Final Blog!

Over the course of this semester I have learned about a lot of things that I would not imagine learning throughout this course. One of the most useful things that I learned about was the things we use and the impact they have on our health. This was really important to me because it impacts mine and my families health directly. I enjoyed using the websites provided by the instructor to find out the chemicals found in our products. I was not aware of all these resources out there. 

I also enjoyed being in a group and commenting on blogs because I got to see my classmates point of views. 

M14.4 Blog: Think About It - Website Exploration

For this assignment I was somewhat familiar with some of the things present on the website. I remember when I worked for the county, we had to go through disaster preparedness training, because if the time came that was needed we had to volunteer. Until that time I was not really aware of this duty for county employees here at Stanislaus County.
I found the website very informational, I think that this is something people can definitely look into at a time of an emergency. I like how the website is also user friendly by clearly showing different categories, that way you can just go straight to the subject you are interested in.

M12.9 Blog: Climate Change

The one thing that I personally find troubling with climate change is the fact that not everyone is educated on this topic, and the impact it will have on the overall lifestyle of every living thing on this planet. Some people have some basic knowledge, but it is important for people to really understand this concept, since the impact is so major.
As a public health professional I think the footprint we leave is the one thing that needs major attention. I think it is important for the public to have knowledge on how to reduce their ecological footprint and try to protect the environment. Learning about this will be a great challenge, but with an amazing outcome.
There is so much on climate change online and simple videos that describe it all. As mentioned before, I would educate them on their impact and contribution to this matter. I think once everyone understands their roles it will lead to a much safer future.

M11.5 Blog about a Zero Waste Life

After completing this module,  I have came to the realization that my husband and I create a lot of waste in our household. This is something that I do think about often, but after completing this section and watching the video, I think that together we would be able to cut down on certain things that we use. One of the biggest changes that we have been trying to make is not buying as much water bottles, and trying our new filtered pitcher. This is something that we need to get used to, but will help protect the environment in the long run. Another thing that we have been trying to be better about is taking reuse-able bags when shopping. My husband has the tendency to purchase plastic bags every time he goes shopping, but now we have added few bags in each of our cars to have with us every time we are shopping.
Although both of these are small changes I think that it is important for us to take this first step together in order to reduce the amount of waste we are creating.

M10.8 Blog about an occupationally-related disease

Asbestosis is what I decided to look into. Some jobs that are impacted include: factory workers, construction workers, firefighters and the list goes on. The American Public Health Association writes on their website that asbestosis still do exist in the United States, and workers could still be impacted while on the job. According to OSHA if the asbestos is airborne level, that is never ok. They do mention that there are certain laws placed for employers to follow, but employees need to be careful as well too.

M10.2 Blog about MSDS and ToxNet

I asked my husband for his MSDS sheet and he said that he did not have one. He said that he was never provided with one during his orientation. He said that there is a possibility that one could be in their break room, just so it is there when they get inspected. There are a lot of hazards at his job, especially if medical supplies are not disposed correctly.

I too had never received an MSDS at my previous job. I used to work at the local welfare office. Even though we were constantly reminded about office ergonomics, we had never received a sheet to take home with us. We did have a poster in our break room for everyone to read and familiarize themselves with it. There were no major hazards and risks where I used to work.

M10.5 Blog about an occupational safety and health organization

For the agency I chose OSHA, I thought it would be interesting to learn more about what they do. One of the programs that they offer is inspection. They have an order of what needs to be inspected first. Workplaces that have hazards that could cause death or major harm are inspected first. After this places that can cause severe illnesses and injuries are inspected. As we go down the list on their website, we can see that they visit places and inspect them if there are workers complaints. Less and less serious things are inspected as the numbers decrease on their website.

Blog: Watch M10.1 Video!

Since I am currently not working, I decided to look into the place my husband works at. My husband is currently a registered nurse at a rehab center near the town we live at. I think that there are a lot of biological hazards at this place since its health care related. Some common biological hazard could be the flu. This is something that my husband tries to prevent by getting the flu shot every year. Other more serious biological hazards could be things like HIV which are harder to prevent.

