Green Talk®

Whole Body, Healthy Home, and Sustainable Garden Inspiration

 Get Inspired.  Sign Up for Our Free Newsletter

  • About
    • Press
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
  • New Here?
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Hire Me
  • 5 Reasons to Subscribe!
  • Build Green
  • Gardening
  • Green Business
  • Green Living
  • Green Home
  • Recycling
  • Tech

Volatile Organic Compounds: Harmful in Our Home. Learn to Choose Better.

April 10, 2014 By: Anna8 Comments

Volatile Organic Compounds Can Hurt Your Health

During this Earth Day month, Green Sisterhood is focusing on a healthier Planet.  I believe a healthier planet starts in the  home.   Reducing your exposure to volatile organic compounds swarming throughout your house  is one of the first steps to a healthier house.

What are volatile organic compounds?   They are carbon containing compounds that “evaporate  easily from water into air at normal air temperatures.”

High VOC concentrations can cause eye and throat irritation, headaches, damage to the liver and nervous system as well as cancer.   Indoor concentrations of VOCs can be much higher than outdoor concentrations– two to five times higher.

The following VOCs are off-gassed in common household products such as furniture, carpet, paints, adhesives, paint thinners, solvents, wood preservatives , cleaners and disinfectants, air fresheners, aerosol sprays, caulks, and fabrics:

  • Acetone
  • Benzene
  • Ethylene glycol
  • Formaldehyde
  • Methylene chloride
  • Perchloroethylene
  • Toluene
  • Xylene
  • 1,3-butadiene

 How Can You Reduce Your Exposure to These Chemicals?

1.  Paints and Thinners:  Look for products that are Green Seal certified especially for paints, paint thinners, and adhesives.  See here for a list of  approved products.  If you are unable to find Green Seal certified products, opt for products that state they are “low odor.”

When using products such as paint thinners or aerosol sprays, make sure you open the windows or use them outdoors.

2.  Wood Furniture:  Opt for furniture that is made out of no added-formaldehyde-free wood and low VOC, water-based stains, finishes, and adhesives. Wood naturally contains formaldehyde.

A good starting point to find sustainable furniture is Sustainable Furnishing Council,  but note, not all of the furniture companies listed are green.  They are companies striving to be more sustainable.

Note:  When you hear the term ” all wood,” particleboard, plywood and MDF (medium density fiberboard) are all wood but have glue in them to keep them together.  So be careful when buying products that say they are all wood.

3. Cabinets:  Cabinets are generally made of plywood, MDF, or particleboard.  Opt for  no added formaldehyde cabinets which have low VOC water based stains, finishes, and glues.  Particleboard, MDF and plywood often contain added urea formaldehyde.  However, in the past years, many manufacturers are producing  no added formaldehyde products.  See here for some particleboard and MDF products.

4.  Fabrics:  Fabrics can contain formaldehyde and other harmful chemicals.  Here is a list of eco-friendly fabrics here and here.

5.  Carpets:  Carpet can emit VOCs.  Opt for Green Label or Green Label Plus carpets.  See a list here.

6.  Trim:  When creating paneling, be sure to follow the same guidelines as Wood Furniture.  Most builders use particleboard or MDF.

7.  Flooring:  There are several choices in eco-friendly wood floors:  FSC certified wood floors, Marmoleum, bamboo, cork, and recycle content tile.  Some flooring contains adhesives with formaldehyde such as bamboo and floating cork floors. Look for Floor Score® certified products.  See here for a list.

8.  Aerosol Sprays and Cleaning Products:   Many cleaning products  and aerosols such as air fresheners contain harmful ingredients.  EWG’s guide to cleaners focuses in my opinion, on indoor air quality.  They have tested at least 2000 products.  Note, if companies don’t disclose all of their ingredients, they received poor grades.

If you want to just make your own cleaning products, here is a list of some of my favorite DIY recipes.

