Cleaning Concerns

Can Household Products Harm
Your Children?

By Teri Brown

Have you ever used a drain cleaner that almost drove you out of your home? Maybe your daughter coughs a bit and you throw open the windows while Dad cautions no one to go into the bathroom for the next 20 minutes. Have you ever thought that perhaps you may have polluted your home with dangerous toxins?

Experts are torn on this subject. Some believe that household cleaning products are harmless when used properly, while others believe you put your children at risk every time you scrub your tub. Who is right and what can you do, as a parent, to ensure the safety of your children?

Jennifer Reno, a registered nurse and mother of one from Howell, Mich., is concerned about the chemicals present in household products. "I use nontoxic cleaners because my son has asthma and autism," says Reno. "My research has shown that there is a possibility that environmental factors contributed to these disabilities, and I want to do whatever I can to keep my son healthy."

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, poison centers received nearly 127,000 calls in 2002 regarding children younger than 6 exposed to cleaning substances. This statistic doesn't include effects of low-grade exposure that may occur over a long period of time.

A recent study done in Australia and published in the British medical journal Thorax found that domestic exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at levels below currently accepted recommendations increases the likelihood of childhood asthma. In fact, the study shows that kids exposed to the VOCs found in everyday household cleaners are at a two to three times increased risk of having asthma. Many VOCs produce vapors that pollute the air and can be hazardous. These chemicals include gasoline, industrial chemicals and dry cleaning solvent. They are also found in many common cleaning products.

Jeffery Hollender, president of Seventh Generation, a company devoted to providing non-toxic and environmentally safe household products, believes that while modern technology has given us immense benefits that enhance our well being, it has also brought with it a host of dangers that threaten that very well being. "It's become increasingly apparent that some of these advances have come with hidden price tags, particularly where the production and use of synthetic chemicals is concerned," says Hollender. "As our use of these compounds in our homes and workplaces has grown over the last 60 years, the incidence of diseases like cancer and asthma has grown dramatically as well, and many experts see a clear connection between the two."

Many people would be willing to use nontoxic products if they worked as well as the conventional ones. Seventh Generation and similar companies are dedicated to finding household cleansers that won't make us and our children ill while we clean our house. "We know that if natural household products don't work, you won't use them," says Hollender. "That's why we continuously research new ingredients and technologies."

Want to see more?

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• Healthy Bacteria: Where to Find it and Why Babies Need It
• Bathing Your Little Beauty: How to Give Your Newborn Baby a Bath
• Talk about it!