Household Products

After finding out how harmful the chemicals were in my personal care products, I was anxious to find out what further research on my household products would reveal. The most commonly used household product is Pine-Sol Multi-Surface Cleaner and Lysol Disinfectant Wipes.
Upon further research through the Household Product Database I was surprised to find that Pine-Sol's toxicity rating is slight. The level of severity for acute exposures is 1 which means that this chemical's ingredients, hydroxyacetic acid and alcohol can cause eye or skin irritation. Based on OSHA Standards, Pine-Sol is considered hazardous. It does not contain any carcinogenic ingredients. Lysol wipes toxicity rating is moderate. The level of severity is 2 which means that the ethanol and alkyl dimethylbenzylammonium chloride. There are no known carcinogenic ingredients. Caution again is advised as it may cause some skin or eye irritation and surfaces or appliances that come in contact with food should be rinsed well before use.

 I was expecting these household products to be more hazardous to my health as they have a very strong smell and a small amount of Pine-Sol goes a long way. I was always a bit nervous about using lysol wipes without gloves because I was fearful of transdermal diffusion of chemicals. I've seen this ingredient used in food as well. Through further research, this ingredient is a polysaccharide commonly used in food but can also be used as stabilizer to promote cohesion. It was interesting to read that one of the ingredients in Pine-Sol was Xanthan Gum. This ingredient is a bit controversial in that some people find it unhealthy.Even though Xanthan Gum received no score, this is still an ingredient I am going to watch out for simply because it is too versatile for my taste. 

 Although, there are no known long term hazardous I can not help but think about what Ken Cook spoke on regarding lack of product regulations in his 10 Americans presentation. Based upon this review, I feel comfortable enough to continue using these product albeit I will handle them with gloves to prevent skin irritation and keep my mini paranoia at bay. It is good practice for everyone to read the labels and be familiar with the health risks of all their household products, especially with children in the household. 

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