Chemicals To Avoid Introducing Into Your Home (And Why)

Let's face it: chemicals are utilized in our homes every single day in the form of cleaning products, paint, plant food, and fuels. Household plastic in flooring and insulation even contains chemicals, making them hard to escape from.

Therefore, getting familiar with the labels on your chemical items can help protect both you and your family from any harm. Read on to discover which chemicals you should start avoiding today!

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Phthalates

Phthalates are usually in fragrances, intending to lengthen the products' lifespans. They aren't yet restricted for use, even though they have a concerning connection with a range of health concerns, such as developmental problems in unborn kids, reproductive problems, and respiratory issues. Phthalates can be discovered in the blood of many individuals, with women holding the most considerable quantities. Thus, if you avoid products with fragrances, you also avoid the nasty components that can cause serious health problems. You can also find phthalates in some plastics, so it is worth avoiding the ones with the recycling codes 3, 6, and 7.

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Parabens

Parabens are synthetic preservatives that typically reside in personal products, such as shampoo and baby washes. They are associated with many health issues like endocrine disruption, cancer, neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, and skin irritation. So, you shouldn't purchase any items with components ending in '-paraben.'

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Dyes

Dyes can make an item appear yellow, blue, green, pink, or any other color, but they don't serve any purpose other than making you perceive things as efficient or attractive. They do not enhance product performance; instead, they welcome a variety of critical health risks. Also, it can take up to a whopping 25 synthetic harmful chemicals to construct just a singular artificial dye. Many are generated from coal tar and sometimes contain lead and arsenic. Thus, if the product is not colorless, it isn't your safest choice.

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BPA And BPS

It's common knowledge that BPA is a toxic chemical. BPA has been replaced by BPS in many items, but we recommend avoiding both. After all, BPS can cause the same endocrine-disruption issue as BPA. These chemicals both crop up in products such as baby teethers. To avoid these components, we suggest you search for alternatively packaged items (such as those in glass) and opt for stainless steel bottles rather than plastic ones.

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Fragrances

If you do not have asthma or allergies, you might assume that fragrances are perfectly safe - but you couldn't be more wrong! Fragrance chemicals can actually pass through human skin and enter our bloodstream. They are generated from petrol and coal tar and are even classed as carcinogens, neurotoxins, hormone disruptors, and respiratory irritants. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to really know what is in a fragrance since the word 'fragrance' on a product label frequently masks a toxic multitude of ingredients.

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Bleach

As you probably know, bleach fumes are incredibly potent, and inhaling them can trigger various health problems. Bleach can be very corrosive, irritating to our lungs, skin, and eyes, and even damaging our nervous system. This chemical product has even been known to burn human tissue externally and internally. If this wasn't enough, bleach might cause extreme headaches, migraines, skin rash, abdominal discomfort, vomiting, nausea, and muscle weakness. Aside from impacting human health, bleach also affects our environment negatively. When it enters our waters, it blends with minerals and other elements to generate a range of harmful toxins that can take a number of years to dissolve fully.

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Key Takeaways

• There are many things to take from this article, including the fact that there are probably more harmful chemicals in your home than you first initially thought. With so many different ingredients making up different products, you really have to be careful about what you're actually purchasing.
• Secondly, many businesses may be able to take advantage of getting involved in eco-friendly products. By offering alternatives to harmful fragrances and cleaning products, companies might be able to draw in a growing eco-conscious consumer base.
• Finally, every household has the power to modify the well-being of our world. By swapping out harmful household products with kinder ones, you can start benefiting our world today!