Using the chart above, I would eliminate a hazard such as flu by enforcing laws that everyone needs to get vaccinate, this is something that it is offered. Although, it could not be forced, since people have their own beliefs regarding vaccinations. A substitution would be letting the workers wear masks during flu season, which is something that is also available to all employees. Isolating people from hazard, with something like the flu, this may be hard. I would dedicate a station with those who have the flu to be transferred there for the time being. I think that most of these are being controlled well by his workplace and they are following the list of hierarchy of controls. 

For this example, there are no real barriers that I could think of. The only thing may be if vaccination is enforced for all workers and using masks was not a second option. This would go against some beliefs and would put people on the edge with this policy. 

M9.4 Blog: Heavy Metals

Even though I have heard about lead poisoning multiple times throughout my lifetime, it is really sad to read about. I am happy this is something that is not too big of a concern nowadays. In the study it talks about children being mostly impacted. It seems that this is a trend with everything we have been learning about. As the children were seen about 12 years later, they had learning disabilities. It is interesting to read that it could impact motor function. I am happy to hear that this is something I really do not have to worry about in my children.

With the second article I was happy to see that when the children in Nigeria were treated, their blood levels for lead declined after treatment. I think that a lot of these third world countries need the help to improve their living style in order to avoid situations such as this. The best way is to educate everyone on the dangers and also how to avoid these dangers.

M9.3 Blog: Green Chemistry

Green chemistry is something that is becoming more and more popular, which is a great idea. I have been seeing more green labels on items at the store. This is a great change for all of us. I have been trying to use more items that contain green labels, which I think are using the concept of green energy. I have been seeing it in cereals, cleaning products, and many more things. I think the 12 principles of green chemistry are great. This is something that more and more companies should commit to doing. It is important to change this world we live in around, and it is good to see some are taking these steps. Even though at this time the products may be a little more pricey, I think if more companies commit to this new way than we can find better deals and make a complete change.

M9.2 Blog: Six Chemical Classes

Highly Fluorinated 
Even though this was really scary to learn about, what caught my attention was the fact that this is a chemical found in so many things that we used on daily basis. In the video it was said that this is found in carpet and carseats, two things that are common around children, which is why I am thinking they are so vulnerable to it. The fact that this chemical can cause a delay in vaccination in children, or lose its impact it is really dangerous. I was happy to learn that some of the places I shop from are not using this chemical in their clothing and household items!

Antimicrobials 
As mentioned in a previous blog, I think the use of too much antimicrobials can be dangerous. I was not too shocked to find this information in this video, since this is something that is discussed more often. The most dangerous and scary thing about antimicrobials in my opinion is becoming antibiotic resistance. After watching this video, one thing that I will be doing is stopping the use of antimicrobial soap, which is something I use on daily basis.

Flame Retardants 
The fact that flame retardants are used so often in todays world, due to standards set, it is putting our lives in danger. In my opinion this is something that should be banned. As mentioned in the video, it could save few seconds of time, but I think long term this is not worth it. Flame retardants give out more smoke that is harmful. Although, some may say that few seconds is important, but in an emergency situation like a fire, I don't think you can do much in those few minutes. This is a product that should be completely banned.

Bisphenol and Phthalates 
I was happy to learn that these products do not stay in our bodies long term, and if we discontinue the use we can get rid of it from our bodies in just few days. This gave me a sense of relief, because I do use some plastics at home. Recently, when I got pregnant, we have been making a change at our home to just use glass. It is so scary to find out that this is found in so many children products, especially because it could cause neurological damage. I will definitely be more careful when using products that could contain these chemicals, because I would never want my child to be impacted with this.

