Home Safe Home:
Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Everyday Toxics and Harmful Household Products

by Debra Lynn Dadd
Tarcher/Putnam Books, 1997

Clear, practical, thrifty, even-tempered... above all, engaging and thorough. This describes the near-masterpiece which I believe Debra Lynn Dadd's book Home Safe Home to be.

It seems a sorry, silly, and wholly unnecessary state of affairs. Dadd documents a world where most of the products and solutions we depend on to solve most of the everyday problems of life contain toxic chemicals. The things we relate to most intimately day and night -- bath water, drinking water, furniture, shampoo, our gardens, our cars, laser printers, carpet cleaners, carpets, children's toys, even the bedsheets we sleep upon, are apt to contain and release -- poisons. Life goes on of course, partly because as Dadd details in her book, the damage to health accumulates very gradually, leaving us blissfully ignorant both of the causes, and of the simple solutions we could be using to make life more clean and natural again.

But it's hard to rest easy in ignorance, blissful or otherwise, once you've encountered an illuminator like Dadd.

"New studies show household toxics really are toxic."

Home Safe Home begins in Chapter One by presenting a factual context, and equally importantly, an attitude that informs Dadd's practical approach on the many non-toxic solutions she covers in the rest of the book. A starting fact... Dadd writes, "Next to nothing is known about the toxic effects to humans of almost 80 percent of the more than 48,000 chemicals listed by the EPA. Fewer than 1,000 have been tested for immediate acute effects, and only about 500 have been tested for their ability to cause long-term chronic health problems such as cancer, birth defects, and genetic changes." Amidst this uncertainty, one fact is certain -- notwithstanding various important FDA regulations, no government on earth even tries to ensure that all the products we live amongst and put on our bodies are safe and free of dangerous toxins. The requisite knowledge, let alone the political will, simply does not exist.

Does the knowledge exist then for an individual to at least regulate the toxicity of her own home, given the personal will to create a safe environment? Well, Dadd's answer is actually "yes and no" -- and her acknowledgment of this ambiguity lends an attitude of grace and humility as she marshals the countless facts she presents throughout her book. She writes, "There are many variations and gradations of inherent toxicity among products, and a number of factors that can affect whether or not the product will cause harm to you individually... In fact, while learning about the different degrees of toxicity, you'll be relieved to find that many products aren't so toxic after all, if used occasionally and with care."

Symptoms of toxic sensitivity

Dadd cites a figure in her book that, "The National Academy of Sciences estimates that about 15 percent of the population in this country suffer from some degree of 'increased sensitivity to chemicals.'" In my own case I've unfortunately "evolved" to become one of those people, along the classic lines Dadd describes:

"A person becomes sensitive through immune system damage caused by either a one-time dangerously high-level exposure (such as an industrial chemical spill or pesticide spraying) or continuous low-level exposure, such as is found in modern homes and office buildings. Once the damage is done, all sorts of low-level exposures, such as to perfume or cleaning products, can cause symptoms."

Dadd describes several possible symptoms, including, "dizziness, fainting, itchy or burning eyes, runny or congested nose, dry throat, shortness of breath, asthma, upset stomach, diarrhea, menstrual problems, extreme fatigue, insomnia, memory lapses, poor concentration, depression and behavioral changes." I'd describe my own chemical sensitivity as moderate -- with symptoms in my nose, sometimes my eyes, throat and lungs, and occasionally an instant headache -- depending on the chemical or brand of perfume I encounter. My mother developed chemical sensitivity a decade or two ago, before there was a name for it. Having literally been warned by her several years ago to begin avoiding toxic chemicals (at a time when my symptoms were much milder), I've since found Home Safe Home to be exactly the guidebook I need.

But it's not that I began following all the safe solutions Debra Lynn Dadd recommends -- and Dadd is sensible enough to not expect this of readers. Rather, I use her book as a reference in managing my exposures, and in my quest to gradually reduce the toxins in my immediate environment. Finding easily removed environmental toxins also reduces the total toxic load my body's detoxification system must daily process. (Does that mean I have more capacity to process chocolate? Mmmm!) Also, I've learned to listen to and respect the sensitivities of my body, and to take immediate action when I feel a reaction to something toxic. One hope I have is that purifying our home environment will help prevent or at least greatly delay my own children from developing symptoms of toxic sensitivity.

Safe solutions for just about anything

In all, Dadd describes the toxic issues and offers safer solutions for 118 different areas of modern life. We're talking comprehensive here -- the amount of research and testing she must have undertaken to compile this book is staggering. Yet, her genius for organization and the book's obviously top-notch editing make all this material quite easy to access and understand. In addition to its crisp narrative text, Home Safe Home makes frequent use of tables, charts, checklists, and graphic icons to enhance the reader's experience. The detailed table of contents and an exhaustive index make finding specific information a breeze.

Here's a listing of the main areas of everyday toxic exposure that Dadd covers:

• Indoor air pollution, including electromagnetic fields (EMF)
  

• Household cleaning and laundry products
  

• Home and garden pest control
  

• Water
  

• Drugs and medications
  

• Beauty and hygiene
  

• Food, including food preparation and storage
  

• Textiles, fabrics and clothing
  

• Home office and art supplies
  

• Home furnishings, including paints, carpeting, furniture, lighting, and houseplants
  

• Babies and children
  

• Pet care
  

Home Safe Home delves into an average of 10 specific subjects per topic. All in all, it's hard to think of anything Dadd has left out.

