I attended a recent household hazards talk, and while I was pretty confident that what was lurking in my cupboards was relatively safe, I did learn a thing or two!

The average American household harbors 60 hazardous products, ranging from cleaners, adhesives, garden and automotive products, batteries, solvents, pool supplies…..the list goes on.

Families have become more aware of the dangers of household hazardous waste and have installed security measures on cupboards, or placed the items up high and out of reach. So now, the majority of child poisoning calls come in from families whose child consumed a hazardous product while the parent was using it. Our children are like ninjas, quick and silent, so make sure to keep products out of reach while you’re cleaning, while you’re working on your car, while you’re gardening, etc.

The speaker mentioned a story of a toddler sprinkling Parmesan cheese in the bathtub to clean it. But you could certainly see why! Another mix up that happens is caregivers that mix up diaper wipes with anti-septic wipes. Ouch!  Perhaps a little more dangerous is the big bulk bottles we get from Costco and other retailers. These products get poured into smaller containers, which perhaps once held water, blue raspberry gatorade, or orange crush in the same colors as your cleaner. Peeling the label off the small container to try and avoid confusion that is a beverage means that you might not remember what’s inside it a year down the road. The babysitter or mother in law has no idea what it is, and if someone in the house were to ingest it, it would be difficult to explain to the poison control center what it was. The substance could also eat through the container – bottled water is a one-time use item, and is not even meant to store more water in it once consumed.

ADVERTISEMENT

We’re all pretty aware of lead paint in our pre-1978 homes, but I was surprised to learn that lead can be found in crystal glassware (think your mom’s candy jars) and hard candies from Asia! Basically, if there’s a candy with the newest cartoon character on it, chances are, it may contain lead! If there’s still Halloween candy left over, see what’s hiding in your kids’ loot.

Most people are pretty aware that fluorescent lights, both the spiral looking compact fluorescent lightbulbs and the tubes, contain mercury. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are so economical to run and have become very commonplace in today’s home. But what to do when they break? The environmental protection agency (EPA) gives a rundown of what to do here, and it continues to review its recommendations to ensure the most up to date information is available. If a CFL bulb breaks in your home, keep the following in mind:

  • Avoid breathing vapors
  • Avoid touching broken materials
  • Do not vacuum or sweep
  • Follow proper clean-up procedures for hard surface or carpet clean-up.

What to do if a bulb breaks:

Open all doors and windows in the room and turn off central heating or air-conditioning. Everyone, including the person who is going to eventually do the cleanup, needs to vacate the house immediately, avoiding the room with the accident en route, if possible. Remain outside for at least 15 minutes.

How to clean up a broken CFL bulb or tube from a hard surface such as a tile floor or countertop.

  1. Remove jewelry and put on disposable rubber gloves.
  2. Use stiff paper or cardboard to pick up large pieces (remember, don’t vacuum or sweep)
  3. Place them in a secure closed container, preferably a glass jar with a metal screw top lid and seal like a canning jar. This type of container works best to contain the mercury vapors.
  4. Use index cards or playing cards to pick up small pieces and powder.
  5. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape or masking tape to pick up fine particles.
  6. Wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel or wet wipe.
  7. Place all materials used for clean-up into a sealed container, preferably glass and store outside the house.
  8. Continue ventilating the room for several hours.
  9. If clothing, bedding or other soft materials have come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury powder, they should be taken to your local household hazardous waste facility. DO NOT wash in washing machine, sink or by other methods. Place soft materials in a sealed plastic bag outside the house.
  10. If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury powder, DO NOT spread mercury over a larger area. Wipe shoes with a damp paper towel or wet wipe and place towel or wipe into a sealed container, preferably glass.
  11. Immediately place all clean-up materials in a protected area outside the house away from children and pets.
  12. Wash your hands.
  13. Dispose of cleaning supplies, broken bulbs and tubes and clothing, bedding or other soft materials at your local household hazardous waste facility – not in your garbage.

How to clean up a broken compact fluorescent light bulb or tube from carpet.

Follow the same instructions as for cleaning-up on a hard surface above.

  1. Consider removing and disposing of throw rugs or the area of carpet where the breakage occurred as a precaution, particularly if the rug is in an area frequented by infants, small children or pregnant women.
  2. If the carpet is not removed, open the window to the room during the next several times you vacuum the carpet to provide good ventilation. Remove the vacuum bag and put the bag in a sealed plastic bag. Take the sealed plastic bag to the household hazardous waste facility for disposal.

Do not let old, intact CFL bulbs sit in your car for the rainy day you remember to dispose of them. If they were to break in such a small space and over the car upholstery, it would not be good news.

.  .  .  .  .

In the US, the child poison center has a nationwide 1-800 number and you can obtain stickers of “Mr. Yuk” to put on hazardous bottles. Beware, however, that these are not ordinary stickers to be given to your children, because once they’re on, they’re on, and you don’t want your TV remote or cell phone covered in Mr. Yuk stickers.

Many states also offer hazardous waste take-back sites. Be aware of any bottles in your home labeled Danger or Poison. It is unfortunate that household products are not required to list ingredients, nor are they required to test their products for safety. They are, however, required to indicate the following: CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER, and POISON – the latter two are the highest hazard. Safer alternatives would not have any of these words listed on the bottle. It is also unfortunate that there are no standard regulations on items labeled “natural” or “green” or have logos with trees and butterflies. Even arsenic could be called “natural!” The next time you restock on cleaning supplies, take the time to read the bottles, because some manufacturers do choose to disclose their ingredients.

Even if our children haven’t started crawling yet, it’s never too soon to start looking around our homes and start employing safer practices or buying safer products. Maybe you can bring in a friend or family member for a fresh set of eyes and take care of things now, because we all know that our children grow up before we know it. Is there some peeling paint that needs to be touched up? Do you store a few bathroom cleaning products near the toilet? What do you need to take care of in your house?