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Tuberose.com
Information for Transformation |
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This self-help alternative medicine site offers extensive educational information on the topics of natural healing, holistic and biological dentistry, herbal medicine, cleansing and detoxification, heavy metal detox, diet, nutrition, weight loss, and the finest, tried and tested health equipment and products available for the natural management of health. |
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Healthy Home
Today's modern home is loaded with toxic and polluting substances designed to make domestic life easier. The cost of these commercial, chemical-based products can be high--long term health concerns for the family, and environmental pollution caused by their manufacture and disposal. In the
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1,4-dichlorobenzene and para-dichlorobenzene 1,4-Dioxane known carcinigeous chemicals penetrate the skin. 1,4-dioxane PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, sodium laureth sulfate or oxynol, Polysorbate 60 and polysorbate 80 is bad news. Does it sound like something your baby should sniff while you cuddle him or her? Look at the ingredients of your moisturizers and other body lotions. 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol or Bronopol used as preservative forms carcinogenic nitrosamines in cosmetics, shampoo, lotions and even baby products. Take care! 2-Butoxy-1-Ethanol or butyl cellosolve are in most aerosol propellants. Alkyl Phenoxy Polyethoxy Ethanol or phenol is a natural pesticide in everything! Read your labels on every bottle or propellant you have in your home. Ammonia or ammonium chloride, ammonium hydroxide, benzalkonium chloride and quaternary ammonium compounds irritate skin, eyes and breathing passages and cause skin cancer.
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Take a look at your stuff under the sink in the bathroom! Read your labels. Plants, animals and fish don't like it. Why should you? The EPA lists ammonia as a toxic chemical so why is it in a wide range of household cleaning products including glass cleaners, all-purpose cleaners, disinfectants and more. Watch out for Ammonium Chloride, Ammonium Hydroxide, Amyl Acetate from banana oil, pear oil that irritate skin and effect the brain cells. Neurotoxins cause central nervous system and depression. Its in your furniture polish, nail finishes, nail polish remover and perfume. Benzalkonium Chloride is used as a disinfectant in hand soaps, dish washing detergent, disinfectants and cleaners. Benzene kills off your mucus membranes, poisons you if you swallow some and the fumes are toxic. The EPA and OSHA admit its a threat to public health but oven cleaners, detergents, furniture polish, spot removers, nail polish remover are full of this. What is the EPA doing on this? Ask? Ask in which century do they plan to phase these toxic products out of use. Bronopol 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol Butane, butoxyethanol, Butyl cellosolve, 2-butoxy-1-ethanol, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, butoxyethanol, butyl oxitol are all highly toxic synthetic solvents and grease cutters designed for the purpose of eating thru living matter. What are your membranes, your liver, your skin and your brain? They are found in degreasers, window cleaners, and other household cleaning products.
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Butyl Oxitol, Butylparaben, Carbon Disulfide, and Caustic Soda are a few more to watch out for. Chlorine or sodium hypochlorite, hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, sodium dichloroixocyanurate, hydrogen chloride, hydrochloric acid, and Chlorine Dioxide can be fatal upon inhalation. Chlorine and its byproducts cause injuries and deaths. Chlorine gas was very efficient in of killing millions in concentrations camps and now chlorine gas is everywhere killing germs and what else? Check the list of chemical injuries, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and other break downs in the health of people in the last 50 years. Chlorinated drinking water causes bladder and rectal cancer. Is it the chemicals in the water or the chlorine or both? Chlorine is listed as a hazard yet its in dishwasher detergent, tub and tile cleaners and even put in swimming pools as well as drinking water enforced by the health department. They obviously have not heard of ozone and ultraviolet for disinfection. Cocamide DEA or cocamide diethanolamine form carcinogenic nitrosamines and are in most dish washing liquids, shampoos, cosmetics. Cocamide Diethanolamine is not too friendly either. Colors and Dyes (FD&C or D&C) are artificial colors are made from petrochemicals and are cancer-causing chemicals. Skin absorption as well as allergies are caused by these delightful dyes found in your children’s food, ice creams, sweets and medicines, and are also irritants to the skin and eyes. They are found on labels as FD&C or D&C and followed by a color and a number. Yellow, amber, green or blue products are obviously dyed with synthetic colors as are most all-purpose cleaners. Your medications are full of them so you do not mistake one poison for another. The medications for people suffering from allergies have these dyes in them.
