Producers are tricky, and their business sometimes involves tricking consumers. They trick us into buying very handy products for cleaning, deodorizing, softening, smoothing, and beautifying that contain dangerous chemicals.

If the word “formaldehyde” doesn’t remind you of an embalmed body on a cold steel table, it should!

Formaldehyde has been used for decades to embalm dead bodies for open casket burials. It is a preservation fluid that replaces the blood, it is a recognized cancer causing agent (carcinogen) by the National Cancer Institute, and oh, by the way, it is in most of the products you buy and use around your home, even the materials your home was built with!

Is My Home Embalmed?

What Other Products May Contain Formaldehyde?

Am I Cleaning My Home With Formaldehyde?

The short answer is… probably.

Are you reading every single label? If not, chances are that you are probably using some fairly toxic chemicals in your house cleaning regime. The best rule of thumb is to look for products that say things like “Non-toxic to humans and aquatic life,” or “readily biodegradable.”

I’ve read my product labels, and they don’t say I’m using formaldehyde containing products.

The Dangers of Using Products Containing Formaldehyde

Watery, burning eyes, nose and throat, asthmatic attacks, skin irritation, headaches and nausea are all possible short term side effects of formaldehyde exposure. Long term effects include cancer and possibly leukemia.

Most products contain only very small amounts of harmful chemicals. The danger lies in our modern habits of using many of these products, and for a long time. As you surround yourself with more and more formaldehyde containing products your exposure level increases. Similarly, the longer you expose yourself to these products the more exposure you are getting.

Precautions You Can Take to Avoid Formaldehyde Exposure

The first step is getting these chemicals out of your home. Cleaning and personal care products can be easily replaced with natural alternatives (remember to look for products that are “readily biodegradable” and “non toxic to humans and aquatic life”).

Other things, like particle board or pressed wood, may take longer to replace, but should be replaced as soon as practical. Or you can use an organic clay paint to absorb any potential outgassing the next time you paint your walls. In time, you can greatly reduce your exposure to formaldehyde just by knowing what to look for and what to avoid.

And isn’t it worth this small change now to avoid the potential long term health impacts on you and those you care about?

Related Blogposts:

• Are Chemtrails Making Us Sick?
• Fluoride: How Safe Is It For Our Health?
• The Hidden Truth About Enriched White Flour