Nature's Green Remedy

Do you have any idea what chemicals are lurking in the cabinets under your kitchen and bathroom sinks?

Ever wonder what the source of the pungent odor emanating from your workshop bench or shelves was and whether they were safe household products?

Are all these materials made from perfectly safe chemicals or are there reasons to be concerned?

Is it possible the sweet odor coming from chemicals in household products is actually a possible health threat to you or your family?

Many of us often have questions about the various cleaning, landscape, maintenance and even craft products we routinely use around our home or workplace.  Finding a source of pertinent chemical safety information about specific products is usually time consuming, difficult and the results are often suspect.

Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) have compiled health and safety information on over 4,000 products used in the household and workplace.  The Household Products Database is provided in digital form and is available on the Internet via the HHS website.

Direct access to the Household Products Database can be obtained by clicking on the image of the web site’s home page below:

Clickable Image of Household Products Database Website

Information provided in the database is relatively straightforward and easy to understand plus there are links to more detailed data via HSS/NIH technical compilations about toxicology, chemical hazards and a variety of other themes.

Though the original databases were originally designed for scientists, medical professionals and other interested technical parties, the Household Products Database was designed to also provide useful information to the general public. As indicated on the database’s home page image above, the database structure is sub-divided first by product category.

Once a specific category is selected, the database is further sub-divided into different use classifications and then specific products are identified by brand and product name where fairly detailed information about chemical safety information for each product is listed.

The HHS/NIH Household Product Database website provides a web portal where questions such as the following can be answered:

• Who are the manufacturers for the different brands and how might they be contacted?
• Do the products you normally use contain chemicals you should worry about?
• What chemicals are present in the brand you use and how much of each are present?
• What are the potential health effects of the chemicals in household products?
• How safe are the chemicals present in household products?
• What actions are recommended if someone is inappropriately exposed to the chemicals in a product?

And so forth …

Much of the initial information provided in the Household Products Database was compiled from information and data provide by the manufacturer or their representative in the form of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).  If more detailed information is desired about the chemicals listed in the search results, additional links to more technically detailed databases (often compiled from sources other than the manufacturer) are also provided.

If you would like more information about the Household Products Database or the other information sources accessible from the HHS/NIH site, contact: tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov.