children’s metal jewelry and toys with small pieces. Explore the healthy toys database to learn about toxic chemicals in toys and to find the safest options.

For kids of all ages: Choose organic produce and safer seafood (see question above for details) and don’t use pesticides in your home or garden. If your home was built before 1980, it may contain lead paint. Lead is highly toxic to children, so if you are remodeling, hire a contractor certified in lead abatement (click here for a list).

See our website section Safe Start for Kids for more tips on choosing safer children’s products, from clothing to food containers!

How are we exposed to toxic chemicals in products we use every day, like toys and furniture?

Many toxic chemicals leach out of the products they are in because they are not bound to the products. These chemicals then accumulate in house dust, which we may inhale, touch, or ingest. Studies have found a range of toxic chemicals in house dust—including lead, toxic flame retardants, Teflon chemicals, and phthalates—and young children are exposed to larger amounts of dust than adults because they play on the floor and put their hands in their mouths.

Children may also ingest toxic chemicals when they chew or suck on products that contain toxic ingredients. For example, plasticizing chemicals known as phthalates may be ingested by children mouthing toys made of soft vinyl. (For more information on phthalates and other chemicals in toys, see healthytoys.org.)

Some products release or “offgas” toxic chemicals directly into the air we breathe. For example, formaldehyde slowly vaporizes from products such as particleboard containing formaldehyde-based glues. Vinyl shower curtains release a mixture of toxic chemicals into the air.

Personal care products like soaps, lotions, and make-up that we apply onto our bodies may contain toxic chemicals that are absorbed by our skin.
Finally, we ingest pesticides and other contaminants in the food we eat.

Do you have easy tips I can use while doing my everyday shopping?

Yes! Download and print our wallet guide on safer product choices. To receive wallet guides in the mail, email us at askwtc@watoxics.org and let us know how many cards you would like.

How can I avoid contaminants in food, such as pesticides, mercury, and bisphenol-A?

Follow these three tips:

Choose organic produce when you can, especially peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes (imported), spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. (Non-organic counterparts of these foods contain the highest levels of pesticide residues.)

Learn about seafood and choose types lower in contaminants, such as wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, Atlantic herring, Dungeness crab, Pacific cod, Alaskan black cod, farmed striped bass, tilapia, farmed catfish, clams, mussels, and Pacific oysters.

Limit your consumption of canned foods and greasy or oily packaged and fast foods.
See Safer Food Choices for more information.

Are there easy alternatives to using pesticides in my home or garden?

Yes! Here are ways to deal with some common pests:

Lawn weeds: Prevent weeds in your lawn by maintaining healthy grass so that weeds have a hard time getting established. Healthy steps include aerating, thatching if needed, fertilizing with organic products, irrigating properly, and mowing higher and leaving clippings on the lawn. Also, choose grass species that are suited for your local climate.

Weeds in garden beds and paved areas: Remove weeds in paved areas by using string trimmers or flame weeders. Weeding tools such as the Cape Cod Weeder and Yankee Weeder are great for pulling weeds out of cracks. In garden beds, prevent weeds by applying mulch and planting low-growing shrubs and ground-covers.

Ants: Block their entryways, eliminate food sources, and remove ant trails with soapy water. Caulk cracks and crevices, and seal exterior doors and windows with weather stripping and door sweeps.

Slugs: Remove unnecessary debris that slugs may hide under, such as boards, rocks, and bricks. Use slug traps baited with beer and place copper strip barriers around garden beds.

Rats and Mice: Seal holes and potential entryways and weather-strip doors. Remove food sources by cleaning food scraps and keeping food in sealed containers. Use traps when necessary.

For more information on safely dealing with pests in your home or garden, please see the Healthy Homes and Gardens section of our website.

Do we all carry toxic chemicals in our bodies?

Yes. In 2006, the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition tested the hair, blood, and urine of ten Washington residents for toxic chemicals for their Pollution in People study [link], and every participant was contaminated with at least 26 and as many as 39 toxic chemicals. The toxic chemicals detected included PCBs (banned industrial coolants), PBDEs (toxic flame retardants), perfluorinated chemicals (“Teflon chemicals”), phthalates (plasticizers and fragrance carriers), pesticides, and mercury.

