Why Go Green

The chemicals in many cleaning products contain
volatile organic compounds. That means they
become gaseous at room temperature or, when they
are sprayed, become small particles that are easily
inhaled. Health effects from some household
products can be acute or chronic. Acute effects are
short term and can include such symptoms as
headaches, eye and/or throat irritation, dry or
roughened hands, or even nausea. Acute effects also
include triggering of asthma attacks or allergic
reactions. Chronic effects are those long term effects
such as cancer, chemicals that can affect the unborn,
and neurotoxins (nervous system effects).
-Office of Environmental Affairs

Indoor air is often two to five times more
contaminated than outdoor air.
Childhood asthma has nearly doubled in the
last 20 years (American Lung Assoc.) and
some cleaners may trigger asthma attacks
The average home contains 25 gallons of
hazardous chemicals- a major portion of these
can be found in household cleaning products.
In 1999, 62% of all poisonings occurred in the
home.
Cleaning products are involved in 11% of
poisoning exposure in children under 6 years
of age

-Office of Environmental Affairs

Identify potentially hazardous
products in a home on a
room-by-room basis. This
graphic-based house tour
provides a visual review of
hazardous products, their
location, and use in the home.