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Cleaning Concerns

Can Household Products Harm Your Children?

By Teri Brown

Have you ever used a drain cleaner that almost drove you out of your home? Maybe your daughter coughs a bit and you throw open the windows while Dad cautions no one to go into the bathroom for the next 20 minutes. Have you ever thought that perhaps you may have polluted your home with dangerous toxins?

Experts are torn on this subject. Some believe that household cleaning products are harmless when used properly, while others believe you put your children at risk every time you scrub your tub. Who is right and what can you do, as a parent, to ensure the safety of your children?

Jennifer Reno, a registered nurse and mother of one from Howell, Mich., is concerned about the chemicals present in household products. "I use nontoxic cleaners because my son has asthma and autism," says Reno. "My research has shown that there is a possibility that environmental factors contributed to these disabilities, and I want to do whatever I can to keep my son healthy."

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, poison centers received nearly 127,000 calls in 2002 regarding children younger than 6 exposed to cleaning substances. This statistic doesn't include effects of low-grade exposure that may occur over a long period of time.

A recent study done in Australia and published in the British medical journal Thorax found that domestic exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at levels below currently accepted recommendations increases the likelihood of childhood asthma. In fact, the study shows that kids exposed to the VOCs found in everyday household cleaners are at a two to three times increased risk of having asthma. Many VOCs produce vapors that pollute the air and can be hazardous. These chemicals include gasoline, industrial chemicals and dry cleaning solvent. They are also found in many common cleaning products.

Want to see more?

• Germbusters! There's No Such Thing as Being Too Clean
• Healthy Bacteria: Where to Find it and Why Babies Need It
• Bathing Your Little Beauty: How to Give Your Newborn Baby a Bath
• Talk about it!

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