VOC

Detoxify Your Body and Your Environment

 

 

Canned tomatoes, shopping receipts and that “new” car or sweet new kitchen smell are all everyday things that can be hazardous to our health. Seemingly harmless activities and products are exposing us to a toxic suite of dangerous chemicals which have a number of known or potential negative health impacts such as skin irritations, allergies, reproductive and endocrine defects and even cancer.

We live in a toxic world, exposed to a vast range of chemicals in our food, products and environments, many of which, the immediate and long-term effects of, are unknown. But by staying informed and by being a conscious, educated consumer, you can protect your own and your families health, and as a bonus help out the environment as well because many of these chemicals can have the same impacts on animals and fishes that they do on us.

Canned goods and thermal paper shopping receipts can contain BPA a potent hormone mimicking agent that disrupts our endocrine system, the new car smell and the greasy film inside the car windscreen is likely from plasticisers also endocrine disruptors, the sweet smell of a new kitchen or cupboard is either formaldehyde, a cancer producing wood binder or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from solvents in wood lacquer that are central nervous system and liver toxins.

So how can you avoid the myriad of chemicals you can be exposed to everyday, when you cannot see them, often cant smell them and they are potentially, well, everywhere?

Here are the top 10 helpful tips to help you detoxify your body and your environment.

  1. Buy certified green products. Support manufacturers, companies and supermarkets that produce cleaner and greener products that have been third party certified as preferred products. Such certification is your proof that the products are the healthy, green products they claim to be;
  2. Where you cant find certified healthy products, look for products that:
  • use natural renewable materials;
  • are low VOC emitting
  • don’t contain BPA or other endocrine disruptors
  • If PVC, are phthalate plasticiser free;
  • use low emission (E0 or E00) formaldehyde emission panel boards for kitchens and cupboards;
  1. If you want to search for products that have been third party verified or certified as healthy and low environmental impact look for all kinds of products for yourself and your home on Ecospecifier.com.au
  2. Check out certified healthy and sustainable product ratings for your DIY home project products on GlobalGreenTag.com;
  3. Avoid plastic water bottles. Use reusable bottles like stainless steel and glass;
  4. Eat less fish. Did you know that many toxic chemicals are stored in the fatty tissue of carnivorous fish and toxins like mercury from industrial pollution and coal fired electricity bioaccumulate in predatory fish;
  5. Buy naturally derived personal care products which don’t contain chemicals such as parabens, ethylene glycol and EDTA;
  6. Eat certified organic food and meats;
  7. Detox your home.
    1. Minimise the area of carpet;
    2. Use healthy cleaning agents or microfibre;
    3. Minimise the use of insecticide and don’t use ‘insect bombs’ or residual surface sprays;
    4. If you use air fresheners, use only natural plant essence derived oils;
    5. Don’t use chemical disinfectant surface sprays. Usedilute eucalyptus or thymol if you need to disinfect.
  8. Detox your body. Anti-oxidants are a great way to protect yourself from some of the effects of the daily chemical load on your body. Make sure your diet and supplements maintain a daily regimen of a broad spectrum of antioxidants like Vitamin C and E.

Explore more about the product ranges that have been eco-certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using the Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global: http://www.ecospecifier.com.au

Join us in more conversations about green products and sustainability issues on our social media pages:

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The Dark Side to Paint Products

How to Avoid Those Toxic Paint Fumes

Renovating or painting your home can be an exciting experience, but have you ever considered the dangers behind simply repainting your living room? Most paints contain Volatile Organic Compounds, also known as VOCs, which evaporate as the paint dries afterwards. VOCs are added to the paint or lacquer typically to act as solvents and can have serious impacts on human health. Oil-based paints are worse than water-based paints, but ordinary water based paints can still bel an issue.