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D-limonene is an eye and skin irritant causing neurotoxicity. D limonene is in paints, pet flea-control products, lice treatments and cleaning products. So called safe products made of citrus have this as the main ingredient. DEA (also known as diethanolamine and monoethanolamine) are effective in causing skin and eye irritation. They create carcinogenic nitrosamines when they react with other chemicals like nitrates. Check your household cleaning and personal care products to find them.
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Diammonium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Diethanolamine, Diethylene Dioxide, Diethylene Ether Diethylene Oxide Diethylene ether, dioxane is listed as a hazardous air pollutant in the 1990 Clean Air Act. Check your window cleaners. EDTA known as ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic and diammonium EDTA are experts in irritating mucus membranes and skin leading to allergies, asthma and skin rashes. They bind with heavy metals trapped in lakes and streams so fish and fowl can get their dose and transfer it to you or die. It’s in your laundry detergent. Ethoxylated Alcohols, Ethylene, Glycol Monobutyl, Ether Ethylene, diamine-tetra-acetic, and Ethylparaben Flame Retardants are all mutagenic and carcinogenic to animals. They are absorbed through the skin from clothing and bedding as is formaldehyde which is an irritating, allergy-producing neurotoxin and carcinogen causing insomnia, coughing, headaches, nausea, nosebleeds, skin rashes and allows for development of sensitivities to many other chemicals. 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and quaternium 15. All break down into formaldehyde. Used in deodorizers, nail polish and hardeners it is a common air pollutant, it is also used in permanent press sheets, mattresses, foam, plastics and building materials. School kids and seniors living or schooling in the new prefabricated or manufactured buildings are falling like flies from the effects of the formaldehyde poisoning in these buildings. Even fragrances are 95% derived from petrochemicals. Hundreds of chemicals make up the term fragrance. Ethylene chloride, formaldehyde, benzene and more. They cause allergies, skin irritation, headaches and nausea.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found a correlation between an ingredient found in shampoos and nervous system damage. The experiments were conducted with the brain cells of rats and they show that contact with this ingredient called methylisothiazoline, or MIT, causes neurological damage.
Which products contain this chemical compound MIT? Head and Shoulders, Suave, Clairol and Pantene Hair Conditioner all contain this ingredient. Researchers are concerned that exposure to this chemical by pregnant women could put their fetus at risk for abnormal brain development. In other people, exposure could also be a factor in the development of Alzheimer's disease and other nervous system disorders.
The chemical causes these effects by preventing communication between neurons. Essentially, it slows the networking of neurons, and since the nervous system and brain function on a system of neural networks, the slowing of this network will suppress and impair the normal function of the brain and nervous system. These finding were presented December 5th, 2005 at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting.
The vast majority of these products contain toxic chemical compounds like MIT that contribute to cancer, liver disorders and neurological diseases. In fact, this chemical, MIT, is just one of dozens of such chemicals that are found in personal care products.
Why are these dangerous personal care products allowed to remain on the market? Because the FDA, which is responsible for regulating these products, spends almost no time, money or effort actually investigating the safety of such products. Instead, the FDA spends the vast majority of its time approving new prescription drugs rather than protecting the public against the dangers from such drugs or personal care products like shampoos, soaps, deodorants and fragrance products.
Manufacturers can put practically any chemical they want into shampoos, even if it is a hazardous chemical listed in the RTECS database of toxicity and even if it is considered a toxic waste chemical by the EPA. The FDA allows all sorts of chemicals to be used in these products, including chemicals that are known carcinogens and that contribute to liver failure and nervous system disorders. How's that for protecting public health?
If you thought prescription drugs were dangerous, just take a look at the toxic chemicals found in personal care products used by virtually all Americans every single day. Americans bathe themselves in toxic chemicals and they do it by buying and using products made by brand name companies that have premier shelf positioning at convenience stores, grocery stores and discount clubs.