I have only touched  the tip of the iceberg about the  chemicals toxicity  in your household.  Household products can also contain phthalates and flame retardants which can be detrimental to your health.  So, do your homework before you bring products into your home.

This post was part of this week’s Green Sisterhood carnival on toxins.  You can read my other green sisters articles here:

The Greening of Westford
ecokaren
The Soft Landing
Green 4 U
Jen and Joey Go Green
Almost All the Truth

Similar Posts:

  • Green Nontoxic Remodeling Ideas for Common Home Upgrades
  • Sierra Pine’s Medite II and Medex, Excellent Eco-Friendly Plywood Alternatives
  • Terra Cabinets, A Socially Responsible Company where Greening Your Closets is a Priority
  • Do You Get A Headache when You Walk into your Closet?
  • Sleep On Latex: A Healthier Mattress to Sleep Better

Grow From Seed Mini Course

Grow From Seed Mini Course

About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

Chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , and Google+.

Comments

  1. 2

    lindsay says

    April 11, 2014 at 3:16 pm

    Really great information Anna, excited to share. Love the graphic too!

    Reply
    • 3

      Anna@Green Talk says

      April 13, 2014 at 9:16 pm

      Lindsay, thanks. It is a topic dear to my heart. Anna

      Reply
  2. 4

    Small Footprints says

    April 11, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    Thank you for these tips. We are getting ready to build a home … a small, Eco-friendly home. These tips will definitely come in handy!

    Reply
    • 5

      Anna@Green Talk says

      April 13, 2014 at 9:16 pm

      Small Footprint, best advice I can give to someone building a home is budget 20% over then you think. It always costs more. Green generally cost 15 to 20% more to begin with. Abba

      Reply
  3. 6

    Gretchen@HealthfulMama says

    April 17, 2014 at 7:45 am

    Because so many homes contain these materials, what would be your recommendation for those buying an older home (no control over materials)? Can we assume a level of safety from off-gassing over the years or no?

    Reply
    • 7

      Anna@Green Talk says

      April 18, 2014 at 4:28 am

      Gretchen, I think for the most part you can be safe from VOC off-gassing with older homes but they also come with a host of problems too. There might be asbestos, lead, and formaldehyde in the insulation.

      Formaldehyde take awhile to offgas completely. I don’t know how it offgases in insulation. I have been trying for years to get a good answer about formaldehyde off-gassing. Anna

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 5 Toxins to Avoid in Baby Products | Eco-Mothering | Eco-Mothering says:
    April 11, 2014 at 6:01 am

    […] Green Talk […]

    Reply
  2. How to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals says:
    April 13, 2014 at 11:44 am

    […] Avoid VOCs – The acronym stands for volatile organic compounds. VOCs are found in paints, air fresheners, solvents and many other household products. They are also used in conventional dry cleaning processes. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Shop from Anna’s Farm– The Naked Botanical– Farm Fresh Teas, Salts & Body Products

The Naked Botanical " Click HERE

Save Money By Growing Your Plants Indoors.

Three Must Have Equipment "

Grab My Free Mini Course

Connect with Me

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular Posts

  • Organic Color Systems: Wash those Grays Away with a Safer Hair Color
  • Coffee Grounds in the Garden: Friend or Foe?
  • Celery Leaves: Cook or Discard them?

RSS Green Talk Radio

  • An error has occurred, which probably means the feed is down. Try again later.

Popular Posts

  • Organic Color Systems: Wash those Grays Away with a Safer Hair Color
  • Coffee Grounds in the Garden: Friend or Foe?
  • Celery Leaves: Cook or Discard them?
  • Freeze Cucumbers & Learn How to Use Them.
  • Hydrogen Peroxide + Ears = Bye to Colds. A Remedy that Works

RSS Green Talk TV

  • Turmeric indoor sowing time!
  • Short snippet of creating a rose hydrosol
  • Elderberry, more uses than just for health
  • The Naked Botanical's Gift Boxes
  • The Naked Botanical salts

Copyright Green Talk © 2022 · Website Designed by Clever Kiwi