Archive for the ‘Toxins’ Category
How to keep pets safe from lawn care products
This article talks about the effect of lawn care products on your pets. It also mentions some preventive measures you can take to protect your pets from these products when necessary.
People who own pets view lawn care products as dangerous items to be avoided at any cost. The fact is that these people feel that lawn care products are synonymous with pesticides which could impact the health of their pets adversely. The fact is that there is some ambiguity about certain lawn care products and the effect they could have on your pets. What you need to do is to undertake the right amount of research with regards to the lawn care products that could have a negative impact on your pets and then studiously avoid them.
Pets can be affected by lawn care products either if they consume it or if they touch it in some way or the other. Lawn care products either in the form of granules or liquid concentrates could be a source of harm to the pets. This happens especially when you have just applied the liquid onto your lawn and it has not had the time to dry properly. Granules that have been spilled could also be ingested by the pets. Let us have a look at the steps you should take if and when your pet actually faces exposure to these products.
You do not need to be overwhelmed with worry as consuming or absorbing these liquids and granules does not usually have serious consequences. Of course, the quantity of consumption also plays a role here. If your pet has ingested both granules and the liquid concentrate in large amounts, it could lead to toxicity but a small consumption will not have any grave side effects.
There are many cities and states that insist that a legal lawn care products application should be posted. This is to inform people that an application for the products has been done. Again, this whole procedure is just a formality to make the nearby society aware of what is happening. This is in no way related to the toxicity of the products.
When liquid concentrates have been used on your lawn, the right thing to do is to avoid going into the lawn till the liquids have dried completely. This applies to both pets and human beings. To begin with, usage of chemicals has to be restricted to the maximum extent possible. Even if it has to be used, waiting until the lawn is dry will reduce the potent effects of the chemicals on you and your pets. So, this is a precaution that you should always take after applying liquid concentrates on your lawn.
Once again, to reassure you, a mild intake or exposure will not have grave repercussions for you as well as your pets. In spite of this, caution is always advisable. When storing your products, especially those for landscaping edges, be careful that there are no spills as this could harm children and pets that come across them.
Avoid Dangerous Household Toxins For Good Health
There is a very real need to avoid dangerous household toxins today. There is an abundance of toxic household chemicals in most households. Although many of the products that we buy contain chemical toxins, unfortunately most are masked under products that a consumer will assume is perfectly harmless.
In reality, they are actually very dangerous. Often, when a homeowner can not directly see, smell, taste, or feel a toxin, complacency replaces precaution. Consumers assume that the manufacturers would never market a product that could cause long term health problems. This blanket assumption of product safety can make it hard to avoid dangerous household toxins.
Products like: bleach, air freshener, laundry detergent, etc all contain chemicals that can pose a danger to the home and family. However, you will not find many of these ingredients listed on the product label. For example, the FDA does not require manufacturers to list the ingredients used in laundry products and air fresheners. Furthermore, the FDA does not require any product to list fragrance ingredients.
Because of the fact that product labels aren’t completely forthcomming with regards the true chemical composition of their products, it becomes difficult for the average consumer to avoid dangerous household toxins. There are an astounding number of listed and unlisted toxic chemicals that are used in our everyday consumer products.
If there ever was a golden example as to why consumers need to avoid dangerous household toxins, just take a look at air fresheners. Although they are marketed as a refreshing and needed addition to the home, air fresheners contain a number of toxic chemicals.
Plug in and aerosol air fresheners are particularly dangerous. The chemicals are broken into tiny particles when released; allowing for deep inhalation into the lungs. Most air fresheners will contain: naphthalene, formaldehyde, xylene, crestol, ethanol, phenol, and fragrances.
Formaldehyde is a known cancer causing agent. Naphthalene, is a suspected cancer causing agent. Xylene, is a neurotoxin and reproductive toxin.
Laundry products (soap, fabric softener, dryer sheets) also allow volatile organic compounds to evaporate into the air. Soaps may contain Ethoxylated nonyl phenol, which can disrupt hormone balances. Fabric softeners may contain quarternary ammonium compounds and imidazolidinyl, which release formaldehyde as they are heated.
Bleach is a strong corrosive. Like all powerful chemicals, bleach is potentially very dangerous. Fumes or direct contact from bleach can burn the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract. Chlorine bleach, in particular, is very reactive. If ingested, it can be lethal, or do permanent liver damage. Chlorine gas is also a respiratory irritant - it reacts with the moisture on the mucous membranes in the nose and throat and forms acids which burn the membranes and can also burn the skin.
Of course, the best way to avoid dangerous household toxins, is not just to avoid buying products containing dangerous chemicals, but to remove all hazardous chemical products out of the home as soon as possible! There are long term health risks that are scientifically documented to occur by exposure to dangerous household chemicals. Don’t take a chance with your health! The chemical manufacturers have stockholders they have to please and are concerned, not about your health, but about their return on investment! If you are serious about your health and the health of your family, you have to educate yourself and on these insidious health hazards and once identified, immediately remove the toxins from the home!