Many other studies have confirmed the widespread presence of toxic chemicals in people’s bodies: scientists estimate that all people, regardless of their location, carry at least 700 toxic chemicals in their bodies. Some toxic chemicals are excreted from our bodies in days or weeks, while others, such as dioxin and DDT, are stored for years or decades. Toxic chemicals have been detected in umbilical cord blood and amniotic fluid, showing that people are exposed to toxic chemicals even before birth.
This load of chemicals in one’s body is known as body burden, and testing for these chemicals is known as biomonitoring or body burden testing. For an overview of chemical body burdens, please visit www.chemicalbodyburden.org. For links to specific body burden studies, please visit the Pollution in People website.

Why are toxic chemicals found in products we use every day?

The system for regulating chemicals in the U.S. is broken: the federal government does not require chemical companies to demonstrate that chemicals are safe before they are used in consumer products. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that health and safety data exists for only about 15% of the chemicals used today. Chemicals are rarely restricted once they are on the market, even if scientific research suggests possible links to health or environmental effects.

The result of this lack of regulation is that we are all exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of chemicals every day. While healthier personal choices can help reduce our exposure to some of these chemicals, the most effective solution is a new regulatory system that keeps toxic chemicals out of everyday products and allows only the safest chemicals to be used in products and industry. 

To learn about efforts to reshape American chemical policy, please visit www.saferstates.org.

I am a teenager or a parent of teenage children. Are there specific products that teens should try to avoid?

Pay special attention to personal care products. A September 2008 study by the Environmental Working Group found hormone-altering cosmetics ingredients in the bodies of teenage girls across the country. The study also found that teenage girls use an average of seventeen products each day, while adult women use an average of twelve products each day. The results of this study are significant for boys as well as girls: many of the ingredients found in the girls’ bodies are also used in products for boys.

The study recommends avoiding these types of products:
• Anti-aging creams with lactic, glycolic, AHA, and BHA acids
• Hair dyes with ammonia, peroxide, p-phenylenediamine, diaminobenzene; all dark permanent hair dyes
• Liquid hand soaps with triclosan
• Nail polish and removers with formaldehyde
• Skin lighteners with hydroquinone

The study also recommends avoiding products that contain the following ingredients:
• DMDM hydantoin and Imidazolidinyl urea
• Fragrance and dyes
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone
• Parabens or any listed ingredient containing "-paraben"
• "PEG" and any listed ingriedient containing "-eth" (such as sodium laureth sulfate)
• Sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate
• Triclosan and triclocarban
• Triethanolamine (TEA)

To find products that are free of these ingredients, explore Skin Deep, Environmental Working Group’s database of personal care products.

What are the safest household cleaners?

The safest bet is to go back to the basics–liquid soap, baking soda, and vinegar—for your everyday cleaning. You can clean sinks, countertops, stovetops, kitchen and bathroom floors, and bathtubs with liquid soap; add baking soda when you need scouring action and rinse well to prevent streaking. Vinegar is great for windows and mirrors, and you can keep drains clear using baking soda, vinegar, and hot water. In addition to being safe and versatile, these three products are cheap and easy to find. See our six simple recipes for everyday cleaning to get started!

Wondering about liquid soap? A common brand is Dr. Bronner’s, which is available at most stores that sell natural products. If you can’t find it, use a fragrance-free dish detergent instead, such as Greenworks Free and Clear. Avoid antibacterial dish detergents: regular soaps and detergents clean just as well and do not contain antibacterial ingredients (such as triclosan) that may have health effects or harm water quality.

Many ‘green’ cleaning products are on the market, but not all products are labeled with the ingredients, and formulations can change. If you want to buy formulated products, safer brands include Seventh Generation, Bi-O-Kleen, and Country Save. Keep in mind that an all-purpose cleaner, which can be used on various surfaces, might be all you need for many cleaning jobs around your home.

See our Healthy Homes and Gardens page on cleaning products for more information.