One of the more curious personal care products on the market is Herbal Essence Shampoo by Clairol. This product is a joke because it's trying to exploit the word "herbal" to imply that the shampoo is healthy, even though it is primarily made with the same ingredients as other popular shampoos. The first three ingredients, for example, are: water, sodium laureth, and sodium lauryl sulfate. You can find the same three ingredients in 99-cent of shampoos at Wal-Mart. Plus, the product contains all sorts of other ingredients that sould never be allowed to touch the skin (like methylchloroisothiazolinone,). Think the color of the shampoo is from the herbs? Think again. Three other ingredients in the shampoo are Yellow #5,
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Glycol ether brings about irritation of the skin, eyes, nose and throat, and create havoc to the reproductive system. Liver and kidney damage can be caused by absorption of these Ethers. Some household cleaning products, paints, cosmetics and perfumes use them. Read labels on your products. These are also absorbed by the skin, so why are they allowed in the products people use as cosmetics? Hydrochloric acid dissolves and destroys tender tissues upon direct contact. Eyes, nose and throat are easily irritated by vapors, they burn and result in permanent damage. Rust removers are known to use this acid. Hydrogen Chloride, Hypochlorite, Imidazolidinyl urea, and Diazolidinyl urea are most commonly used cosmetic preservatives after the parabens. This primary cause of contact dermatitis is in many cosmetics, baby shampoos, personal care products and fragrances, hair products, ointments, lotions. Your symptoms could be caused by hair shampoo. Lindane is toxic, causing convulsions and seizures, yet is used in shampoos for head lice. MEA, Methanol or methyl alcohol brings on eye and skin irritant to cause blindness. It is neurotoxic, yet found in household products such as glass cleaners, some paint removers and strippers, art products.
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Methyl Alcohol, methylparaben, methyl n-butyl ketone, monoethanolamine, and morpholine are extremely toxic are irritating to skin, eyes and mucus membranes, cause liver and kidney damage while reacting with nitrites to form nitrosamines. These you will discover in most of your cleaners, furniture polishes and car wax. n-hexane, naphthas, and napthalene used as moth balls cause irritation to eyes and skin, cataracts, corneal damage and kidney damage. These are carcinogens, extremely toxic to small children and infants and causes blood damage to the fetus they are in mothballs, air fresheners, deodorizers, carpet cleaners and toilet bowl cleaners. Nonylphenol is an endocrine disruptor and should be avoided.
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Octyl Dimethyl PABA, Organic Solvents, carbon disulfide, n-hexane, metyln-butyl ketone, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, and toluene are all neurotoxic and central nervous system depressants and hazardous to the reproductive systems. Used in cleaners, degreasers, metal polishes, varnish and lacquer removers, dry cleaning, paints and coatings, adhesives. EPA will take 50 years to make changed to industry norms. One chemical at a time is discussed and phased out every 10 years while another takes its place with a new name.
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Oxyno, lp-Dichlorobenzene, para-dichlorobenzene, and Paqdimate-O cause formation of nitrosamines and are bound to be in your sun screens and cosmetics. Para-dichlorobenzene p-dichlorobenzene, PDCB, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene are toxic, carcinogenic highly volatile chemicals causing liver and kidney damage. Used in moth repellents, toilet deodorizers, room deodorants and insecticides.
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Parabens such as methylparaben, poipylparaben, butylparaben, and ehylparaben are preservatives causing irritation and allergic as well as chemical reactions. They are used in personal care products, shampoo and cosmetics. PDCB para-dichlorobenzene, perchloroethylene are air pollutants and water contaminants. Drinking water contaminated with perc is associated with leukemia and birth defect. Long-term overexposure may affect the nervous system but they are in spot removers, degreasers and dry cleaning fluids.
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Petroleum Distillates, Naphthas, such as toluene, xylene, benzene, and naphthalene, are all petrochemicals causing eye, skin and respiratory irritant. Neurotoxic effects lead to organic brain damage yet used freely in heavy-duty cleaners, laundry stain removers, furniture polish, car waxes, lice shampoo, home and garden pesticides and pet flea-control products. Phenol, Phenoxy Polyethoxy ethanol, and nonyl Phenoxy ethoxylate are toxic and carcinogens. Swelling, pimples and hives are common and a child can collapse if they swallow this product by mistake, cause circulatory collapse, convulsions, cold sweats, and coma. They are in most detergents, disinfectants and furniture polish.
