Cathy O’Rourke found comfort in scrubbing, spritzing and spraying her home with an arsenal of cleaning supplies she stored under the sink. But things changed when her 6-year-old son developed asthma. “I started reading the labels on things I was using. The long lists of crazy-sounding chemicals made me think about their effect on the air in our home,” says the 37-year-old dental hygienist. “Now if there’s a chemical I can’t pronounce, I don’t buy the product.” When we think air pollution, we think outdoors. But the chemicals in everything from beauty products to food to furniture mean the air inside can be worse than outside. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks indoor air quality—in our homes, cars, workplaces and schools—as among the nation’s top five environmental risks to public health. So how do we clean it up? We make healthier choices for our family and the planet. Here, we clear the air by cutting through marketing lingo to help you make confident choices when buying the essentials.

Home
“There are so many easy things you can do to remove toxins in your home, where allergy and asthma triggers like dust, mold, pets, pests, smoke and environmental pollutants can make it tough to breathe,” says Sonya Lunder, senior analyst for the nonprofit environmental Working Group (EWG). To start, she suggests avoiding fragrances, never smoking indoors and not letting your car run inside the garage. Here are other simple changes to make your home a nontoxic haven.

Air fresheners

Sure, you want your home to have a clean, fresh scent, but most candles and air fresheners have synthetic (read: chemical) fragrances. The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that 12 of the 14 air fresheners it tested—even ones claiming to be “all natural”—contained phthalates; they have been linked to hormone disruption, birth defects and reproductive problems. And a European study found they also contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and chemicals like benzene, which the EPA has classified as a carcinogen. For good ventilation, open windows or use fans. Still want to scent? Try candles made with essential oils instead of synthetic fragrances, like Big Dipper aromatherapy candles (bigdipperwaxworks.com).

Food and cooking

Organic foods can cost more, but fruits and vegetables grown on conventional farms are often coated with residue from pesticides (80 percent of which are potential carcinogens). And those can be ingested, even after rinsing the food with water. If cost is an issue, then pick your battles wisely. Try to go organic on the biggest offenders—crops that use the most pesticides, like apples (and apple juice), lettuce and peaches. Check out foodnews.org for a ranking of nonorganic produce and pesticide contamination (avocados and onions, for instance, rank low on the list). For meat and milk, look for labels that say “no added growth hormones.” Avoid food and infant formulas in aluminum cans, because they are lined with bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical linked to obesity, diabetes and breast cancer.
Cleaners

“Bleach and ammonia are powerful cleaning agents, but they irritate kids’ lungs,” says Lunder. Natural all-purpose cleaners made from plants and minerals, like Green Works (greenworkscleaners.com) and BabyGanics (babyganics.com), get the mopping and dusting done without releasing harmful chemicals. When loading the washing machine, use phosphate-free detergents like Mrs. Meyer’s (mrsmeyers.com). Also, consider replacing traditional dryer sheets (they’re coated with potentially carcinogenic chemicals) with the addition of half a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.

Bath

Labels can be deceptive, so the EWG makes it easy to find bath and beauty products that are healthy for you and your family. Simply check its safety guide at cosmeticsdatabase.com and avoid potentially hazardous ingredients like triclosan, BHA, oxybenzone, sodium lauryl sulfate and fragrances. The health advocacy group also suggests avoiding suspected hormone disruptors, including parabens and oxybenzone.

Water

According to the NRDC, U.S. tap water is just as safe as (if not better than) water in bottles. First, it’s often the same water: An estimated 40 percent of bottled water comes from a tap. Second, plastic bottles can leach the toxin BPA used to make them. But chemicals like chlorine from cleaners and lead from old pipes can end up in our tap water because water treatment plants can’t filter them out. So opt for a water filter that attaches to the faucet.

Furniture

If your furniture is worn and breaking down, replace it; it may contain flame retardants, called PBDEs, that can cause health problems from brain and nervous system damage to reproduction and fertility problems. Similarly, stain repellents on upholstered furniture contain toxic VOCs like formaldehyde. “Avoid optional stain treatment,” says Lunder. “Buy products that are durable and washable.” 

Paints

Looking to transform that beige bedroom with a splash of sexy, exotic red? Pick paint that has been certified by Green Seal (greenseal.org), a nonprofit group that tests paints for such things as VOCs that can release cancer-causing toxins. For no-odor, no-VOC paints, check out AFM (afmsafecoat.com) and Benjamin Moore’s Natura line (benjaminmoore.com)—they’re just as rich but water based.

