Environmental Justice Action in Southern Africa

The household toxic tour
Home   Kitchen   Laundry  Bedrooms   Living rooms   Baby's room   Garage   Garden Shed   Hobby Room

1. Read labels!  
2. Buy products that are labelled “Preservative free”, “MSG free”, “Tartrazine free”, “Pesticide free”, “Organic’ etc. (And while you are at it, why not also buy products which are “GMO free”, “cruelty free”, “hormone free” as well as “free range” animal products too?)
3. Wherever possible, buy organically grown food.  Besides being free of chemicals, these foods have been shown to have a higher nutritional value.
4. Try to use the alternatives to plastic products whenever possible. For example, buy food in glass, paper or cardboard containers.  At home, avoid heating food in plastic containers, or storing fatty foods in plastic containers or plastic wrap and avoid all PVC and styrene products.
5. Be especially vigilant when buying products for pregnant woman, children and people with already weakened immune systems (especially those who are HIV positive).  The first 20 years of life are believed to be the most crucial in terms of preventing on contracting serious illnesses associated with chemical exposure.
6. Wherever possible avoid buying the following products: 

•     pesticides,

•     foods which primarily contain flavourants, colourants and preservatives (such as some fruit squashes, fizzy drinks, polony, most sweets & chips)

•     air fresheners (unless they are free of propellants, formaldehyde and artificial fragrances)

•     benzene

•     leaded paint 

•     hair spray

•     firelighters

•     jeyes fluid

•     spot removers

•   Aerosol products (deodorants, hair sprays, furniture polish, Spray ‘n Cook etc), unless they are pump action and do not contain propellant

•   PVC toys, teethers, dummies or teat

•   Perfumed products (for example, perfumed bleach or detergents, scented furniture polish, perfumed lotions and face creams etc).