HOUSEHOLD
PRODUCTS DATABASEDate:
24 Dec 2003
From: "Peter Montague" {Peter@rachel.org}
By
Erin E. Dooley, Environmental Health Perspectives, 16
December 2003
Each
day most of us spray, spread, squeeze, pour, and shake
any number of chemical products onto our bodies and into
our home environments as part of our daily routines. Household
shelves display
a bounty of chemical products ranging from pesticides
and drain cleaners to shaving cream and air fresheners.
In 2002, U.S. consumers bought more than $20 billion worth
of household cleaners alone.
To provide consumers with
a reliable source for information on how to safely use
household chemical products, the National Library of Medicine
(NLM) offers the Household Products Database, located
at
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm.The
database, which is planned to be updated periodically,
currently contains information on more than 4,000 consumer
brands. (The initial brands included were selected based
on market share and shelf presence in the Washington,
D.C., and San Francisco metropolitan areas; today, users
may nominate additional products for inclusion.)
The site
also offers contact information for manufacturers and
poison centers, as well as a glossary of terms and acronyms
used in material safety data sheets (MSDSs), access to
toxicity reports, and other resources that consumers may
consult for more detailed chemical information.The
Products page groups products into seven categories: Auto
Products, Home Inside, Pesticides, Landscape/Yard, Personal
Care/Use, Home Maintenance, and Hobbies & Crafts.
Selecting a category pulls up a list of more specific
product groups (for example, insulation- related items)
and then a list of product types (for example, duct wrap
or spray foam).
Selecting a product type pulls up a list
of specific brand-name products, each with its own comprehensive
entry based on data from the product's MSDS. Visitors
can also browse through an alphabetic product listing
or search for specific products by brand name, type, or
manufacturer.Individual
brand entries include complete manufacturer contact information,
an overview of acute and chronic health effects the product
may cause, recommendations for first aid, tips for safely
storing and disposing of the product, and a listing of
ingredients from the MSDS or product label. Each ingredient
name links to more detailed information including synonyms,
health studies done on the chemical, toxicity information
in the NLM's TOXNET database, and chemical information
in its ChemIDPlus database.On
the Ingredients page, information on product constituents
can be accessed using either a chemical's name or its
Chemical Abstracts Service registry number.
Searches bring
up information on the chemical as well as a listing of
products containing that ingredient. The MSDS page allows
visitors to search for information on specific health
effects. Entering a health effect (for example, muscle
pain or nausea) into the search field pulls up a listing
of relevant products.The
website also lists other resources of interest including
links to the Environmental Protection Agency Consumer
Labeling Initiative and its site on hazardous products
in the home, and to the American
Association of Poison Control Centers.
New
Open Space Plan
Under
the direction of Chairmain Ralph Bitter, the environmental
commission has created a Plumsted Township Development
Status map.ATCM
to Limit School Bus Idling and Idling at Schoolshttp://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/sbidling/sbidling.htm
Check
out this important link about school bus idling. Because
children breathe 50 percent more air per pound of body
weight than adults, they are the ones who become most
affected. Find out more at the above website to understand
the dangers of school bus idling and to find out what
you can do to help.
