Toxic Reduction Tips for Your School, Child Care or Home
Would you like to know more about how to be Eco-Healthy? Here you will find useful information and tips on everything from pesticide-free pest control to avoiding toxic flame retardants.
California
Colorado
Florida
Massachusetts
Maine
North Carolina
Washington
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Click on any of these topics to find out more:
Pest Prevention
Chemical
pesticides designed to kill plants, insects and other critters are also
dangerous to human health. Many pesticides for use in homes are
associated with cancer, birth defects, hormone disruption and nervous
system problems.
Eco-Healthy Tip: Pesticides (in PDF format for download)
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Learn more about the danger of pesticides
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Control pests with fewer chemicals
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Reduce exposure in your home or facility
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Advocate for better policies in your community
Air Quality
- asthma inhaler
Air quality indoors is often significantly worse than outdoors. Because the average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors, cleaner air can make a big difference for health today and in the future.
Eco-Healthy Tip: Air Quality (download fact sheet in PDF format
- Learn more in our Children At Risk report
- Reduce air pollutants in your home
- Advocate for better air quality in schools
Other resources:
- Mold and mold prevention: Oregon Department of Health Services website
- Indoor air quality checklist from National Institutes of Health: This checklist can help you evaluate how asthma friendly your child care facility is.
- See Care2's information about air fresheners.
Radon
Radon is a natural gas that you can’t see, smell, or taste. Radon gets into a building by moving up through the ground and then through cracks and holes in the foundation. Buildings can trap radon, which can lead to harmful concentrations indoors.
Get our fact sheet on radon.
Household Chemicals
The
average home uses about 60 toxic chemicals in household products. You
can reduce that number -- and the health threats from exposure -- by
choosing safer alternatives to clean your home.
- Reduce exposure in your home
- Print our one-page green cleaning recipes
- Print our one-page safe cleaning guide
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Eco-Healthy Tip: Household Chemicals (in PDF format for download)
Lead
Until
the late 1970s, lead was a common additive in house paint, gasoline and
plumbing fixtures. Today, we know that even low exposures to lead can
cause problems for the nervous system, kidneys, blood, and mental and
physical development. Though today's health standards are stronger,
lead from decades ago remains in our homes and environment.
Eco-Healthy Tip: Lead (in PDF format for download)
- Learn more about lead in our "Price of Pollution" report
- Reduce exposure in your home
- Commit to changes with our Eco-Healthy Family Pledge
Other resources:
- Oregon Department of Health Services website.
- Free workshop & lead testing kit at the Community Energy Project.
Mercury
Exposure
to mercury can damage the nervous system, causing problems with
thinking, memory, mood, motor skills and more. Exposure can come from
breaking a mercury-containing household product. But a more toxic form,
methylmercury, gets into our food chain through burning coal,
manufacturing products and improper disposal of products containing
mercury.
Eco-Healthy Tip: Lead (in PDF format for download)
- Reduce exposure in your home
- Learn more about mercury in Oregon (Pollution in People)
- Commit to changes with our Eco-Healthy Family Pledge
Furniture and Flooring
When
you're ready to buy new home furnishing and carpets, there are choices
you can make to avoid bringing toxic chemicals into your home. There
are also signs of wear to watch out for in existing products or when
you buy second-hand.
Eco-Healthy Tip: Furniture and Carpets (in PDF format for download)
- Read about the dangers of PFCs
- Reduce exposure to PFCs
- Reduce exposure to formaldehyde
- Reduce exposure from furniture & carpets
- Commit to changes with our Eco-Healthy Family Pledge
Art Supplies
Eco-Healthy Tip: Art Supplies (in PDF format for download)
The
good news about art supplies is that many products are certified by the
Art & Creative Materials Institute as non-toxic and safe for use by
children. But take caution when choosing glue, paint, clay, glaze,
solvents and other supplies; many contain hazards for growing children.
- Choose safer art supplies
- Avoid toxic art supplies (California EPA hazards list)
- Commit to changes with our Eco-Healthy Family Pledge
- See more resources at the Art & Creative Materials Institute: non-toxic art supplies.
Plastics and Plastic Toys
Eco-Healthy Tip: Plastics and Plastic Toys (in PDF format for download)
Science continues to reveal ways that common plastics expose people to the chemicals used in their manufacture. Learn more about how to avoid using plastics in ways that risks exposure.
- Read an overview of plastic & toy issues
- See a pocket guide to choosing safer plastics
- Advocate for safer children's products
- Reduce exposure to phthalates
- Reduce exposure to BPA
- Commit to changes with our Eco-Healthy Family Pledge
Healthy Eating
Food containers, food additives and preservatives, pesticides and other pollutants in food can be a source of exposure that puts your family's health at risk. Learn more about how to choose safer food, prepare it in a healthy way and serve it in healthy packaging.
Get tips on easy ways to improve nutrition.
Playground Equipment
Eco-Healthy Tip: Treated Playground Equipment (in PDF format for download)
From
the 1970's until 2003, wood for outdoor use (on playgrounds, decks,
picnic benches) was pressure-treated with a preservative containing
toxic arsenic. Arsenic exposure is linked to nerve damage, immune
diseases, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, changes in hormone function
and cancer. The good news is that covering the wood with paint or
sealant can reduce exposure.
- Learn more about treated wood.
Commit to changes with our Eco-Healthy Family Pledge
