ToxInspect

There are an estimated 80,000 different chemical compounds in use around the world, with new chemicals being introduced daily. According to a 2006 study Pollution in People managed by the Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition and the Washington Toxics Coalition, unsafe levels of different chemicals were found in ten Seattle test subjects. This, and other similar studies, demonstrate that humans accumulate these chemicals in our bodies. Some pass through, while others remain longer in our blood, tissue, and organs.

Many chemicals used today have not been fully evaluated for safety and health. For example, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, the cosmetology industry uses more than 10,000 chemicals in its products, 89 percent of which have not been evaluated for safety.

Another challenge for consumers is that our conventional cleaning products are not required to include ingredients on the label, so without extra effort (contacting manufacturer or looking up product info online), we can be blissfully unaware of the chemicals we are spreading around our home. Even if they were labeled, it takes a lot more digging to determine what impacts each chemical imparts.

The information below provides a bit more detail, but is really only the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to various toxins and their potential impacts.

Where Do Toxins Lurk?

They can be found in our air, food, water, and the products we use or consume. This assessment service looks at eight specific product areas, and several air quality factors that may be sources of toxins in your home:

Cleaners and Detergents
Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
Plastics
Water

Foods and Cooking Practices
Building Materials and Furniture
Outdoor Products
Miscellaneous

Other areas impacting air quality include moisture, heating and ventilation, appliances, printers, air cleaners, dust (and dust mites), and radon (although King County is not a typically high radon emitting zone).

How Much Should We Worry About Toxins?

This depends on how much, how often, how long, and how poisonous.

Here are two unhappy endings, one hypothetical and one real:

1. A minute amount of venom injected from the brown recluse spider bite kills a person. In this case, the dose is extremely small, yet very strong.

2. A San Diego woman died from water intoxication after taking second place in a water drinking contest; she literally drank too much water without urinating and overloaded her system. Water is harmless in normal quantities (assuming uncontaminated water), but in this case, the dose was weak in toxicity, but extremely high in quantity.

These two instances illustrate that "The Dose Makes the Poison". A few of the other factors affecting how a contaminant affects someone are:

susceptibility of the body taking in the toxin;
whether and how the toxin accumulates in tissues or organs;
whether the exposure is acute (one-time) or chronic (continuously, or multiple times); and,
presence of other contaminants during exposure, or already accumulated in tissues/organs

I know, this gets scientifically complicated. To try and simplify, I have listed some toxins and their affects below. The information below is not intended to be alarmist, nor used as a scare tactic to convince clients that they need ToxInspect's services. It is presented to help people understand more about various contaminants and toxins in homes, and that the associated risks are dose-dependent. It is also presented as a beginner's list of what I perceive to be some of the worst types of toxins typically found in homes, and increase awareness of products we should try to minimize or fully eliminate in homes for our future health.

The more we know about the contents of some of the products we use and consume, the better decision we can make on whether we want to continue using it, or reduce or eliminate the amount we use.

As a final note, there are vastly differing opinions and statements on products that may contain toxins and how bad they really are. For instance, regarding plastics and some of their additives, the Food and Drug Administration asserts that they are entirely safe, and the American Chemistry Council urges consumers to ignore "scare stories." Of course, these types of entities have a different agenda than the environmental scientists who continue to try to evaluate the health and environmental impacts of chemicals in our world, and those of us who like to exercise precaution with chemicals.

What are Some of the the Major Toxin Sources?

This list is intended to provide a snapshot of some of the toxins we will try to minimize through the course of your home assessment.

Product Category	Typical Toxins that May be Present in Products
Cleaners and Detergents and Air Fresheners	Synthetic dyes and fragrances, phthalates, antibacterial agents, petroleum distillates, phenols, quarternium compounds, glycol ethers. airborne particles from aerosols, dust from poorly filtered vacuums, dry cleaning solvent (which offgasses after leaving the drycleaning shop)
Cosmetics and Personal Care Products	Synthetic fragrances, phthalates, fluoride, parabens, nanoparticles, carcinogens, acetone/toluene, petroleum products, aluminum, polyethylene glycols (PEG), polyaromatic hydrocarbons
Certain Plastics*	Phthalates, bisphenol-A, antimony, lead stabilizer *Constituents dependent on type of plastic
Water	Lead, pesticides, chlorine
Foods and Cooking Utensils	Allergens, pesticides, preservatives, artificial dyes, genetically modified, artificial sweeteners, antibiotics and growth hormones in meats and dairy, trans fats, mercury in fish, non-stick pan and paper coatings
Building Materials and Furniture	Formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds, brominated fire retardants, heavy metals in old paint
Outdoor	Pesticides, stored fuels and automotive products, paints and other solvents, air intake
Miscellaneous	Sources of moisture (indicating mold could be present), materials used in hobbies, aluminum and mercury from certain vaccines, clothes (dry cleaning, permanent press, detergent residue), pets, magnets and batteries in toys (especially for young children), indoor dust, ozone from air purifiers, particulate from laser printers. Heavy metals such as lead and mercury [1].