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One of the leading causes of contact dermatitis are the propane propellants like butane. They effect the eye, throat and are respiratory irritants aggravating asthma and causing breathing difficulties, eye injuries and chemical burns brought about or provoked by a wide range of aerosol products, including oven cleaners, furniture polishes, air fresheners, insecticides and personal care products. Propylene glycol has severe adverse health effects including contact dermatitis and allergies, kidney and liver damage. Cosmetics, personal care products, baby products use propylene glycol. Pyrethrin is both an allergen and causes neurotoxic brain damage. Found in head lice treatments, pesticides and pet flea-control products. Sodium bisulfate in toilet bowel cleaners can damage your eyes, skin and breathing process. It’s in your toilet disinfectant. Sodium hydroxide, lye, caustic soda, soda lye is a most corrosive eye, skin and respiratory irritant. Lye can cause lung damage, blindness and be fatal if swallowed yet in wide range of household cleaners including oven cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners and drain openers.
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Cosmetic talc is carcinogenic and talc is the basis of powder in baby and bath powders, face powders, dry rouge, and foot powders. Toluene or xylene, organic solvent is a highly toxic petrochemical solvent. Dangerous to eye and skin and reproductive systems and an ingredient in spot removers, car cleaners, paints. Trichloroethane, a severe eye irritant is absorbed thru skin and is a dangerous air pollutant. Inhalation and ingestion thru cosmetics and as a degreaser can bring about death. Trichloroethylene a suspected carcinogen, irritating to eyes and nose and found is in spot removers. Should this be in your cosmetics?
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Your doctor can request material safety data and request full disclosure of the contents in your product including inert materials. A doctor may request full information by citing the code 29 CFR1910.1200 and 1910.20. The OSHA Hazard Communication and Access To Medical Records Standards allows health professionals access to trade secret information.
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If you were exposed to too much of one chemical at one time, you will find that in the future, the tiniest bit of any chemical, any place causes the same symptoms. This is called the "spreading phenomenon." Those who are fortunate and have no chemical sensitivity often will not believe you. No one doubts that pollen allergies only affect certain people, but for some strange reason, they do not believe that chemicals can affect only some who happen to be sensitive. You can become ill from the odors in churches, malls, restaurants, and public lavatories (disinfectants or deodorizers). You can become ill after putting gas in your car, in heavy traffic, at toll booths, or after traveling on a freshly asphalt roads. You can't read certain books with shiny, smelly paper or a newspaper that has wet ink or colored print. You may crave certain odors or aromas, such as the smell of perfumes, gasoline, funeral parlors, etc. Or others will ironically detest, not crave, the odors to which they are sensitive. At first, those with chemical sensitivities have a markedly increased sense of smell. Later on, they can lose their sense of smell and its associated protection completely. Then they can be in even more danger. They don't know when to run for clean air. These individuals have toxic dump sites in their body and they must take measures to decrease the load.
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Modern household cleaning products are significantly more effective than the products our mothers and grandmothers used. Synthetic cleaning compounds, anti-redeposition agents, chlorine bleaches, builders, and optical brighteners have produced a generation of cleaners that work under more varied conditions, against more forms of dirt, in colder water, and with less effort than ever before.
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But in our attempts to get our clothes whiter than white and homes cleaner than clean (and in less time than ever before), we’ve accepted a plethora of chemicals in conventional cleaners whose presence raises significant health and environmental concerns. In fact, many of the chemicals that are found - unregulated - in conventional household cleaning products are not allowed in workplaces due to Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulations.
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For most home-cleaning chores, you can make your own cleaning products using the formulas listed below. A growing number of commercial non-toxic home cleaning products are also available, as healthier and environmentally responsible alternatives.
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Thousands of households products sold each year contain toxic ingredients. Drain cleaners, oven cleaners, pesticides, and furniture polish are a few examples. Use them improperly and, these products can endanger our health and the air quality in our homes. Dispose of them improperly, and they can pollute our drinking water. What can you do to reduce the amount of hazardous products in your home?
