A Cleaner Choice

     People want a healthy and happy home, but what is the cost to us and the environment? We clean our homes to prevent disease and infection, and buy all kinds of chemical based cleaners to clean our homes. Are we as consumers aware of the risks that we take when we clean our homes? Is the convenience of a scrub-free cleaner worth our health and safety? The chemicals in everyday house cleaners can be of greater risk than it is reward.

     As the end users of these household cleaners, we need to educate ourselves about the products we use.  One of the most important things to know is that there are three categories that hazardous ingredients in household cleaners fall into. First, there are carcinogens which are known to cause cancer and or promote cancer growth; secondly, are endocrine disrupters which imitate human hormones and create issues with fertility and the immune system; and thirdly, are neurotoxins that directly targets brain activity. Ingredients in household cleaners account for the most common calls to the Poison Control Centers nationwide.

     It’s time to look into alternatives, create a cleaner and healthier environment starting with our homes. Alternatives are available we just need look for environmentally friendly products that are non-toxic and not poisonous.  As end users we need to be conscious of the products we use, and look beyond the results toxic household cleaners provide, because a clean home should be without consequence but peace of mind.


    For more information about the dangers of household cleaners and eco-friendlier cleaners check out this link: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_279.cfm

Sources: http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/PoisoningPrevention/FAQ.aspx

                   http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_279.cfm

Mixing Household Cleaners

Severe Lung Injury after Exposure to Chloramine Gas from Household Cleaners:

            Everyday household cleaners can be extremely dangerous since most of its users are unaware of their chemical composition and how these could react with other seemingly harmless substances and gases.  An article published by the New England Journal of Medicine talks about the dangers of mixing household cleaners.  This article discusses the case in which a healthy 53 year old woman suffered from swelling of the upper airway requiring an emergency tracheostomy after mixing over the counter bleach and ammonia while cleaning a freezer at her place of employment.  She later developed pneumonitis and needed artificial ventilation before recovering. 

Without thinking too much about it, I have seen how family members and friends mix different cleaners to achieve a “stronger cleaning power”, and refill bottles of bleach with some other types of cleaners.  This article explains how pulmonary irritation and pneumonitis are just some of the possible side effects of mixing and inhaling cleaners’ fumes.  The combination of such common cleaners as household ammonia and bleach releases chloramines’ gas which in turn will “react with the moisture of the respiratory tract to release ammonia, hydrochloric acid and oxygen free radicals.” (Graeme, Tanen, and Raschke 848-849) These molecules will typically cause mild respiratory tract irritation when inhaled in small amounts, but in high concentrations these chemical combinations could “cause corrosive effects and cellular injury” (Graeme, Tanen, and Raschke 848-849) that could result in pneumonitis and edema.

Graeme, Kimberlie, David Tanen, and Robert Raschke. "Severe Lung Injury after Exposure to Chloramine Gas from Household Cleaners." New England Journal Of Medicine. 344 (1999): 848-849. Web. 9 Jul. 2012. <http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199909093411115>.

Keeping Your Home Clean and Non-Toxic

          Our topic as a class for this term revolves around the production, use, and impact of chemical cleaners on human and environmental health. The use of chemical cleaners and chemical agents is an integral part of our society, ranging from daily house cleaning to water and air purification (or pollution) to crop fertilization, clothing manufacture, and weapons technology research. For our purposes however, we will focus on the application of common household cleaners whose job is to remove the unwanted waste, dirt and stains that inevitably accumulate on the things we own and use.

          Unfortunately, a growing body of evidence has begun to attribute chemical cleaners (or more specifically, the ingredients used to make them) to harmful human and environmental problems. Common chemical ingredients such as ethylene-based glycol, terpenes, hypochlorite and harmful phosphates have been found to contribute to air and water pollution. They also prompt the natural formation of carcinogenic compounds that irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs; while potentially causing longer-term kidney and liver complications.

          Armed with this knowledge, individuals are better equipped to protect themselves, their families, and make more informed decisions regarding the products they use to clean their homes. By substituting the use of common cleaners (which contain many of the harsh chemicals mentioned above) with greener, natural alternatives; consumers can begin to ensure their homes remain clean and non-toxic – while sending a message to large manufacturers that safety should be their top priority when formulating their products. Even simpler ingredients such as baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and lemons can be used for every-day chores without compromising the quality or effectiveness of a cleaner. By switching to these earth-friendly alternatives, one can continue to enjoy a clean home, good health, and a happy environment.

See the following article (cited above) for more information:

http://life.gaiam.com/article/whats-so-bad-about-chemical-cleaning-products

Spring and Summer Blooms

It’s spring and everything is in bloom. But, the blooms that live in the ocean are not the ones that turn into beautiful flowers. They become oceanic dead zones, that create havoc around the world. Where every living creature in the seas are at risk. Phytoplankton is a living organism that creates dead zones. Dead zones kill fish, lobster, clams, crab, oysters, dolphins, whales and anything else that comes in contact with it.