What are Some of the Potential Affects You Should Know Regarding Exposure to Household Toxins?

This list gives a snapshot of some of the household toxins and their potential impacts from overexposure.

Contaminant / Chemical [2]	Potential Impacts [3], [4]
Ammonia	Respiratory irritant Poisonous if swallowed
Antibacterial agents (especially triclosan and triclocarban)	Thyroid toxin (disrupt hind-limb development, which is governed by thyroid hormone levels, in bullfrogs) Contributes to bacteria resistance (super-bugs) Triclosan detected in breast milk One recent study found that triclosan interferes with testosterone activity in cells Numerous studies have found that washing with regular soap and warm water is just as effective at killing germs Harms aquatic life after it flows down the drain
Bisphenol-a	Reproductive and developmental toxin, especially in young males Link to thyroid resistance disorder Linked to a predisposition towards obesity in mice exposed in the womb Fetal affects seem to be irreversible, while impacts to adults appear to be reversible over time and discontinued exposure
Caustics	Corrosive Extremely irritating to eyes, nose and throat
Chlorine and bleach	Most common cleaner accidentally swallowed by children Severe skin and eye irritation or chemical burns to broken skin. Dioxin (carcinogen), a byproduct of chlorine manufacture may be present as a contaminant in bleached products (e.g., feminine hygiene, coffee filters, etc.) Inhaled in high concentrations, can cause respiratory problems including coughing, choking, chest pain, emphysema, and chronic and acute bronchitis. A recent study links children's exposure to nitrogen trichloride, a chlorination byproduct, at indoor swimming pools to an increased risk in developing asthma
Chloroform	Central nervous system depressant Probable human carcinogen
Coal tar	Carcinogenic
Fluoride	Bone toxin Flourosis (mottling of baby and permanent teeth) if ingested between ages 0 to 2 years Link to cognitive brain impairment in a study of Chinese children
Formaldehyde (in various products or may result as a breakdown product of diazolidinyl, urea and quaternium compounds)	Immune-system toxin Respiratory irritation / asthma trigger Classified as a human carcinogen Allergen
Gasoline and solvents	High flammability Potentially carcinogenic, including anti-knocking additives Respiratory irritant
Genetically modified foods and organisms (including soy, corn, canola/rapeseed, cottonseed, sugar beets,and their byproducts, along with papaya and summer squash.)	Allergens Lack of long-term safety data Potential generation of pesticides in the gastrointestinal tract Environmental impacts such as breeding super bugs Tightly restricted or even banned in the European Union, Japan, and other countries
Glycol ethers	Neurological toxin Fertility and reproductive toxin Skin and tissue irritant, including lung
Heavy metals (including lead, "thimerosal - a mercury containing compound in vaccines and certain cosmetics, cadmium, and chromium)	Strong neurological toxin Carcinogen (depending on the metal)
Mold spores	Respiratory irritant and toxin Illness and general malaise
Nanoparticles	May penetrate the skin and damage brain cells
Non-stick and non-stain coatings (e.g., perfluorooctanoic acids (PFOAs) in non-stick cookware and microwave popcorn bags, etc.)	A known carcinogen is used during in manufacture of non-stick cookware, which causes prostate cancer, cerebrovascular disease, and other health issues in exposed workers. Widespread - in the blood of the general population (though in low concentrations), where it stays for up to 10 years before elimination Although the PFOA itself is not present in pans, heating the non-stick coated pans too high causes release of 15 nasty toxins that poison birds and can cause "Teflon flu" in humans.
Ozone	Asthma trigger / respiratory irritant Permanent lung damage Depressed pets
Parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, isobutyl-)	Parabens have been found in breast tumors (but have not been proven as a cause of breast cancer) Butyl paraben damaged sperm formation in the testes of mice Break down in the body into p-hydroxybenzoic acid, which has estrogenic activity in human breast-cancer cell cultures
Particulate matter and soot	Respiratory irritant Asthma trigger
Perchloroethylene	Probably carcinogen May cause liver, kidney, or central nervous system damage
Pesticides (depends on type)	Carcinogen Asthma trigger Affects the nervous system (especially organophosphates) Major deformities in native frogs due to runoff from agricultural areas Many unknowns about pesticides
Petroleum distillates	Potential carcinogens
Phenols	Alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APE) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) metabolites released to waterways interfere with the development and hormones of fish and shellfish (e.g., NPE causes male fish to be born with female anatomy)
Phthalates	Eye and upper respiratory system irritation Allergen Reproductive and developmental toxin (endocrine disruptors) Linked to obesity DEHP is classified as a probable human carcinogen (based entirely on liver cancer developed in rats and mice).
Polybrominated fire retardants (PBDEs)	Penta-BDEs, fed to maternal rats during pregnancy and lactation, was associated with reduced thyroid hormones and vitamin A in offspring. Very high levels of PBDEs in U.S. cats have been associated with hyperthyroidism
Radon	Can cause lung cancer
Quarternary compounds	Can generate formaldehyde as a by product Asthma inducer Causes problems in waterways
Synthetic fragrances (including perfumes and colognes)	May contain phthalates Respiratory irritant
Synthetic food dyes	Overactivity, hyperactivity, and inattention in children Allergies
Synthetic food preservatives	Allergies Carcinogenic (e.g., sodium benzoate in combination with ascorbic acid, found in some soft drinks). MSG - excitotoxin (e.g., brain cell killer)
Synthetic sweeteners	Aspartame - Demonstrated neurological reactions in thousands of reported cases - and for those who cannot metabolize phenylalimine - can spur mental retardation Sucralose - similar molecular structure to chlorinated pesticides - and there have been long-term safety tests to demonstrate it's safety The small packets of artificial sweeteners actually contain some sugar - in the form of maltodextrin, dextrose, or other names we don't recognize as 'sugar'![5]
Toluene	Dizziness, Headaches Liver and kidney damage