Some Solvents 
Again this video was very concerning to learn that solvents are found in almost everything around us. From cosmetics to house cleaners, these are things that I use on daily basis and would be really hard to stop using them. I don't thing at this point it is possible to completely ban solvents, but this is when better choices need to be made. By making better choices, we can use replacements that are more natural.

Certain Metals 
I was not too concerned about the information from this video. I do not really use products that were mentioned in the video that could contain these metals. We do not eat fish at my house, and we do not really eat rice. Even though some are found in paint, this is not something that I have contact with all the time. I do find it concerning that things like this exist, but it does not impact me personally as much as the other chemicals do.

M8.5 Blog about an ideal chemical policy

After reading the material provided and watching the videos, the most important thing that stands out to me is creating a safer environment. Many approaches can take place to eliminate hazardous chemical use.
One policy that could be put in place is creating a safer environment by implementing rules to monitor the use of pesticides. I think that since pesticides have such a great impact on our health and are found in almost all of our food, it is important to create a safer environment by their elimination as much as possible.
Either by completely eliminating pesticides or placing laws to monitor the use and replacing them by safer options, we can look at a better future for the human race. Although, not all may be on the same page in the beginning but I think by taking the first step towards this goal, it will eventually work better.

M8.4 Blog Chemical Policy Reform

For the purpose of this blog I chose background paper 1 which was to use safer substitutions for chemicals. As mentioned in this article, usually there aren't safer substitutions made. If they fix one problem they cause another one by the substitution. Usually we lean more towards using faster solutions rather than those that are safer for our health. In all cases safer solutions are possible and can exist, but they are not prioritized.
According to this article, in order to push for safer environment we need to have timelines set in stone that certain things will be done. Also, the government needs to push for safer chemical policies. Another important step towards a safer future is providing funding for research. When proper research is done, it is easy to see what is working and what is not.

M8.3 Blog Pesticides

For my dinner last night I had a beef sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce. Using the website provided by instructor I found out that there are 6 toxins found in beef alone!!

When looking up tomatoes I found out that they had about 35 different toxins in them, that just blew my mind away!!! To find out that lettuce had around 52 toxins was just crazy. I cannot even wrap my head around all of these toxins that are found in a simple meat sandwich. I did not even begin to look at what the meat was marinated in, because I am sure it will just add on to the list. 

I think that in order to avoid such problems, public health officials need to come up with laws to either eliminate pesticide use or reduce the use of pesticides. 

M7.8 Blog about your topic of interest

For my literature review I have decided to look into chemicals such as obesogens and the impact they have on obesity. Obesity is one of the leading diseases right now in the United States and it is important to see where it comes from.
One of the agencies I came across that looks over chemicals in our foods that cause diseases is NIEHS. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is responsible for researching chemicals found in the food which cause diseases in the human body. This agency provides funds to those interested in studying and researching about exposures from the environment and their impact on obesity.
Another agency was the National Toxicology Program (NTP). This agency is on a national level and studies toxics and provides information on exposures to toxics. Since obesogens are not good for our health, I would consider them toxics that could harm ones body.

 

M7.7 Blog about the agency's role

For this blog I chose Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). I found this interesting, because it deals directly with every single one of us and can impact all of us at one point or another. One of the main roles of this agency is to respond to environmental health emergencies. This is an important role, since they would be the source to report this emergency to the public. After reporting the emergency, they would conduct research on this environmental health issue. 
Another task is to prevent harmful exposures, which can lead to setting regulations in order to do so. This agency does not only report and look for solutions to harmful exposures, but also comes up with ways to prevent future harm. 

M7.4 Blog about your local environmental services

The county that I currently live in, Stanislaus County, has an Environmental Health Services agency. According to their website, they are responsible for enforcing permits, monitoring and controlling air pollution, responds to complaints regarding food mishandling,  and many more tasks. Although I did not find the following tasks surprising, it was interesting enough to note that the majority of responsibilities were regarding air and water quality. Where I live water is extremely important due to the large amount of farming. Also, the air quality control is really important, because there is large amount of pesticides that are used at all times for the farming.
Here at this county, we also have a Public Health agency. When looking at their website, I was not able to find much information on environmental health. I thought this could be that the county offers a separate website that concentrates on environmental health services. The one responsibility that falls under the Public Health department is prevention and education programs. These could be used in order to educate the public regarding environmental health issues.

