Why Go Green
Facts
- According to the U.S Poison Control Centers, "A child is accidentally poisoned every 30 seconds and more than 50% of all poisonings occur at home with children under 5 years of age."
- ADD/ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed childhood behavior disorder today. More than two million (3-5%) children have ADD.
- Asthma is the #1 cause of absenteeism in schools.
- Asthma ranks among the most common chronic conditions in the United States, affecting an estimated 14.9 million persons.
- Brain cancer in children is up 40% in 20 years.
- Each year more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergic diseases. Allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the US, costing the health care system $18 billion annually. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis (inflamed nasal membranes) has increased substantially over the past 15 years.
- In the past 40 years, at least 70,000 new chemicals have been released into the environment through new consumer and industrial products and food.
- Male and female infertility are on the rise. Research is now pointing to pesticides as a viable cause
- There has been a 25% increase in the last 25 years in cancer incidence among children under 15 years of age.
- Thirty years ago the 3 major childhood illnesses were chickenpox, measles and mumps. Now it is asthma, ADD and cancer.
- Within 26 seconds after being exposed to chemicals, they can be found in every organ of the body.
- Women who work in the home have a 54% higher death rate than women who work out of the home. - Toronto Indoor Air Conference, 1990
Indoor Air Quality
EPA's Office of Research and Development's "Total Exposure Assessment Methodology (TEAM) Study" (Volumes I through IV, completed in 1985) found levels of about a dozen common organic pollutants to be 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside, regardless of whether the homes were located in rural or highly industrial areas. TEAM studies indicated that while people are using products containing organic chemicals, they can expose themselves and others to very high pollutant levels, and elevated concentrations can persist in the air long after the activity is completed.
Read about the Sources of Indoor Air Pollution on the EPA’s website.
Read this EPA study on the high amounts of pesticides found in American homes.
Here is the EPA's advice on Improving Your Indoor Air Quality
Watch out for these ingredients in the products you buy for your home!
- Ammonia - Fatal when swallowed
- Ammonium Hydroxide - Corrosive, irritant
- Bleach - Potentially fatal if ingested
- Chlorine - Number one cause of poisonings in children
- Formaldehyde - Highly toxic; known carcinogen
- Hydrochloric acid - Corrosive, eye and skin irritant
- Hydrochloric bleach - Eye, skin and respiratory tract irritant
- Lye - Severe damage to stomach and esophagus if ingested
- Naphtha - Depresses the central nervous system
- Nitrobenzene - Causes skin discoloration, shallow breathing, vomiting, and death
- Perchlorethylene - Damages liver, kidney, nervous system
- Petroleum Distillates - Highly flammable; suspected carcinogen
- Phenol - Extremely dangerous; suspected carcinogen; fatal taken internally
- Propylene Glycol - Immunogen; main ingredient in antifreeze
- Sodium hypochlorite - Potentially fatal
- Sodium laurel sulfate - Carcinogen, toxin, genetic mutagen
- Sodium tripolyphosphate - Irritant
- Dichloromethane - Damages liver and kidneys