HEALTHY HOME, CLEAN WATERS

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HEALTHY HOME, CLEAN WATERS
Charen Fegard, Environmental Health Programs
[phone]
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Why It Matters

• 110,000 new chemicals in the US since WWII.(1)
• Recent US study found 287 synthetic chemicals in
  just 10 newborns.(2)
• Adults have dozens more, plus 13 pesticides.(3)
• Man-made chemicals are petroleum based
  persistent.
• The environment causes upwards of 90 percent of
  all cancers.(4)
• Indoor air can be more seriously polluted than
  the outdoor air in the largest, most
  industrialized cities.(5)
• Of 2,983 chemicals identified in personal care
  products, 884 were toxic. (6)
• The same chemical companies sell different
  formulas in Europe.

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Classes of Hazardous Chemicals

• Flammable
• Reactive
• Corrosive
• Toxic

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Products That May Contain Toxins

• Air Fresheners
• Arts Crafts
• Automobile Chemicals
• Cleaning Laundry Products
• Fluorescent Lights Thermostats (Hg)
• Health Beauty Products
• Lawn Care Chemicals
• Paints Thinners
• Pesticides Insect Repellents
• Pet Care Products

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Evaluate Products

• Labels
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• www.scorecard.org
• http//householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov

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Labels May Reveal

• Active Ingredients
• Signal Words
• Danger
• Poison
• Warning
• Caution
• Confirmed Acute Health Effects
• Use Disposal Recommendations
• Unregulated, Feel Good Words (Non-Toxic, Natural,
  Safer)

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Labels May Not Reveal

• Ingredients
• Fragrances
• Inert Ingredients
• Possible Chronic (Long-term) Health Effects
• Possible Environmental Impacts

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Acute Health Effects

• Eye, Nose, Throat Irritation
• Nausea, Vomiting
• Stomach Ache, Diarrhea
• Skin Irritation, Rash
• Dizziness, Tremors, Muscle Weakness
• Headaches
• Blurred Vision
• Excessive Sweating, Fever

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Chronic Health Effects

• Nervous System Damage
• Immune System Damage
• Decreased Fertility
• Birth Defects
• Cancer
• Mutation
• Organ Damage
• Hormone Disruption

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Material Safety Data SheetQuality Thoroughness
Vary

• Web Search Product Name MSDS
• Reveals
• Product Manufacturer Data
• Health Hazard Data
• Hazardous Ingredients
• Special Protection Precautions
• Transport Regulatory Data
• Spill Waste Disposal Data
• Reactivity Data
• Fire Explosion Data
• Physical Data

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Routes of Exposure

• Breathing
• Skin
• Mouth
• Eyes Nose

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Children Chemical Injury

• Immature Immune Organ Systems
• Eat, Drink Breathe More Per Pound
• Ground Level Play
• Hand to Mouth Behavior
• Many Years Still Ahead

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Personal Care Products (PCP)

• Contact Care
• Depilatories
• Eye Care
• Eye Treatment
• Facial Cleanser
• Foundation
• Hair Dyes
• Hair Growth
• Moisturizer
• Nail Treatments
• Nail Polish
• Perfumes
• Shampoo
• Sunscreen
• Tanning Oil

• Cosmetics industry self-regulated since 1938 the
  FDA only classifies PCPs.(6)
• Term Organic not regulated clearly in PCP
  industry.(6)
• 7 known toxins are banned, but many more are
  allowed in cosmetic formulations.(6)
• Triclosan, anti-bacterial agent banned in EU EPA
  lists as a most hazardous pesticide (6) is now
  in breast milk.(10)
• FDA cannot require recalls of harmful personal
  care products.(9)
• Toxic contaminants produced during manufacturing
  are not required listed as an ingredient on PCP
  labels.(10)
• Many chemicals are absorbed by our skin.

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Personal Care Product Action StepsAVOID The
Following Toxins

• Acrylamide
• 4-Amino 2-Hydroxytoluene
• Benzyl violet 4B
• Coal Tar
• 5-Diamine
• Dibutyl Phthalate
• Disperse Violet I
• Ethylacrylate
• Ethylene Oxide
• Formaldehyde
• HC Red No.3
• I-Naphthol
• Lead acetate
• M-aminophenol

• M-Phenyledediamine
• Mercury
• N,N-BIS (2-Hydroxyethyl)-p-Phenyledediamine
  Sulfate
• N-Phenyl-p-phenyledediamine
• O-aminophenol
• P-aminophenol
• P-Phenyledeiamin
• Petroleum Distillates
• Phenyl Methyl Pyrazolone
• Progesterone
• Selenium Sulfide
• Toluene
• Toluene-2

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Fluorescent Bulbs (Mercury)Action Steps

• Store safely to avoid breakage
• In Case of Breakage
• Evacuate room.
• Ventilate for at least 15 minutes to
• clear vapors.
• Use gloves, cardboard, damp paper-towels tape
  to clean up. DO NOT VACUUM, which blows heats
  contaminated dust into the air now and during
  later vacuuming.
• Place in sealed container, label MERCURY
  dispose of as hazardous waste with your WMD.