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1. Use multi-purpose cleaners
Contrary to what advertisers would have you believe, you do not need a different product to clean each surface in your home. There are many products that will clean a variety of different surfaces. Multi-purpose cleaners can reduce the number of cleaners you use, reduce the number of hazardous products in your home, and save you money, too! Read and follow label directions carefully.
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2. Buy the least harmful product available
Do you know the difference between a product that is labeled poison and one that is labeled danger? These signal words are regulated by the federal government. Any product which contains hazardous substances must be labeled as such. The front label must include a warning and a description of the hazard.
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POISON. . . highly toxic or poisonous
DANGER. . . extremely flammable, corrosive, or highly toxic
WARNING or CAUTION. . .moderately or slightly toxic
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The product must include a statement telling you how to avoid the hazard and how to use the product safely.
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To reduce the danger in your home, buy cleaners labeled "warning" or "caution" and pesticides with "caution" on the label. These products are less harmful.
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When reading labels, do not be fooled by the words "non-toxic." This is an advertising term. It is not defined by the federal government, so it can be used on toxic products.
It is very important that you know as much as possible about products before you use them so that you can protect yourself and your family. If a product label doesn't give a list of ingredients or adequate instructions for its safe use, choose another product.
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Regulations concerning pesticides are different. On pesticides, the word "warning" means that the product is moderately toxic. This means that one teaspoon to one ounce can kill an average adult. The word "caution" means that the product is slightly toxic. It would take over one ounce to kill an average person.
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3. Use preventative measures
There's an old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That's true for cleaning and polishing. If soil is allowed to accumulate, removing it becomes more difficult. Wiping up spills when they occur can prevent stains and eliminate the need for tough specialty cleaners, which often are more toxic and more harmful to surfaces. For example, harsh abrasives gradually scratch and chlorine bleach can dull the shiny finishes of sinks, bathtubs, and appliances with porcelain enamel surfaces. Once the surface becomes dull and rough, it will get dirty faster and stain deeper. Then it becomes almost impossible to keep clean.
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Wipe away grease and spills in the oven after each use, or put a liner on the oven bottom to catch spills and you can reduce the need for an oven cleaner. Cover sink and shower drains with a screen to keep out food scraps and hair. Don't pour grease down the drain. Collect it in an empty can and put it in the trash. These steps will reduce your need for a drain cleaner. Open windows to air out the house occasionally to avoid the use of chemical air fresheners.
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4. Use alternative or less toxic, homemade products
One way to get a safer product is to make it yourself. For "recipes" for homemade cleaning products. Homemade products have definite advantages, but they also have disadvantages. Be sure to consider the following:
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What do you gain by making your own products?
Economy -- Many of the ingredients are inexpensive, so you may save money over time.
Storage space -- Many of the ingredients are common household products you already have, and you can mix up small batches so that you don't have to store many products.
Control of the chemicals in your home -- Since you mix them, you decide the amount and type of chemicals in the cleaning products you use.
Safety -- Homemade products generally have less toxic chemicals in them. They are safer for you, the air in your home stays cleaner, and disposal of these products is less dangerous.
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What are the problems related to homemade products?
They may take longer to clean effectively. Since they may not be as strong, they may take more time to work. You may need to let the product "sit" on the surface for longer than usual, or you may have to go over a surface several times.
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More elbow grease may be required. You may have to scrub harder.
They may not clean as well. If you have used harsh cleaners on surfaces over a long period of time, the surface may be scratched. Then you will need strong chemicals to truly clean deep stains.
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If you decide to make your own cleaners, you must use and store them safely. While the ingredients in homemade cleaners are safer, they are not all non-toxic. Keep these guidelines in mind:
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It may be impossible for you to eliminate hazardous cleaning products in your home, but you can still reduce the risks to your family and your environment by making wise buying decisions and by handling products properly.
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When Buying:
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When Using:
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When Storing:
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There are several ways you can reduce the amount of hazardous products in your home and protect your air and water.
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Buy and use multi-purpose cleaners on a variety of surfaces, rather than buying a different product for each surface.
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Buy the least harmful product available. Read the label and buy products marked "Warning" or "Caution" rather than "Danger" or "Poison."
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Wipe up spills when they happen to avoid the need for strong chemicals to remove stains later.
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Make your own cleaning products.
