A Small Dose of Toxics at

Home (07/25/05)

PowerPoint Presentation (also available in pdf Acrobat format)
References / Additional Information

TOXICS AT HOME DOSSIER
Name: Toxics at Home
Use: Naturally occurring (mold, radon) and purchased household products (medicines, pesticides, cleaning agents, paint, mercury thermometers)
Source: Natural and manufactured
Recommended daily intake: usually not recommended
Absorption: skin, oral, inhalation
Sensitive individuals: children (account for majority of poisoning incidents around the home)
Toxicity/symptoms: varies greatly (acute and long term effects)
Regulatory facts: EPA, FDA, Consumer Product Safety Commission
General facts: Many house products are necessary, but often less toxic alternatives are available
Environmental: serious environmental concern (i.e. mercury, detergents)
Recommendations: use less toxic alternatives, dispose of hazardous wastes properly

REFERENCES / ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

European, Asian, and International Agencies

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Household Waste Management. Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  Site has a self-directed educational program on managing household waste.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Envir $ense. Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  Site has fact sheet on safe substitutes at home - non-toxic household products.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics (OPPT). Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  The site promotes safer chemicals and risk education.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  This site contains information on indoor air and related health issues.
• California - Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment - Education - Art Hazards. Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  Site has information on hazards art supplies and substitutes.

North American Agencies

• U.S. Household Products Database – National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine. Online. (accessed: 10 September 2003).
  Site has a range of information about household products including their potential health threats.
  
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agencies - National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA). Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  NCEA goals are to apply "science to improve risk assessment and environmental decision making."
• California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). Risk Assessment - Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  "OEHHA is responsible for developing and providing risk managers in state and local government agencies with toxicological and medical information relevant to decisions involving public health."
• U.S. Brookhaven National Laboratory - Safety & Health Services Chemical Management. Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  Site contains a comprehensive table listing chemicals and compares their designation as carcinogens by national and international agencies.

Non-Government Organizations

• American Lung Association of Washington (ALAW) (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  Site has information on childhood asthma and the Master Home Environmentalist Program.
• American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC). Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  "AAPCC is a nationwide organization of poison centers and interested individuals."
• California Poison Control System (CPCS). Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  Site has wide range of information on poisons in and around the home.
• Non-Toxic.info. Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  This site provides "information about dangerous chemicals found in cosmetics and personal care products, in common cleansers we use at home and at work, and in toxic products we may expose ourselves to every day."
• Center for Health, Environment and Justice - Child Proofing our Communities Campaign. Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  Site is "geared to protect children from exposures to environmental health hazards."
• Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC). Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  WTC provides information on model pesticide policies, alternatives to home pesticides, information on persistent chemical pollutants, and much more.
• Washington State, Seattle - Environment. Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  Site covers information on encouraging a sustainable environment including purchasing less toxic products.
• Green Seal. Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  Green Seal encourages the purchasing of products and services that cause less toxic pollution and waste.
• Washington State, King County - Household Hazardous Waste. Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).
  Site contains information on managing and disposing of household hazardous products and waste.

References

Get The Deep Dust Our of Carpets - Protecting Small Children form Dust, Lead, Allergens and Mold. Seattle League of Women Voters (accessed 23 July 2005).

A Guide to Health Risk Assessment. California Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Available as a pdf file. Online. (accessed: 10 April 2003).

Litovitz TL, Klein-Schwartz W, White S, Cobaugh D, Youniss J, Omslaer J, Drab A, and Benson B. 2000 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposures Surveillance System. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 19(5): 337 - 396; 2001.

Ott, Wayne R., and John Roberts. Everyday Exposure to Toxic Pollutants; Scientific American, February 1998 (pdf of article).