M6.7 Blog: Obesogens

Living in the Central Valley, there are many things that are locally grown in my area! Anything that I could possibly think of I eat on daily basis, it is grown right here in the Central Valley (those in season of course). I think that if hospitals create more menus containing seasonal foods that are grown locally it would be a great idea. This would benefit them financially and it would benefit the public health wise as well. Hospitals should promote healthy lifestyles, and this is a great way of doing so! At hospitals around my area, they can start including many fruits like apples, grapes, melons, and nectarines that are high in nutrients and also easy to access where I currently live.
For my state, I chose the state of California and not surprising at all that there are many fruits and vegetables during the month of October. Some of the items included were avocados, beets, celery, chili peppers, apples, melons, oranges, peaches, and many many more!
I had personally not heard about obesogens before, and my thoughts are that it is scary to know that there are other altering chemicals that we do not really think about that could lead to obesity. We already need to consider so much when thinking about keeping our bodies safe, it is sad that this is another item to add to our list!!

M6.6 Blog: Use of Antibiotics

Reading these articles, I came to the conclusion that they all had something in common. Weather its in animals or humans, when you overdue something it will never end up being a good idea. If farmers are giving antibiotics to animals in order to prevent disease, in the long run they will be resistant and when they really do need the medication it will no longer work for them!
This sad fact is not something I have read about the first time. I have heard many stories about cows being given antibiotics as a prevention rather than a treatment medication.
On the other hand same thing with humans, if we continue to use wipes to clean the world around us it will make us sick! This is something that I am guilty of myself, every time I go to the store, I make sure that the shopping cart is clean. If we continue to get rid off all the dirt around us our bodies will not be able to fight off diseases, due to our weak immune system.

M6.4 Blog: Industrial Farming

In this movie it is sad to see that bees are vanishing due to the enormous amount of pesticide being used during pollination. The movie leans on using more natural ways instead of the use of pesticides. I do agree with this, even though it might require tremendous amount of time and support from farming communities, I think it is something that can be done and should be done.
If there are possible laws and regulations passed, farmers will be forced into using more natural ways and stop harming bees. With this movie, I have been thinking that bees are in danger today and tomorrow it could be something else!
I found out that there are a lot of factory farms in the area that I live, and I did not find that in any way surprising. I live in a dense farming area and Stanislaus County is known for its farming and agriculture. The area I live is shaded red on the map!!
I think that composing is a great idea! I know that my mom does it in her backyard, where she grows vegetables. I personally live in an apartment and don't like planting, but if I did I would definitely compost!!

M5.7 Blog: Your Sewage Facilities

Where I live, in Turlock, there is only one sewage facility. The town I live in is pretty small, so I wasn't expecting to find too many in this area. The facility is located somewhat near the edge of the city, which is away from a lot of housing. Although, since the city is growing in size every year, I think in few years we will find it to be near the center of the city!!

M5.5 Blog: Campaign for Tap Water

M5.4 Blog about your Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR) and water quality

When searching on the website provided, the water source for my city did not come up. I did search on Google for TID since that is our water source and it is the only one we have where I live. The report that I found was from 2017, and it contained information which shocked me! There were radio actives found in our water and it stated that they come from natural deposits. Also, Tetrachloroethylene found in our water which states on the report that it comes from factories, dry cleaners, and auto shops. I personally thought that we have clean water, but we do use a filter and this is a recent change that we have made at my house. We did use bottled water for a long time, but have made a change to filtering our water through the fridge, and I am glad we made this change!!

