Your home feels like a safe place for you and your family. In reality, though, you probably have several hidden dangers lurking in your house. Eliminate the following four hidden dangers to make your home a healthier place to live.
Bisphenol A (BPA)
You may have already heard about the dangers of using water bottles that contain bisphenol A (BPA). Numerous studies have found that the synthetic compound contributes to prostate cancer, obesity, immune problems, and other serious health consequences.
Unfortunately, campaigns targeting the negative health effects of BPA have largely focused on food and water containers. Even if you remove containers that contain BPA from your home, you probably have other items that expose your family to danger. BPA is often used to make carpets, compact discs, protective eyewear, and sales receipts.
Poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Most people assume that the air inside their homes is safe to breathe. In many cases, though, that assumption isn’t true. Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can lead to health problems such as fatigue, headaches, upper respiratory congestion, and asthma. In extreme cases, poor IAQ can contribute to lung disease and hearing loss.
Poor IAQ is often caused by pollutants such as dust, dirt, pet dander, and pollen. Removing these pollutants from the air will make your home a healthier place to live. You can improve your home’s IAQ by changing your HVAC system’s air filter once a month. You may also benefit from having a professional duct cleaning service performed and getting an air filter installed on your HVAC system.
Household Cleaners
Many of the products that you trust to keep your home clean contain chemicals that could put your family’s health in jeopardy. All-purpose cleaners, for example, often contain ammonia, which can release fumes that cause burns, rashes, eye irritation, and lung irritation.
Many all-purpose cleaners also contain sodium hypochlorite, which can hurt your skin, nose, mouth, throat, eyes, and respiratory tract.
Ethylene glycol monobutyl acetate isn’t typically harmful when used as directed. If you have young children in your home, though, you should avoid using all-purpose cleaners that contain this chemical. If swallowed, ethylene glycol monobutyl acetate can damage a child’s kidneys, heart, and brain.
Look for products that use all-natural ingredients so that you can lower the risk that your household cleaner will harm someone’s health.
Chemicals in Your Food
Industrial farming techniques rely heavily on harsh pesticides, and chemicals can reach your dinner table. Atrazine, one of the most popular pesticides in the United States, has particularly alarming health consequences, such as increased risks of cancer, miscarriages, fertility, birth defects, and delayed puberty.
Buying organic foods can help you avoid atrazine, but you probably won’t eliminate the chemical from your life since the pesticide can end up in water supplies. Make sure you use a reliable water filter to protect your family from this chemical.
You may not be able to remove all dangers from your home, but diligent parents like you can purge most troublesome culprits from their homes. Start with the above 4 hidden dangers to make your house safer for you and your family.