Recognizing Harmful Products That Are in the Home
Brian O Sutter
Traffic Accidents
Several products exist in our homes that can cause personal injury. These household products are also very common and can be found in most households, but the scary part is we don't always recognize the dangers surrounding them. The kitchen is the one room in the home where we feel the most injury could happen because of the stove, the knives, and other dangers lurking in this very popular room of the home. However, dangerous and harmful products can be found all over the home including in the likeliest of places.
Common Household Hazards
Non-Stick Cookware
This kind of cookware was designed with our convenience in mind. Who likes to stand at the sink trying to scrape burnt on food off the pots and pans after tirelessly making dinner for the family? Well, the coating that makes these pots and pans non-stick is known as polytetrafluoroethylene and this material actually releases gases as it is heated. These gases have been reportedly linked to harmful and severe health effects including cancer.
Air Fresheners
How many of us have never reached for that bottle of air freshener to freshen up the place every once in a while? Well, there are toxins in these products that can begin to accumulate over time. As the toxins in the body begin to build up, they can cause adverse health effects such as hormone disruption in both adults and children.
Common Cleaning Solutions
Probably one of the most commonly used products around the home is a common cleaning solution. These products contain hazardous chemicals and toxins, but the most surprising part is that the manufacturer doesn't actually have to list all the ingredients on the bottle. This means that we can never be sure what it is in the products we are using. The same applies to those products claiming to be green or natural as well.
Antibacterial Soaps
We all grew up assuming that antibacterial soaps were better to use to help combat harmful bacteria; however, these soaps contain something known as triclosan and triclorcarbon and these two substances are harmful and have been linked to the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Flame Retardants
These chemicals have been linked to infertility and birth defects and can be found in a lot of older furniture items, mattresses, and even carpet padding.
In addition to the common household cleaning items in the home, other dangers are lurking as well.
Furniture. This includes everything in the home from the beds to the chairs and couches to bar stools and more. More than 400,000 Americans have been injured due to the furniture in their home and close to 200 are killed annually.
Playground Equipment. Injuries due to playground equipment account more for those under the age of fifteen than any other age group and also reportedly kill around 14 people per year.
Flooring. Whether it is carpet, rugs, tile, or wood floors, more than 940,000 people are injured due to slip and falls in the home because of their flooring.
Before you run and try to surround yourself with a bubble though once you learn all the dangers lurking in the corners of the home, you should instead take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your family.
Make sure to read the labels and do your research when it comes to the kind of cleaning products you use in the home. Additionally, make sure that you eliminate any objects from the floor or torn rugs that could cause someone in the home to trip or slip.
It is also important to keep up to date with current product recalls as well to make sure that you do not continue to use any defective products that may be in the home and could cause personal injury.