Time and time again clients come to green builders seeking to build a healthy home - a home free of chemicals, cancer-causing agents, and other harmful materials that are rampant in new homes across the US - yet they fail to realize that some of the most dangerous materials are introduced to the home long after construction is finished. 

Building materials most commonly targeted during construction are: formaldehyde, commonly found in cabinets and plywood;  cancer-causing Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) found in plastics and flooring; VOCs that are abundant in toxic paints and finishes; and adhesives like those used in most carpeting, that continue to offgas into the home for 30+ years.  But while we as builders can choose materials devoid of these harms during construction, many consumers do not know that these materials are abundant in many of the common household items that fill their homes.

Products to watch out for are:

• Shower curtains, window treatments, and other plastics that contain cancer-causing PVCs
• Paints, solvents, and adhesives that contain harmful VOCs: learn more from Air Quality Sciences
  
• Mattresses, furniture, and other goods containing PBDEs - a chemical cousin to carcinogenic PCBs that acts as a flame retardant
• IKEA finished phasing out PBDEs in their build-it-yourself furniture in 2002!
  
• Ready-to-build furniture kits that use particle board laced with formaldehyde, a carcinogenic preservative
  
• Cosmetics that contain dangerous chemicals, learn more about the products you use at SkinDeep.com
  
• Indoor air fresheners and fragrances that can contain a lethal cocktail of chemicals including: formaldehyde, phthalates, naphthalene, camphor, and dichlorobenzene (banned in California!)
• Because the fragrance industry does not require manufacturers to disclose the ingredients of these products, consumers cannot even read a label to discern the harm contained within!  Download this printable handout learn more about dangers of and alternatives to indoor air fresheners
  

To learn more about these issues, or find chemical-free products for your home, visit some of these trusted sites:

Nirvana Safe Haven Chemical-Free Products Shop

Skin Deep Cosmetics Database

Indoor Air Quality Association