Child Care & School

“Children are clearly more susceptible to chemicals,” says Lunder. Kids eat, drink and breathe more in proportion to their body size than adults, leaving them especially vulnerable to substances present on floors and carpets and in grass and dirt, according to the EPA. Check healthyschools.org to be sure that your school uses green cleaners; if not, encourage administrators to do so. Here are other ways to ensure a safe, healthy school environment.
Lawn care

At school, in the backyard, at the park—kids are almost magnetically attracted to grass and spend hours playing in it. With natural pest management, schools can create a safer playground for kids. Weed killers and insecticides have been linked to cancer and asthma (on average, one out of 3 school-age children has asthma). Ask your school about its pest management program and urge administrators to use less toxic pesticides, such as the products certified at greenshield.org.

Play sets

When you see your child on the swing, your first thought is, Not so high—be careful. But other dangers lurk: Play sets built before 2004 may be treated with chromated copper arsenate, a chemical preservative that protects the wood from rotting. This preservative contains arsenic and, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, puts kids at risk for lung and bladder cancer. Its use in new play sets has been banned since 2004; however, 90 percent of existing wood playground equipment still contains the chemical. Check out rainbowplay.com and cedarworks.com for alternatives.

PVC plastics

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or vinyl is used to make plastic toys, inflatable pool toys and vinyl teethers. It’s considered the most toxic plastic because it can release cancer-causing chemicals—like phthalates (in soft plastic) and lead and cadmium (in more durable plastics)—during and after production. At home and day care, avoid toys marked with a “3” or “PVC.” Another plastic, polycarbonate, is made using BPA. To avoid BPA plastics, stay away from baby bottles marked with a “7” or “PC.” Also avoid liquid baby formula sold in aluminum cans; BPA coats the inside of cans and leaches from the lining. California has banned some toxic plasticizers in kids’ toys, and Target has agreed to reduce the number of PVC products it sells. You can find alternative plastic toys at lego.com and brio.knex.com.
School buses

School pickup could be so much healthier if everyone—parents, bus drivers—shut off the engine while waiting for the school bell to ring. Most school buses still run on polluting diesel, and smog emissions are not good for the air our children breathe. You can get a tool kit and template for a “No-Idle Zone” sign for your school at airwatchnorthwest.org/noidlezone.

Supplies

Your school should use nontoxic glues, markers, paints and crayons. Some markers contain xylene, a VOC that causes headaches. Instead, find eco-friendly ones at ecosmartworld.com. Elmer’s also offers nontoxic glue (elmers.com), while Staples.com sells soybean crayons made without petroleum-based wax. You can find vinyl- and lead-free lunch bags at ecobags.com, or eco-totes that unfold into placemats at builtny.com.
Work
While you may not have a say in the paint on your office walls or the furniture in your cubicle (much less be able to crack open a window), there are small steps you can take to detox your office environment.
Commute

Most of us drive to and from work during peak hours, sitting idle in traffic, polluting our air. If you have flextime, try to avoid rush hour (you’ll save on gas, too). Carpooling with a coworker will also help take one more car off the road.

Coffee

The office coffee machine is often a social hot spot, and studies show a cup of joe can be healthy—it can reduce your chance for Type 2 diabetes and is chock-full of antioxidants that can help prevent cell damage and illness. So drink up. (Pregnant women, however, should avoid coffee because of its possible link to miscarriages.) Grown without cancer-linked pesticides, organic coffee makes every sip even healthier. Opt for unbleached coffee filters and switch out your office brand for Sam’s Choice Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee (walmart.com). Also, get a mug; drinking hot beverages in Styrofoam cups releases styrene, a chemical that can cause respiratory problems.

Paper

The average office employee goes through 10,000 sheets of paper a year—more than one tree’s worth. But a ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees. (Trees absorb Co2, the gas that causes air pollution and global warming.) Other ways to save: Print on both sides or on scrap paper.

Dry cleaning
Traditional dry cleaners use a chemical called perchloroethylene, (PERC) a central nervous system depressant and potential carcinogen. Shop for clothing without “Dry Clean only” labels and wash by hand when possible. When you do bring dry cleaning home, remove the plastic and air garments outside to keep the chemical from escaping into your home. You can also find a green, PERC-free dry cleaner in your area at greenearthcleaning.com.