Air pollution from household products

The BBC published two articles this month on the effects of the chemicals in the “everyday” household products we use. One article focuses on the negative health effects of chemicals and sprays used for cleaning. The other article discusses a new study that indicates that household consumer products containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a more significant contributor to air pollution in cities than previously estimated. VOCs are found in cleaning chemicals, nail polish remover, solvents, pesticides, hairspray, adhesives, paint and many types of fragrance. Before I read the article, I hadn’t thought about how use of household products inside my home could affect the air quality outside my home.  Links to the two articles are included below. 

In industrial settings, employee exposure to VOCs is restricted because of the negative health effects. I would hope none of us are exceeding these limits in our own homes, but we have no monitoring in place to tell us the concentrations in our homes. As I learn more about the chemicals in some of the products I have used in the past, I am looking for alternative products that use less toxic chemicals. In addition to reducing the effects of the harsher chemicals in our homes, reducing our use of these chemicals means that smaller quantities will be manufactured. A few ideas on reducing VOCs in your home to get you started:

• As one of the articles suggested, use water and a microfiber cloth to clean as many surfaces as possible. Save the chemical cleaning products for those areas that need more than water and scrubbing.
• Buy fragrance-free products unless you specifically want that fragrance in your life. Then you can enjoy the fragrances you do use.  
• When you are using a product that contains VOCs, such as paint or nail polish remover, look for low-VOC alternatives and keep the lid on the container as much as possible while you are using the product.  

​www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43084642

www.bbc.com/news/health-43085674

​