Health implications for VOC exposure depend upon the type of compound, its concentration and your length of exposure to it, and can result in the following:

  • Nose, eye and throat irritation
  • Headaches
  • Loss of coordination
  • Nausea
  • Kidney and liver damage
  • Damage to the central nervous system
  • Immune system damage

Some VOCS are known carcinogens, meaning that inhaling them is likely to increase your risk of cancer.

Whilst there are a range of serious health conditions that can result from exposure to paints (being a painter is a UN recognised hazardous occupation known as ‘Painter’s Syndrome’) , there are several alternative products on the market which are low VOC and provide safe alternatives. For those who wish to further reduce the presence of VOCs and other toxins in paints you purchase refer to Ecospecifier (www.ecospecifier.com.au). Some examples of low VOC paints include:

 

Livos AustraliaLivios Australia

Livos offer a range of low VOC plant-based oils, coatings and treatments for interior and exterior wall, floor and timber applications. Unlike conventional coatings, LIVOS oils impregnate and protect the surface of timber, rather than creating a plastic coating on top. This allows for easy rejuvenation with no sanding required, the rejuvenation process is quick and simple to carry out if or when required.

Dduluxprofessionalulux Professional Enviro2

Dulux provides a low VOC topcoat paint making it a safer product for indoor use in your home. Whilst there is still VOCs present, they are at a very low concentration, <1g/L untinted. This product has been Ecospecifier verified and provides a detailed toxicity analysis on the Ecospecifier website.

 

 

The Dangers of Renovating an Old Home

renopainting

Renovating your home may come with potential health pitfalls, especially if your home was painted before 1970. Walls that were painted prior to this may be toxic due to the presence of lead-based paint. Lead paint, even in the smallest concentration, poses a great risk to human and animal health. While undisturbed well maintained lead painted walls pose minimal risk to human health; however once disturbed the paint scraped from lead painted walls becomes hazardous. This is especially so if flame or high temperature heat guns are used to remove it.

Resulting lead laden flakes and dust can spread throughout the house and garden. Removing the paint through dry sanding or by using power tools can create lead dust that can be inhaled or implanted into fabrics around the home, such as in carpets or furniture. Lead dust deposited around the family home poses future health risks and is extremely difficult to remove. This poses a great risk to young children who frequently put their hands inside their mouths and can absorb and retain higher concentrations of lead in comparison to adults. Lead is especially detrimental to the neurological development of children.

Lead is toxic in both low and high concentrations. Exposure can occur through inhalation or digestion. Effects of lead poisoning from low levels of concentration include:

  • Muscle pains and fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Coma
  • Fatigue
  • Stomach pains
  • Seizures
  • Anaemia
  • Miscarriage
Effects from high levels of lead poisoning may include:
  • Brain damage
  • Severe kidney damage
  • Reduced fertility in males
  • Cardiovascular issues
  • Cognitive damage in young children

If your home was, built before 1970, it is recommended that you arrange to conduct tests to confirm the presence or non-presence of lead so that the proper steps can be taken to minimise exposure if needed .

There are a couple of different ways to test for lead paint:

  • Colour change tests which are available from hardware stores although these are not 100% accurate
  • DIY-Sampling Lab Lead Analysis Kits which can be purchased online from http://www.leadsafeworld.com/solutions/lead-group-diy-sampling-lab-analysis-lead-test-kits/ this kit will provide instructions on how to conduct the test which is then analysed by a registered laboratory
  • Hire a professional who will use a portable X-ray fluorescence machine to determine the presence of lead. This is a non-invasive way to inspect the paint in your home.

If it is found that there is lead present in the paint on your walls it is recommended that:

  • Professionals are hired to safely remove the paint
  • If the paint is in good condition you are able to paint over it if you prefer not to remove it
  • If you choose to remove the paint yourself;
    • Seek professional advice on how to best remove the paint
    • Do not sandblast or dry scrape the walls
    • If removing paint outside do not do so on a wet or windy day
    • Remove children and pregnant women from the area
  • In the future choose paints that have been certified and verified for having low toxicity, such as those found listed with Ecospecifier (www.ecospecifier.com.au)

Explore more about the product ranges that have been eco-certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using The Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global

Join us in more conversations about green products and sustainability issues on our social media pages:

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Join our Social Media Honour Roll – support the switch to green products

Like, Comment and Share our blogs and posts on your social media pages … and we will send your name out to more than 15,000 subscribers via our monthly Ecospecifier Global Newsletter.

