POLLUTION INSIDE YOUR HOME & WHAT TO DO
After the news of the recent train crash with toxic chemicals, especially the one causing a town in Ohio to evacuate, and with news of the potential long-term health risks to these people and animals as well as short-term health issues and even deaths, it's worth thinking about ways to protect yourself and your interspecies family. As if the actual train wreck wasn’t bad enough, the deadly chemicals released and emergency evacuation of the town were also a train wreck …. of a situation. That community was exposed to vinyl chloride - a VOC - that breaks down into formaldehyde, carbon dioxide and hydrochloric acid. A total mess. A sometimes deadly mess.
It killed some wildlife fast, and it may kill the residents slowly. Let's hope they get the help they need and are resilient. We're talking about probable carcinogens and trouble breathing and organ diseases. For pets and people. I'm not sure why so many dangerous chemicals are allowed on the market, but they are and them's the breaks with industrialization and our modern world. Everything we buy that comes in plastic, nail polish and many cosmetics and cleaners, lots of building materials like most paint and flooring, the couches we sit on, the carpets our dogs lay on, that new car smell - all have toxic chemicals we're breathing in when they off-gas or taking in when the plastic food containers leach or absorbing through our skin when we lather up, and so on. Even electric car batteries - when Florida was hit with recent hurricanes, those cars had water damage like all others, and their batteries got contaminated and even started blowing up - at risk for explosion even a month after the stormy weather ended. Scary stuff. You’re trying to protect the planet and its beings when you get an electric car, but now even they pose dangers unrelated to who might be behind the wheel.
Lots of stuff in the home has VOCs -volatile organic compounds. Volatile indeed. And nothing’s good about this kind of organic. So, when choosing cleaning supplies and beauty products, furniture and carpet, paint and pest control, candles and shampoos, choose wisely. Go green. VOC concentrations are way higher indoors than outside.
VOCs can contribute to short- and long-term health complications - harmful on their own and in conjunction with other gases to form other air pollutants. Some common VOCs include ammonia, chloroform, benzene and formaldehyde that’s present in more home goods than you might think. If you get a lot of headaches, nausea or your eyes hurt, it could be something in the house. Same with trouble breathing. VOCs can even cause cancer, do organ damage and affect the nervous system - for us and our dogs. So try to stop your dog from licking the leather couch.
Here’s the good news. There are ways to reduce VOCs.
Get a good air purifier like Air Doctor - carbon activated filters attract and trap VOCs.
Change all air filters in your home as needed.
Vacuum regularly to pick up all sorts of pollutants and irritating dust (& any buggers).
Avoid pesticides and use natural pest repellants instead - especially on your precious pups (i.e. Wondercide or Kin & Kind products, other essential oil mixes with cedar, peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus and/or clove).
Don’t smoke, especially inside.
Avoid artificial scents from air fresheners or some candles, and opt for a little essential oil/water mix.
Use natural cleaning products like vinegar, water and sage oil, and ventilate (i.e. open windows, turn fans/vents/air purifier on) if ever using cleaning products that may have VOCs.
Remember your dogs lay on those floors and groom themselves on those carpets and breathe in what’s off-gasing from those beds and sofas. Reduce their toxic load. And increase their breathing comfort with less artificial scents that overwhelm their strong sense of smell - chemicals they can’t avoid because they’re stuck in the house most of the time and they can’t talk to tell you to get rid of that plug-in or perfume or bleach.
Let new building products and carpet air outside to off-gas VOCs before they’re installed.
Choose paints and building supplies wisely.
Remember toxins we take in don’t always look like dark smoke from an industrial plant and some don’t even smell.
My dog wellness guide has a household section with recommended products to remove and avoid toxins - including one of the best air filters. You can grab it from the home page. It’s one step in the direction of improved well-being for your dogs … while upgrading your own health.