Keeping Toxins Out Of Your Home
Posted on: Saturday, 10 May 2008, 15:10 CDT
You can't build a moat to keep your castle safe from germs and toxins.
And while you work hard to keep your home and its inhabitants clean and comfortable, dirt and germs can still find their way inside.
Some health experts warn that unwanted chemicals can creep into your home in forms you might not have imagined, so staying in the know is always the best defense.
Kids and their toys
Germs and children go hand-in-hand, especially when it comes to their toys.
But some common-sense precautions, like frequent handwashing, could help keep the germs away, said Dr. Patrick Daley, a Tulsa pediatrician. "I tell people that germs are everywhere. We're not going to make (the home) be a bubble and be safe from everything," Daley said. "But it is a good idea, especially if you have other kids over to play" to sanitize the toy box and bedroom.
Still, he said, many parents simply don't have time to wash a toy every time a child touches it.
"I'm really a non-panicker. I think it's probably more important in winter when kids have (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and the flu to get down to the basic stu ff like handwashing. Throw stuff away, put it in the right place, when you cough wash your hands. I worry about things that put kids in the hospital like RSV and flu and rotavirus."
Scares about lead paint on toys have concerned many parents recently, leading many toy manufacturers, such as Hasbro, to create advertising campaigns to let parents know that their toys are safe. But what about all those toys in your child's toy box -- are they safe?
In the May issue of Health magazine, a report on the most toxic places in the home lists the toy box as an area of concern.
"The fact is that not each and every toy is going to be tested for lead," said Frances Largeman-Roth, Health's food and nutrition editor. "The best way to go is with a wood toy without a lot of bright paint or to look online at consumerreports.org."
Still, Daley said that in his experience, it's rare for a child to get lead poisoning from a toy.
"I've been checking kids for lead blood levels for years, and never have I had one that is high," he said. "But I don't think it's a total waste of money to check kids if they live in a very old house with 20 coats of paint on the windows," he said.
Storage space
One of the biggest mistakes people make is how they store household cleaners and chemicals, said Michael Patton, executive director of Tulsa's Metropolitan Environmental Trust. He said chemicals can seep into your life without you knowing about it.
"How you store products in the home is vitally important. I'm amazed at how many people put lawn chemical next to the kids' croquet mallets," Patton said.
"I'm not anti-chemical, I'm anti storing an open bottle of chemicals. Buy what you need and use it up -- storing open bottles leads to all kinds of environmental problems. If you don't need it, give it to your neighbor to use," he said.
And another important, often-skipped step is to read the label.
"Before you buy something at the store, look at the label and ask yourself, 'Do I know how to use this product properly?' And look for certain words -- danger, caution, warning, corrosive," Patton said.
Knowing what products you already have at home is another way to reduce chemical exposure.
"Inventory the chemicals in your home. Get a note pad and go into the garage, under the sink and in the medicine cabinet," he said. "This keeps you from buying too much and to make better decisions."
In through the door
Some hidden toxins can enter your fortress in an even sneakier way -- by foot. Strolling in the grass doesn't come without consequences these days, Largeman- Roth said.
"Everybody wants a green lawn and to keep up with their neighbor's lawn, but some of those herbicides and pesticides are quite toxic," she said. "If you are going to use a service that uses herbicides and pesticides, make sure you're not walking on the lawn and bring them in the house through your shoes."
Letting kids roll around in treated grass also is risky, Largeman-Rot h said, and there's more than one solution.
"There are safer and more eco-friendly lawn sprays, so you can certainly opt for those," she said. "The other thing I always say is to take your shoes off in the home . . . it's not just a dirt issue.
You're not only walking through a lawn that might have been sprayed, but there are oil spills on sidewalks, all different things you can pick up. It's best to leave them outside the front door."
In the bedroom
Another potentially unhealthy area that you might not think about is the bedroom, Largeman-Roth said.
Yes, mattresses are often full of dust mites and other allergens, but older mattresses often have been treated with fl ame-retardant chemicals.
"We're not saying throw the mattress away tomorrow, but if you're going to replace it anyway, there are organic options," she said.
Some mattress are now being made from organic cotton or wool, which is a natural fl ame retardant, she said.
"This is especially important for babies -- they spend a lot more time in their beds than adults do."
For more about the Health magazine report, go to www.tulsaworld.com/healthmagazine, and for more information about safely storing chemicals and medicines, visit www.tulsaworld.com/themet.
Source: Tulsa World
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