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Reducing the number of hazardous products you buy reduces the sources of household hazardous waste later. Wise buying decisions and good management practices can reduce the hazards in the home, in the air we breathe and in the water we drink.
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One way you can reduce the number of hazardous products you have in your home is to make your own cleaning products. Wise buying decisions and good management practices can reduce the hazards in the home, in the air we breathe, and in the water we drink.
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All-Purpose Cleaner I
4 tablespoons baking soda
1 quart warm water
Dissolve baking soda in warm water. Apply with a sponge. Rinse with clear water.
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All-Purpose Cleaner II
Apply baking soda to a damp sponge. Rinse with clear water.
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All-Purpose Cleaner III
1 tablespoon ammonia
1 tablespoon liquid detergent
1 pint water (2 cups)
Mix ingredients and put in spray bottle. Spray on surface. Wipe. Rinse with clear water. Ammonia is a toxic ingredient. Handle it with care and store it safely.
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Drain Cleaner
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup white vinegar
Boiling water
Pour baking soda down the drain. Add white vinegar and cover the drain, if possible. Let set for 5 minutes. Then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain. (The vinegar and baking soda break down fatty acids into soap and glycerine, allowing the clog to wash down the drain.) Do not use this method if you have used a commercial drain opener and it may still be present in the drain.
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Drain Opener
Use a plunger (plumber's helper). It may take a number of plunges to unclog the drain. Do not use this method if you have used a commercial drain opener and it may still be present in the drain.
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Drain Cleaner and Opener
Use a flexible metal snake. The mechanical snake may be purchased or rented. Thread it down the clogged drain, and you will be able to push the clog away.
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Furniture Cleaner and Polish I
3 cups olive oil
1 cup vinegar
Mix together until well blended. Use a clean, soft cloth to apply to the furniture.
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Furniture Cleaner and Polish II
Wet a washcloth. Wring out as much water as possible. Wipe furniture surface with damp washcloth. Dry immediately with a clean, soft, dry cloth. (You can remove sticky fingerprints and dust safely from wood surfaces, but furniture with an oil finish needs an oil-based cleaner).
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Lime and Mineral Deposit Remover
Soak paper towels in vinegar. Apply the paper towels to the lime deposits around the faucet. Leave them on for approximately one hour. The deposits will be softened and can be removed easily.
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Aluminum Cleaner
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 quart water
To clean aluminum cookware, combine ingredients in cookware. Bring solution to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Wash and dry as usual.
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Brass Cleaner
Lemon juice
Baking soda
Make a paste about the consistency of toothpaste. Rub onto brass with a soft cloth. Rinse with water and dry.
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Brass Cleaner
Lemon juice
Cream of tartar
Make a paste about the consistency of toothpaste. Apply to surface, leave on for 5 minutes. Wash with warm water. Dry with a soft cloth.
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Chrome and Stainless Steel Cleaner
Dip soft cloth in undiluted white vinegar. Wipe surface.
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Oven Cleaner
Baking soda
Very fine steel wool
Sprinkle water on oven surface. Apply baking soda. Rub using very fine steel wool. Wipe off scum with a damp sponge. Rinse well and dry.
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Oven Cleaner
While oven is still warm, sprinkle water on the spill, then sprinkle salt on it. When the oven cools down, scrape the spill away and wash the area.
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Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Borax
Lemon juice
Mix lemon juice and borax to make a paste about the consistency of toothpaste. Flush toilet to wet sides. Rub paste on toilet bowl ring. Let sit for 2 hours and then scrub thoroughly. Borax is a toxic ingredient. Handle it with care and store it safely.
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Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Baking soda
Vinegar
Sprinkle baking soda into the toilet bowl. Add vinegar. Scour with a toilet brush.
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Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Pour 1/2 cup liquid chlorine bleach into toilet bowl. Let stand for 30 to 45 minutes. Scrub with a brush. Flush. Do not mix bleach with vinegar, toilet bowl cleaner, or ammonia. Chlorine bleach is a toxic ingredient. Handle it with care and store it safely.