So, what is a dead zone? A dead zone is nitrogen and phosphorus in excessive amounts that flows into our rivers and streams and enters into the ocean. It is fertilizer, human and animal waste, agricultural runoff and industrial waste. All of this makes algal blooms. The algal eats up all of the oxygen around it. Then, as it dies it begins to sink to the bottom floor. As the algal descends it kills everything in it’s path, as it eats away all of the oxygen yet again. By the time it has reached the ocean floor the beginning of a dead zone has been created.
        

                        
Every one of our coastlines is literally affected. Some dead zones stretch for hundreds of miles, turning into thousands. Robert Howarth at action bioscience.org states, “ Of 139 U.S. coastal areas assessed recently, 44 were identified as severely affected by high levels of these nutrients.” He also goes on to tell us that the scientists fear it will get worse as the decades pass. http://oceantoday.noaa.gov/happnowdeadzone/
The following short film is for your education as to what a dead zone really is and what it is doing to our oceans and our economy. Please watch it with us. And then think about what you can do to help clean up our oceans.


-Kelly Peters

Sources:
http://www.actionbioscience.org/environment/howarth.html

Population Increases, Bad on Our Oceans

Population Increases, Bad on Our Oceans

It is currently estimated that three babies are born every second and because we are living longer the population is increasing at an incredible rate. Right now the population growth rate is approximately 1.3% per year. With a little over 7 billion people in the world that is an increase of around 90 million new lives every year. This massive increase each year is causing many problems for the world, one being our ability to manage the garbage and waste that is being used. With the amount of sewage being accumulated many people have turned to dumping it into our oceans because there is too much to be treated. This means not only are the dead zones going to increase in size but new dead zones are going to start appearing if this continues. Another problem we face is the increase in number of fish farms to keeps up with the demand. It sounds good, increasing the growth numbers of fish mean more food for people, but what isn't accounted for is the waste these fish are putting off and the uneaten food pellets. Both of these thing are starting to have a huge impact on the creation of algae blooms and therefore dead zones, and it's possible that if the trend continues this could become a bigger factor than the fertilizer runoff in many places.

 Image source: http://www.aratosuav.com/agriculture.html

Commercial Fish “En-danger”

Commercial Fish “En-danger”

Oxygen is a necessity for almost all life on our planet. When humans don't get enough we can get headaches, or feel weak and winded, or can't think straight, but when fish lack oxygen it isn't just their bodies that get effected but their survival as a species becomes endangered. Right now the oxygen levels in certain areas of the ocean are dropping causing the sea life that lives there to abandon it and go deeper into the ocean, but this isn't possible for all marine life. Aside from the fish in lakes, that have absolutely no where to go, certain fish are being forced out into areas of the ocean that can't sustain them. This makes it impossible for them to stay away from the areas they once populated so they travel back, staying at the edge of the hypoxic zones. These waters are still deprived of oxygen and this is causing fish to become stunted, and in some cases not be able to reproduce effectively, causing their numbers to become lower. It also means, for the fish we harvest, that fishermen are having to catch more fish to meet their quotas because they aren't big enough and don't weigh enough, which also lowers their numbers. Another effect of low oxygen levels is the fishes ability to swim. Studies have show that fish with less oxygen swim slower, and have lower reaction times. This makes them easy prey for the predators whose food chain they are on, again lowering numbers. The trend here is obvious and we are going to see commercial fish species become endangered, or worse completely die off, unless the awareness about these issues, among others, is raised and dealt with.

Five things you can do this summer to help the Earth and have fun!

1.            Grow a garden! It's prime time for growing gardens! I've already started mine and my onions are going crazy with this recent warm water! It's not that difficult and if you grow your food instead of buying it from the grocery story you are reducing gas consumption. It takes a good amount of fuel to ship all that produce to stores. Just think if everyone grew their own produce?

2.            Go to the beach with your friends and pick up trash! You know that Tsunami that Hit Japan? Well all that debris is now washing up on Oregon shores along with all the other bits and pieces that beach goers leave behind. Who knows, you might save a fishes life!                

3.            Go fishing for Pikeminnows in the Columbia river! The Oregon department of fish and wildlife pays a bounty of $4-$8 dollars per pikeminnow a person catches because of their negative effects on salmon and steelhead populations!  You're catching dinner and getting paid for it!

4.            Go camping and leave no trace behind! Campers can easily effect the wildlife surrounding them, even more so if they leave trash and food behind. Pick up after yourself when you are camping and be sure to not leave metals and plastics behind. They change the landscape and really do make a pretty forest look like trash.  

5.            Bike more, Drive less. There is nothing like the smell of hot pavement, gasoline, and tare in 90 degree weather. Instead of going for a cruise with your friends, go for a bike ride! You will save gas and get some good exercise. 

-Richard Jossy