Safe handling and disposal of household chemicals

Safe handling of household chemicals:

Before you buy a product that concerns you, find out about the ingredients and use the least toxic and dangerous product you can find. Compare the warning labels of similar products. Ask the retailer.
Ensure you have the right chemical for the job.
Read the label, including the first aid instructions, and follow the guidelines. Use only the recommended dose.
Never mix household chemicals unless specified by the manufacturer. A new hazardous chemical may form.
Wear protective clothing, such as gloves and goggles when recommended. Always avoid contact with the skin or the eyes.
Whenever possible use chemicals outdoors.
Indoors provide plenty of ventilation, avoid breathing vapours and have fresh-air breaks.
Stop using the product if you feel any discomfort. Seek medical help immediately if you burn your skin, eyes or throat and if you suspect chemical poisoning.
Don't eat or drink while handling chemicals.
Keep household chemicals out of reach of children and never repack or fill into a food or drink container.
Rinse equipment well after use.
Store in original container, in a secure place, and according to the guidelines on the label.

We spend so much time using household chemicals to clean, wash, disinfect, kill insects, paint etc, but do we take the time to familiarize us with the potentially harmful chemicals? The risk to our health is low if we would follow at least the guidelines on the label that should tell us how to use, store and dispose the product. The risk is even lower if we would find out more about a certain substance, or even better, if we could find out which is the least dangerous alternative.

Safe disposal of household chemicals:

Read the label. The manufacturer may give advice regarding the proper disposal of the chemical and the container.
Recycle if possible. It is surprising how many substances can nowadays be recycled. The local authorities and industry should be able to collect some of the chemicals for recycling.
Alternatives. The industry reacts to community concerns by producing so-called environmentally friendly products. While not all may be so 'friendly' as claimed, buying these products will still reduce the burden to our environment.
Don't hoard. Buy only as much as you need and attempt to use all. If you do store the chemical, keep it in the original container, if possible.
Don’t burn hazardous waste. Burning may simply release the chemicals into the atmosphere without destroying them, or the process may form other toxic gases.

Article submitted by Manfred Kaiser

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