Notes:

[1] Lead is extremely ubiquitous and can be found in many different products depending on where the product was manufactured. The major lead exposure concerns are old paint chips/dust and soil surrounding older houses previously painted with lead-based paint. Older pewter dishes can cause serious lead poisoning, although most people know not to use them for eating. Cheap lead jewelry is another potentially serious source of lead. The following list includes many of the other products that may contain and release lead: cheap dental crowns from China, vinyl diaper bags and changing pads, bathtub glaze, water, soil, pottery/china, dust (renovation), mini-blinds, plumbing and fixtures, pet toys, ceramicware, food can seams, jewelry, furniture, toys (especially painted), antiques, ceramic tile, cutlery, cribs, lead crystal, circuit boards, solder joints, chalk, candle wicks, folk remedies (medicines), mexican bean pots, Mexican candy, hair dye, lipstick / make-up, wire casings for Christmas lights, fake Christmas trees, baby bibs, crock pots, play sand, glassware, children's vinyl lunch boxes, decals, curtain weights, and painted toys (especially if "Made in China"). Lead may also be present as an unintended trace contaminant in products, including FD&C dyes.

[2] Many of the above contaminants are broadly grouped into general categories. Specific types or strains of items within a category will have different impacts and affects.

[3] Potential impacts listed are dependent on the level (dose) and duration (time) of exposure, the ability of the chemical to bioaccumulate in your body and organs, and other factors. No amount of toxicity expertise can predict absolutely an individual's response to a specific substance in all situations. Toxicity studies can, however, provide information that can be used to significantly reduce the risk of any adverse effect for the population or groups within it.

[4] Some of the listed impacts may have correlations to the contaminant based on a scientific study, or studies, but may not have proven causal relationship. Additionally, many of the scientific findings are from studies conducted on animals and extrapolated to humans.

[5] Labeling laws allow something to be called "non-caloric" or "No Calorie Sweetener" if it contains less than 5 grams of sugar.