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Adhesives 4-PC (4-phenylcyclohexene and at least 31 chemicals such as Styrene from SB latex backing that is used on 95% of carpets are not in our carpet. Styrene a known toxin and suspected carcinogen and 4-PC are not used. 4 -PC has not been proven toxic by industry research. It sure hurts many that breathe it but research often goes the way determined by industry and not by consumers who are injured. Fumes and odors associated with new carpets cause headaches, runny eyes and nose. Odors persist for months and years as do fatigue and malaise from newly renovated homes and offices. After an EPA headquarters incident when hundreds of employees became ill of sick building syndrome, the chemical companies supplying SB latex to the carpet industry coordinated a Styrene Butadiene Latex Manufacturers Council. Tests where done to appease the public. You can imagine the results. Vinyl-backed carpet tiles were tested. They emitted a distinct chemical odor, such as vinyl acetate and formaldehyde. CPSC study did not find any negative health could result from this. Interactive effects between two or more chemicals exaggerated the effect of one chemical at a time but industry continues to produce carpets with many chemicals. Health complaints associated with carpets include neurological,central nervous system and respiratory problems.
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Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and Environmental Illness (EI) are on the increase as people become exposed to low level exposures whether chronic or in one onslaught. Volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), styrene, 4-PC, and formaldehyde are often the worst and some states warn people of their presence in carpets. Carpets are sometimes labeled as being dangerous to people with chemical sensitivities yet industry persists in using carpet adhesives and seam sealants cushions, and pads, emitting dangerous toxic chemical fumes.
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Carpet adhesive is spread over the entire surface and is usually SB latex. Seam sealants release 1,1,1-trichloroethane and toluene. The trichloroethane was requested to be phased out by 1996. Who knows what it has been relabeled as ? If a product is included as INERT then its not there. ( So imply EPA and FDA rulings) Many carpets with nylon face fibers are stitched into polypropylene primary backing and positioned with styrene butadiene latex ( SB latex, called SBR for styrene butadiene rubber) adhesive on the underside. Two pounds per square yard of carpet is the usual secondary SB backing for most carpets. Polypropylene is the primary backing for others. Some carpets have fabric or polymer secondary backing, attached with a thin coat of SB latex. Synthetic foam cushion laminated directly to carpet is another form of backing. Carpet installed using tackless strips around the perimeter, over a cushion and stapled to the subfloor is preferable to glues. Commercial installations use adhesive, in two layers or one if cushioning is built into the carpet. Backing materials of styrene butadiene latex are highly reactive compounds made of toxic components. 4-PC, SB Latex, polypropylene or polyurethane. Chemicals we would like to avoid in our living rooms and bedrooms to be sure. Carpet cushion of bonded urethane, prime urethane, sponge rubber, synthetic fiber, and rubberized jute. Are usual cushioning material for carpets. Urethane is made by foaming urethane and methyl butane. Sponge rubber cushion is synthetic rubber material than has been vulcanized, or foamed. Carpet dyeing, resistant Scotchguard, anti static and antimicrobial treatments, mothproofing all add to the chemical stew.
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Wool is a natural healthy product with natural flame resistance, is durable with high moisture and protein content that has natural flame resistance and avoids combustion. Wool carpet does not ignite and is self-extinguishable. Wool carpet is non-toxic, non-allergenic and deters bacterial growth. Moisture content of wool reduces static electricity. Wool carpet purifies indoor air of common contaminants like formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide by locking the contaminants deep in the core of the fiber. Wool carpets actually purifies indoor air. If you clean your carpets and do not have dark dusty corners there will be no moths in your carpet. Fresh air and movement will deter moths. Wool’s natural fibers form air pockets that collect air in its own cells insulating and regulating temperature. New wool carpets shed loose fibers which decrease in a few months. Vacuuming is great for the carpet as fibers, soil, dirt are removed easily leaving carpet fresh and clean. Grooming the carpet maintains its appearance. For liquid spills blot with clean, dry absorbent cloths then blot with clean damp cool towels. Hot towels come after the cool as the stain if protein need not be cooked. Continue to blot with clean, dry towels until the area is dry. Avoid soap.
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Wool from a living animal should be treated as a living thing. Treat your wool carpet as if it where a lamb. Gently brush and freshen with a light water wash. Wool carpeting will comfort, beautify your home and protect your health for 30 years and then you can put it in your garden to add nutrients as wool is biodegradable and will add to your soil and not create a toxic waste dump in your backyards.
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