See which stellar individuals, businesses and networks made the latest Honour Roll on Twitter and Facebook HERE We salute you in helping us educate and help more people #MaketheSwitch to #EcoResponsible products.

The Dangers in Everyday Items That You Might Not Know About

Have you ever contemplated the potential dangers in your house from items you buy or use? Or more specifically have you considered the possible dangers posed to you or your family by commonly used items such as your favourite leather lounge or a nice soft natural fibre blanket? Are you aware that common everyday furniture items such as day beds, lounges, office chairs or even your favourite jeans may contain toxic dye chemicals that can cause cancer?

Everyday products can be associated with a range of issues and associated health impacts, many of which the general public are largely unaware of. These include formaldehydes, volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, endocrine disruptors and a wide range of toxins.  Azo dyes are an example of a chemical that may be present in everyday items, yet has toxic properties.

Azo dyes are commonly used within the textiles industry and can be found within textiles used in furniture and clothing. Certain types of azo dyes contain chemicals known as aromatic amines that are hazardous to human health many of these have been banned, but others have not and recently the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) was notified that some of the banned azo dyes were being imported in finished goods.  Out of the 300 listed azo dyes, 20 of these dyes, that are not banned, contain a chemical called benzidine, which is a probable carcinogen and is potentially lethal to humans. If released into the environment benzidine may have significant long term effects on aquatic ecosystems and has been classified as very toxic to aquatic organisms.

The European Union has strict laws and regulations in terms of restricting the use of azo dyes in the textiles and leather industry. These laws prevent products containing azo dyes that release aromatic amines from being imported due to the high risk of cancer when in contact with human skin. The azo dyes that do not release one of the 22 aromatic amines are allowed to be used within products manufactured or imported. Currently the ACCC lacks strict regulations in regards to items imported into Australia, including items such as lounges, day beds, blankets & sheets and chairs.

These types of items hold potential for long term harm to consumers as azo dyes can penetrate through skin contact such as when you sit, or lie on, or in such products. In order to avoid the potential long term health hazards from prolonged contact associated with these dyes it is important to purchase products that have been certified healthy and have been subjected to thorough independent toxicity assessment.

All products certified by Global GreenTagCertTM and many other certified products listed on the Ecospecifier database do not contain carcinogenic azo dyes and can be considered  safe alternatives to other products currently on the market.

For example, Pelle Leathers is a Global GreenTagCertTMcertified company that supplies azo dye-free leather and Woven Image supplies Global GreenTagCertTM certified upholstery textiles suitable for both commercial and residential use. Choosing similar certified products from a reputable and recognised database, such as Ecospecifier, ensures that any health risks to you or your family are minimised.

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Explore more about the product ranges that have been certified and listed by Ecospecifier, by using the Product Search Engine on Ecospecifier Global: www.ecospecifier.com.au

Join us in more conversations about green products and sustainability issues on our social media pages:

Follow Ecospecifier on Facebook
Follow Ecospecifier on Twitter

Follow Ecospecifier on LinkedIn

Join our Social Media Honour Roll – support the switch to green products

Like, Comment and Share our blogs and posts on your social media pages … and we will send your name out to more than 15,000 subscribers via our monthly Ecospecifier Global Newsletter.

See which stellar individuals, businesses and networks made the latest Honour Roll on Twitter and Facebook HERE We salute you in helping us educate and help more people #MaketheSwitch to #EcoResponsible products.

Drop us a line at the office, we look forward to hearing from you …