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Chapter 6 Immediate effects of chemical exposure According
to the Holistic Health Magazine………Chemical levels can be up to 70 times
higher inside the home than out. Over 100 chemicals commonly found in homes
have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, psychological
abnormalities, skin reactions, headaches, depression, joint pain, chronic
fatigue, chest pains, dizziness, loss of sleep, asthma. . .the list goes on.
Housewives have a 55% higher risk of getting cancer than do women working
outside the home. This most likely has to do with the products they use on a
daily basis. Nervous disorders and respiratory problems have also been linked
to hazardous substances in the home. Whilst
many effects of exposure to harmful chemicals can take years to become
severe, every year thousands of household poisonings are reported. Many are
fatal. Approximately 70% of all poisoning accidents occur in children between
the ages of one and five. Almost all childhood poisonings are caused by
unsafe storage and handling of household cleaning products and medicines.
According to the Association of Poison Control Centers,
dishwashing detergent accounts for more accidental poisonings than any other
household substance. Dandruff shampoo, if swallowed, causes vital organs to
degenerate. Household ammonia, when mixed with bleach is a deadly substance.
Bug spray can remain active and airborne in your home for up to 30 years. Older
people are also at risk. With increasing age, people become more vulnerable
to the harmful effects of environmental chemicals due to the deterioration of
physiological and biochemical processes, which include certain age-related
biochemical, morphological and functional changes associated with the nervous
system. For example, the elderly are likely to suffer more than younger
people from exposure to carbon disulfide and to certain pesticides and
chemicals. The most
common ingredients in household cleaning products include alkalis, acids,
detergents, other toxic chemicals. Alkalis are soluble salts that are effective
in removing dirt without excessive rubbing. Alkalis vary in strength; the
stronger ones cause burns, and if swallowed can cause internal injuries and
even death. Acids are beneficial in removing hard-water deposits,
discoloration and rust stains. Acids can irritate and injure the skin and
eyes. Oxalic acid, used in some toilet bowl cleaners, is extremely poisonous. Caustic
household cleaners can cause severe burning if swallowed or put on the skin,
Symptoms of poisoning include redness around the mouth, drooling and
difficulty in swallowing. Never make someone who has swallowed a caustic
substance vomit or give a "neutralizing" agent, as the chemical
reaction can cause further burning. It is best to seek immediate emergency
advice. Could this happen in your home? When
Peter Schwabb, was a year old, he crawled over to
the dishwasher to watch his mother unloading it. Suddenly, he put a finger
into the detergent dispensing cup and ate a fingerful
of wet but undissolved dishwasher powder. In
minutes his face was red and blistered, and the inside of his mouth and his
tongue were burned white. Because of a series of lucky circumstances, Peter
was in the hospital within minutes and he recovered in a few days. While
Peter was in the hospital, there was a little girl across the hall who (according to Peter’s mother) ate some dishwashing
detergent and required seven operations to reopen her scarred oesophagus. Another
18-month-old boy had to eat through tubes for five months and at last count
has had thirty operations. Detergent is what destroyed his throat, too. Three-year-old
Jason Whitely died a lingering and horrible death two weeks after swallowing
three ounces of a hair rinse containing ammonia. Seven-month-old
Adrian Gonzalez, Jr., of According
to the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) at Bournemouth NHS, 20 children are admitted to hospital each day due to
suspected poisoning, with common drugs like pain killers responsible for a quarter of accidents, the
remainder being mostly household products. In the bathroom, the most common
cause of suspected poisoning is toilet cleaner and bleach left by the side of
the toilet. The real
tragedy here is that all of these accidents could have been prevented. A
simple decision to use safer products could have meant that these children
would not have had to suffer or even die. Unfortunately, most parents don’t
realise that they can buy safer products to use around the home that are
every bit as effective and can cost less too. Accidents happen to adults, too Young
children are not the only ones at risk of chemical injury. Poisoning is the
number one accidental killer in the home, accounting for over 3,000 adult
deaths in 1995 and over 4,000 deaths in 2003. These chemicals are also
responsible for thousands of injuries each year. But most
of the health problems related to chemicals in the home are not because of
accidents like these. Most chemical-related health problems are the result of
exposure to toxic chemicals day after day, year after year. |