I received two emails this week within minutes of each other. One was about a new service called GreenScreener that allows you to look up your address - or any US address for that matter - to see if any toxins or hazardous materials have been reported within a 1/3 mile radius. The other was from a friend and contained a link to an MSNBC report about toxins in the home.

So, as it looks like the toxin gods are trying to tell me something - I thought I’d pass both resources onto our MuseGreen readers.

GreenScreener allows you to screen for potential environmental hazards at any location within the US. Handy if you’re buying a house and want to check that it wasn’t constructed on top of an old, abandoned uranium mine. It searches prior environmental contamination records within a 1/3 mile radius (except for leaking storage tanks which are searched to within 500 feet).

For fun, I entered my address and those of my friends and it came up blank - which is a good thing, I guess! However, to test that it did actually deliver the goods, I then entered some dubious eco-friendly locales and it did return the toxin information. Quite scary, in fact, as the location I entered was the location of the Green Festival I attended with my kids on Saturday!

The second email was related to the 6 main toxins that lurk within the home; YOUR home. This is very, very scary, and I encourage everybody to follow the link and watch the corresponding video.

In a nutshell:

• Mattresses - Most mattresses are made using polyurethane and formaldehyde, and are treated with chemical flame-retardants (PBDEs) — all of which emit toxic chemicals that can cause respiratory problems and are known carcinogens
• Shower Curtains - A two-year study from the Center for Health, Environment and Justice in Virginia found that the shower curtains released toxins that linger in the air and are linked to damage to the liver, lungs, central nervous system and reproductive system. Replace vinyl shower curtains with cotton canvas, hemp or rayon shower curtains that are machine washable.
• Cleaning Products - Avoid chlorine bleach, ammonia, and other acid-based cleaning products, which can not only irritate your eyes and skin, but can also cause respiratory problems.
• Pots & Pans - Teflon-coated pans and plastics contain carcinogens.
• Paints - Most house paints are made with toxic chemicals like Benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene that release low-level off-gases into the air — off-gases that are so powerful that they continue to permeate the air years after the paint has been applied
• Carpets - The glue that is typically used to install wall-to-wall carpet is laden with VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds - nasty little buggers).

Please visit the article and get educated on what to do. It’s horrifying that we all expose ourselves and our precious children to these things every day without a second thought.

The article’s parting shot is to get us to all ADAPT:

A: Air out: Open windows and let the fresh air in.

D: De-clutter: Get rid of piles that collect dust and dirt.

A: Attack dust and dirt: A clean house, is a healthy house - just make sure you use natural cleaning agents.

P: Plant: Get a green plant; they improve the air quality by adding oxygen and removing carbon dioxide.

T: Think: Read product labels before you buy — make healthy choices for you and your family.