2.3 National Library of Medicine's Household Products Database

For household products, I thought a pet-centered and human-centered one each would be a good sampling of what my household is exposed to. I checked them against the DHHS Household Products Database here. 

For my cat, I chose her litter. We use Fresh Step’s Simply Unscented (scoopable). This is not the first litter to go in the cat box, but it’s become the favorite over time for its low dust content and low odor. The scented ones, while successful at masking some unpleasant odors, have a tendency to linger on her fur and come cuddle with me and I find it irritating. I am happy to see that this household supply scores a Hazardous Materials Identification System (HMIS) score of zero. That said, it does contain crystalline silica which is a known carcinogen. From studies reported in this evaluation, the regular lifetime use of this product is not determined to increase risk of cancer form use.

Sadly, we will be throwing out our shower cleaner (now, how to do that safely?). We have an old bottle of Easy-Off BAM Power Cleaner that we’ve been saving for bathroom scrubs. This thing has a score of 3 out of 4 and looks like it’s been discontinued since purchased. What I find particularly concerning is the warning not to breathe vapor or spray when it is recommended for the shower. I’m curious how much is left behind after washing the tub and therefor how much is inhaled through the steam of the next shower. Also, if this was discontinued for any sort of health or environmental reasons what sort of notification system is there for consumers who already purchased it? These labels should be posted on products, not buried in government or non-profit run websites. It’s really a shame this information is not more readily available and the industry is not as transparent.