How green is the cleaning product stash under your sink?
When we first became aware of the dangers of toxic chemicals, I filled a large box with bottles of products labeled "danger," "warning," and "caution."
Did you know that the warning labels required by the US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Toxic Substances includes the following official definitions? Danger: a taste to a teaspoon can be fatal to an adult; Warning: a teaspoon to an ounce can be fatal to an adult; Caution: an ounce to a pint can be fatal to an adult. When our children were small, the skull and crossbones was used to label many household products. I haven't seen it anywhere recently except on our 40-year-old bottle of iodine. Yet more than 7 million accidental poisonings occur each year with more than 75% involving children under age 6, according to the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
7th Generation's non-toxic household products, e.g., are becoming readily available; our local grocery store carries their paper products. We buy their dishwasher soap, fabric softener, and several other items. If every household in the US replaced just one roll of paper towels with 7th Generation's 100% recycled ones, we could save 864,000 trees, 3.4 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 354 million gallons of water, a year's supply for 10,000 families of four. Visit their website: www.seventhgen.com to learn about non-toxic, phosphate-free, biodegradable cleaning and laundry products, as well as other home necessities. In an effort to educate this and future generations, the company publishes The Seventh Generation Guide to a Toxic-Free Home. Designed to help consumers protect themselves from toxic products and chemicals, it is available on the website. We can help keep poisons out of the environment and keep our families safer by being intentional about choosing effective, non-toxic, and/or recycled household products.
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