AT HOME
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Preventing water pollution in and around our homes begins with taking an inventory of common household products and cleaners that we use every day. Look under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, check the laundry and utility room, and survey the shelves and corners of the garage, workshop, and storage closet. Most of our homes will turn up a small chemical arsenal.
Oven, drain, and toilet cleaners contain the caustic base lye (sodium hydroxide). Laundry detergents, abrasive cleansers, and mildew removers contain bleach (sodium hypochlorite). Cleaners that dissolve hard water scale deposits contain sulfamic and hydroacetic acids. A diverse array of aerosols, automotive products, bug sprays, metal, floor, and shoe polishes, floor care products and pesticides are high in carbon-based (organic) compounds. Petroleum distillates make some products flammable. Some of the most toxic household products are those used in home maintenance and repair including points, preservatives, strippers and thinners, glues, and varnishes. Many common household products contain petroleum-based chemicals and other non-biodegradable ingredients. The garages, basements, and attics of older homes may be filled with products that have been sitting for decades. Older pesticides may contain active ingredients which are now considered too risky for consumer use. Homes with pools, boats, and gardens add more chemicals to the inventory as do those households whose members are pursuing painting, ceramics, or photography. Most people take extra precautions with strong household cleaners, chemicals, and other substances that could potentially poison or harm children and pets. Few people think twice about pouring chemicals down the drain, flushing them down the toilet, dumping them on the ground, or hosing them off the driveway. We don't stop to consider the dangers when we dispose of "empty" containers by setting them out for garbage pick-up. Cans and other containers with residual chemicals that are trucked to landfills could potentially leach toxins into the air, soil, groundwater, and eventually the food chain. In the case of incinerators, gaseous emissions and other fine particulate matter have the potential to contaminate air and surface waters. The improper storage of toxic ash has the potential to pollute groundwater. We can no longer take for granted the ways in which we use and dispose of hazardous household chemicals. We can significantly reduce the impact of hazardous chemicals in a number of ways. |
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