We go through most of our days worrying about things such as money, bills, kids, dinner, and anything in between. These stresses are obvious, and it’s easy to understand why they deserve our immediate attention. However, there are more elusive things that you should be concerned with such as the air quality of your home or office. What many don’t realize is that some of the most dangerous aspects of our lives remain under the radar, and you could be regularly exposing yourself to hazardous chemicals without even knowing it. Today, we’ll expose you to a few you should be aware of for future reference.
Hazardous Chemicals in Carpet Cleaners
Who doesn’t appreciate a freshly-cleaned carpet? After all, with heavy traffic, you would think the danger would be in not using heavy chemicals to get them clean. However, many of these products contain perchloroethylene and ammonium hydroxide. There are a number of side effects exposure to these chemical elements can cause including:
- Corrosion of the skin
- Respiratory problems
- Eye irritation
- Damage to the liver, kidneys, and nervous system
Laundry and Dish Detergent
We don’t often associate laundry and dish detergent as being something that will cause us harm. While most of us understand chemicals are included to remove germs and bacteria from our clothing and dishes, we don’t often consider whether we are exposing ourselves to potential harm. However, for 62,254 people in the United States during a period just shy of two years, poison control had to be called due to exposure to the chemicals in laundry and dishwasher detergent.
The trouble with detergents is that they contain dry, concentrated chlorine. When left in humid areas such as the laundry room, there is always the chance this could be introduced into the air. To ensure this doesn’t happen to you, make sure you keep your detergents out of reach of children as well as keep them secured in their packaging at all times when not in use.
Household Cleaning Chemicals
Common household cleaners contain a plethora of chemicals, and these can easily become introduced into your household dust in a way that could have a negative impact on your health. In fact, ammonia is labelled as a poison, yet it’s included in everything thing from kitchen and bathroom cleaners to polisher, glass cleaners and more.
According to the Toxicology Data Network, short term exposure to ammonia can lead to varying degrees of irritation and damage to the eyes and skin. If you’re exposed over a long period of time, the consequences become increasingly worse including the life-threatening condition pulmonary edema. Other chemicals commonly contained in household cleaners include:
- Sodium hydroxide in drain and oven cleaners
- Lye can burn the skin and even cause irreversible blindness upon initial contact
- Hydrochloric acid found in many toilet bowl cleaners can cause permanent skin damage when contacted
When handling these items, it’s important to keep this information in mind and follow usage instructions carefully to avoid exposure to your household dust.
Knowledge is Key
We often associate the term “ignorance” with stupidity. However, the two are quite different. Ignorance simply means you have never been exposed to certain knowledge, not that you aren’t capable of understanding it. You may have lived your entire life exposed to any of these toxic chemicals without ever being informed of the true dangers they present. Ignorance isn’t always bliss, and now that you’re aware of the various hazardous chemicals that may be in the dust in your home or office, you can make efforts to reduce exposure and live a longer, more healthy life.
Learn more about Hazardous Chemicals.
