With all these chemicals, it’s no wonder that the EPA found the air quality in our homes to be 5 times to 10 times more toxic than the air outside, and typically contaminated by anywhere from 20 to 150 different pollutants. Much of this pollution comes from petrochemical cleaners.

Want to learn more about the potential hazards related to the cleaning products you are currently using?

If you would like to find out about some of the chemicals in the cleaning products you use, www.scorecard.org provides ‘chemical profiles’ that allow you to type in the name of a chemical (just look on the ingredient list of a cleaning product to find one) and find out the health hazards associated with it. Household bleach, for example, is a neurotoxicant and blood toxicant.

Unfortunately, many commonly used cleaning products contain many toxic ingredients. If you are not using a 100% natural product, you are probably using dangerous chemicals. Be aware of products that do not disclose all of their ingredients.

Products that do not openly disclose all of their ingredients usually have something to hide. The words ‘organic’, ‘non-toxic’, and ‘eco-safe’ do not always mean the product is natural – or completely safe. On personal care and household products, the labels ‘organic’, ‘non-toxic’, and ‘eco-safe’ are not regulated by the FDA or USDA – this means that companies can use these terms even if their product is toxic and un-natural. Look for products that have nothing to hide and products that openly disclose all of their ingredients. Some products that use a ‘natural’ label, such as Ms Meyers, Simple Green and Method, contain artificial fragrances, and other chemicals, and are NOT natural products (see below for a list of products that ARE natural and safe).

Begin to read more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/index.cfm