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Pesticides

• Chemicals designed to kill living organisms
• Herbicides
• Insecticides
• Fungicides
• Rodenticides
• Anti-Bacterials
• Are not created equal
• Can persist up to 15 years bio-accumulate
• Affect childhood development
• Can injure humans other beneficial organisms

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Pesticide Action Steps

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Seal entryways
• Eliminate pest habitat food
• Determine critical mass
• Use least toxic alternatives
• Use pesticides only as a last resort (post
  signage before after use)
• Dispose as hazardous waste

Insist Your School Use IPM
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Toxins In the Trash

• At the Landfill
• Toxins
• Leach Into Ground H2O
• Evaporate into the air
• Persist

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Dumping, Flushing, Pouring Toxins Down the
Drain

• Ground Run Off Filtration
• Water Treatment Systems
• Private Septic
• Municipal Waste Water Treatment

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Septic Systems

• Solids settle in the tank
• Lighter matter scums at top
• Bacteria digests organic matter
• Liquid drains from tank into leach field via
  pipes
• Many chemicals are NOT broken down

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Ground Water
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Municipal Water Treatment

• Solids are strained, filtered settled out to
  sludge
• Lighter material is aerated, settled and
  chemically treated to kill pathogens
• Bacteria digest organic matter
• Liquid effluent is discharged as clean water
• Many chemical contaminants are NOT broken down

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Hazardous Materials Action Steps

• Inventory
• Research
• Use up borderline product
• Dispose of hazardous products through your Waste
  Management District (WMD)
• Make or buy safer alternatives

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Safer Products

• Disclose ALL ingredients on label
• No harsh Signal Words on label
• Poison
• Danger
• Plant or bio-based ingredients
• pH Neutral
• Non-aerosol
• No overwhelming chemical odor

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Resources for a Safer Home

• Chemical Profiles www.scorecard.org
• Pesticides
• General Info www.beyondpesticides.org
• Less Toxic www.gardners.com
• Pesticide Profiles www.pesticideinfo.org/Index.
  html
• Radon Testing (VT only 0 to 25) 1(800)
  439-8550
• Retail Products
• www.ewg.org,
• www.breastcancerfund.org
• www.newdream.org
• http//householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/
• www.womenandenvironment.org/
• Cleaner Recipes www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipe
  s.cfm
• Your Waste Management District
• Find www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/wastediv/solid/pubs
  /solid_dist.pdf
• Contact www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/wastediv/solid/s
  wmdlist.htm

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Resources for Safer Schools

• VDHs Healthy Schools ENVISION Program
  http//healthvermont.gov/enviro/envision.aspx
  alascala_at_vdh.state.vt.us [phone]
• AVRs Cleaning Product Evals Reviews
  
  techassist_at_vtrecyclers.org [phone]
• Free Radon Testing in VT [phone]
• 3rd Party Certified Green Commercial Cleaning
  Products www.greenseal.org
  www.environmentalchoice
  .com
• Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning Assessment
  Support
  www.vtvsa.org/index.php?id5 or SEMP_at_vtvsa.org
• Bus Idling www.anr.state.vt.us/air/MobileS
  ources/htm/Diesel.htm marci.young_at_state.vt.us
• Integrated Pest Management http//paipm.cas.psu.e
  du/schoolmn/contents.htm
• School IAQ Assessment
  http//www.epa.gov/iaq/schools

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• In A Perfect World

We are ALL safe from chemical injury in our
environment at home, work and play.
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Sponsors

• References
• Naturally Clean, Seventh Generation, Jeffery
  Hollander
• http//archive.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsum
  m.php
• FIFRA, 7USC section 136
• Cancer and Environment Higginson Speaks Out,
  Science 205 (1979) 1363-1366, at p. 1363. WTO,
  International Agency for Research on Cancer
• http//www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidest.html
• Judith Berns, "The Cosmetic Cover-up," Human
  Ecologist 43 (fall 1989)
• www.terressentials.com/organicbeauty.html
• http//www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_6
  163.cfm
• (US FDA, FDA Authority Over Cosmetics (Office of
  Cosmetics Fact Sheet, 1995)
• www.breastcancerfund.org
• Association of VT Recyclers
• www.vtrecyclers.org techassist_at_vtrecyclers.org