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How Household Chemicals Impact the Environment

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A woman in a supermarket with a shopping cart, carefully reading the label of a bottle of household cleaner.

Pollution is a shared habit. Largely relegated to factories and similar large facilities that spew smoke and release waste into the world, each of us, nevertheless, is guilty of contributing to the pile. Truthfully, we aren’t often aware of the effect our daily habits have on the environment. Many times, when we think we’re being clean we’re adding more waste and greater hazards to the world. But there’s always hope when we acquire better patterns of use and disposal. Here’s how household chemicals impact the environment, and how we can prevent them from doing further damage.

Not-So-Clean Cleaners

It seems oxymoronic that when we clean, we’re often dirtying up the ecosystem. However, any number of household chemicals have a deleterious effect on the earth. Many cleaners, including laundry detergents, air fresheners, and pesticides hurt the planet—some even consider old disinfectant hazardous waste. Many of the cleaners we use contain harmful substances. Phosphates, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chlorine, ammonia, and other materials may make things extra clean, but if they enter the environment they turn into killers. Here are a few ways they hurt the ecosystem.

Water Pollution

It’s easy to believe that once a chemical or other substance goes down the drain, it’s gone for good. Not so. You’re turning clean water into grey water when you use it to cook, clean, and bathe. Residue goes down the drain with the water, which finds its way into the ground and local bodies of water. Phosphates cause algae to grow at an exponential rate, which depletes the oxygen in the water, killing off aquatic life. Other, more harmful chemicals create deadly combinations with the same effect. Think before you pour and use less dangerous detergents.

Soil Degradation

Household chemicals don’t only affect our water supply. Some chemicals escape and leach into the soil. Pesticides and herbicides kill and keep pests and weeds away from your garden, but what doesn’t stay on the plants reaches the dirt below and contaminates it. These contaminates kill off more helpful creatures and microorganisms that keep the soil healthy, leading to a loss of fertility. And if chemicals find their way to the landfill, they also run the risk of leaching into the soil and surrounding water. Seek more eco-friendly alternatives. Your garden will also improve!

Air Pollution

We mentioned volatile organic compounds (VOCs) above. They’re no good for the water and they’re just as awful for the air. VOCs from paint and other household chemicals interact and react with other materials, creating ground-level ozone and adding particulates to the air we breathe. Air fresheners and other aerosol sprays may smell nice but they don’t help the air quality in your home. Want to add fresh-smelling air? Raise more plants indoors.

That’s how household chemicals impact the environment. It might seem like a losing battle, but it’s not. Making a few changes here and there helps everyone. Look for eco-friendly cleaners, and pesticides, and cut back on waste. We’ll all have a healthier tomorrow as a result!