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Important Ingredients to Know

The chemical list in this section is by no means complete. There are thousands upon thousands of individual chemicals in products that are available for consumer use, most of which have not been adequately tested for their effects on human and environmental health. This list is a brief summary of some of the more frequently encountered consumer chemicals. The list contains chemicals whose effects on human and environmental health are sufficiently hazardous to preclude their use under any circumstances.

While you may use this list as a general guide to selecting products and ingredients, please be aware that there are more chemicals than we can list here that may also have harmful effects. With each entry we attempt to include as complete a list as possible of the types of household products that might contain the chemical or class of chemicals in question, it is possible a particular ingredient may be found in product types not mentioned here.

Unless otherwise noted, the term "synthetic" refers to chemicals made from petroleum. Synthetic chemicals are generally undesirable. In addition to any specific health or environmental impacts the use of a synthetic may cause, they are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource whose extraction, refining and transportation can cause significant health risks and environmental degradation. Manufacture of synthetics is also often an energy intensive process that may introduce a variety of toxic chemicals into air and water. Many do not readily biodegrade and thus bioaccumulate in the environment.

As you begin, a word of encouragement is in order. There are over five million known chemicals. Each must have its own name so scientists can differentiate between them. As a result, chemical names tend to be long and difficult to pronounce. Don't be intimidated by names or pronunciations. Unfortunately, most chemicals also have more than one name. Some even have 10 or more! If you choose to do your own research, try using the system of CAS (chemical abstract services) numbers to help eliminate confusion.

If a product's ingredients are not fully and completely disclosed on its label, we strongly recommend avoiding that product.