An example of Dadd's approach

Dadd's illuminating treatment of cleaning rugs, carpets, and upholstery is a good illustration of how she approaches things. Dadd first spends a couple paragraphs describing the known health impacts of some of the toxic ingredients most commonly found in commercial carpet/upholstery cleaning products. (For example, the carcinogenic perchloroethylene which can cause dizziness, nausea, tremors, and damage to the liver and central nervous system under long term exposure.) As you might expect, people are exposed to these ingredients in higher concentrations when actually using the products, and lower concentrations from their residues over the long term. If you tend towards chemical sensitivity or other toxicity-related chronic health problems, Dadd's warnings on the immediate toxic impacts of these ingredients can help you better understand what you risk, and can help you decide whether to go to the trouble of using a safer alternative. (Of course, the most conservative approach is to limit exposures even before chemical sensitivity has a chance to develop.)

Concerning long term exposure to residues left behind from the rug and upholstery cleaners, Dadd remains ever even-handed and common sensical when she writes, "While I have heard no reports of the possible health effects from exposure to these residues, I don't think I would want my baby to be crawling around on a carpet cleaned with such dangerous substances."

As with every toxic issue she discusses, Dadd then proceeds to outline several safer (and usually more economical) alternatives. She reveals that, "The safest carpet cleaners on the market are those with a baking soda base, but these are really only scented baking soda in fancy packages." With an eye to saving you money (and possible allergies from the synthetic perfume), Dadd then gives clear instructions for cleaning and deodorizing carpets with good ol' unadorned baking soda. Next, she tells how to make a generic spot remover using borax, cold water, and lemon juice. Finally, she provides simple procedures for handling several particularly nasty stains, such as blood, grease, oil, ink, urine, and soot. As you might expect, Dadd has searched out and tested effective, economical non-toxic ingredients to handle these tough jobs -- simple items like cornstarch, table salt, cream of tartar, lemon juice, white vinegar, liquid soap, and warm or cold water depending on the stain.

Why rely on toxins?

After reading Home Safe Home, I have to ask myself, "Why rely on toxins when Dadd finds safer ways to handle just about anything?" To be honest with myself, the best answer I can come up with is -- inertia, and just plain laziness. And to be equally honest with myself, in some ways this is an acceptable answer, because it takes time and trouble to change habits, even when these habits harm something I prize -- my health, and my children's health.

This leads me to Home Safe Home's chief "weakness."

To me, the book's weaknesses derive directly from its strengths, according to this simple recipe:

1. Take a sophisticated modern industrial culture that churns out alluring, effective, inexpensive, synthetic products way faster than toxicological research can keep up...

2. Take an equally sophisticated marketing culture that doesn't exactly chomp at the bit to warn us away from the potential hazards of these products...

3. Take an engaging book that diagnoses and prescribes alternatives for all the major sources of toxicity our society has larded into our homes and intimate environments...

4. Take your typical reader, who's awash in this "Sea of Toxins" but understandably not well educated about them...

5. Mix well, and season with a busy life.

Presto. Reader may easily feel awash in a "Sea of Knowledge," overwhelmed and wondering what to actually do about it, and questioning whether she can take enough steps to make a real difference.

In view of this, I'd offer three alternative ways to read and digest the manna in Dadd's book, because I'm convinced you can make a difference.

1. If it's likely you're really suffering from a serious toxic syndrome like Chronic Fatigue, severe arthritis, etc., I'd say get this book and plow through it now. Chomp that bit yourself, since no one else is likely to do it for you. Your life -- or at least it's pleasure, peace, and power -- are at stake.

2. If an onslaught of concentrated mega-useful information tends to leave you dizzier than inhaling a typical household cleaner, then just read smaller bites. Pick up Dadd's book a couple times a week, but only read a couple pages at a time. It's the kind of book where you can open to almost any page and find clear, useful information without delving into the surrounding context. (Hey, maybe even keep Home Safe Home with the old magazines in your bathroom.)

3. If you'd prefer a bit more structure and context, read Chapter One -- which gives you the overview -- and then simply browse the other chapters as time allows. Read them in an order you determine yourself based on your own priorities and interests.

Most importantly, I'd suggest you give yourself a goal to take at least one environmental toxin-reducing step, at a specific interval you choose. Maybe it's one step per week, maybe it's one step per season. Maybe the step is to use a safer baby powder, experiment with a line of non-toxic cosmetics, or add some air-filtering indoor plants to your office. (Home Safe Home offers more than 400 tips to select from). Rest assured, if you become familiar with Debra Lynn Dadd's friendly and useful book, you'll learn how to focus on the steps that offer the most improvement for your personal situation.

Final thoughts:

"Remember, it's your home, your oasis of warmth and safety, and you alone are responsible for what you choose to put in it."
- Debra Lynn Dadd

"Charity begins at home."
- Traditional Saying