M5.2 the public health importance of safe drinking-water

The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, which changed the world we live in more than I could personally even wrap my head around. Until the year 1972, there were no specific controls over the the pollutants found in our water. After this act was passed, the EPA received authority to set control programs in order to ensure our water is clean and safe to drink. This is something that plays a huge roll in our lives, since water consumption is so important for our bodies. This is something that if I have never thought about, that a simple law such as this will implement such big changes in our lives.

M4.5 Think about it / Group Exercise

MPH 632 - Assignment 4.5

Group 5:  Paulina Avila-Martinez, Anthony Fiorentino, Sintia Shabaz,

Given that there are potential health effects associated with the fragrances in our personal care products, how might you develop and implement a fragrance-free policy in a hospital, school, or other institutional setting? Consider how you would deal with the fragrances that are in employees’ personal care products. In your blog groups, share your ideas for what the elements of an ideal chemical/fragrance policy should be. How would your policies eliminate/decrease our body burdens and exposures?

The elements used in fragrances should be those that do not diffuse quickly, so those around are not affected with the product. Also, the smells should be kept to natural scents only, that way they do not cause respiratory problems. In order to eliminate these smells at public places, policies should be placed on strong smells. This is something that will be hard to enforce at first, but can be helpful in the long run. Even though personal care products are very important, they are creating a significant public health hazard.

Employers would be best-served by a policy that explains the individual and public health risks in a straightforward manner, and specifying which products are the most prevalent will aid in their elimination. Once the most commonly used and most harmful fragrances are identified they would be relatively easy to restrict.  Additionally, a “Smell something - Say Something” style policy could encourage vigilance and autonomy among employees during such a process. On a broader scale, institutional policy-makers could consider improving ventilation systems as a tertiary means of reducing the harm associated with fragrances.

A good start to tackling the problem would be educating the community about the health risks of fragrances in order to start to promote a fragrance free work or school environment. Providing educational materials such as flyers, posters, announcements and newsletters can help to bring awareness about the danger. Fragrance-free policies should highlight the importance of being considerate of those with respiratory sensitivities and the benefits of being fragrance free overall in creating healthier work and classroom environments. Encouraging natural alternatives or scent free options can also help promote the health and wellbeing of everyone. Essentially, the ideal policy would say no to fragrances by educating people on the harm, providing alternatives, and promoting the health benefits of ensuring a healthier no-fragrance environment for all.

M4.6 Blog Assignment: Radon

My campaign in order to raise awareness about the harm of radon would consists of sending brochures and going door to door in neighborhoods to inform the public. I think that most people, including myself do not know about the harms that radon can have. Also, most people do not know how inexpensive and easy it is to test for radon. This is information that I would include in my brochures. 

After informing the public about the harm of radon, I would work with the county I live in to enforce radon testing for all homes. I think that it is important for people to be pushed to test, and that consequences are necessary if testing is not done. Also, I do not think most people would have an issue testing since the cost is so low! 

M4.2 Blog Assignment: National Library ToxNet

Urea Formaldehyde is found in both liquid and powder. The powder form can be found in pressed wood that was used in homes. The powder form can be inhaled easily and cause breathing difficulties,  which is not as bad as the long term impact of this product. If used for long term, it could cause cancer. The other form of this product comes in liquid, which can be absorbed through the skin and cause irritation for its short term effect.


Bleach is commonly known to be used for cleaning. This product can cause irritation to eyes, mouth, and skin. If bleach is inhaled, it could cause respiratory problems such as asthma. This is just some of the known effects of this product, but it has been continuously used throughout homes.

M3.3 Environmental Justice Blog

After reading the articles provided on environmental justice, it is sad to say that I am not surprised as how to the movement started. Looking at my city and my surroundings, I feel that things have still not changed. When looking at parts of cities that are considered the "poor" area of the town, we can see that they have poor water quality and their issues are not given much attention. A lot of the time when I drive through the downtown of our city, I find a lot of garbage just laying around the side walks. When driving through the parts of the city that consists of middle-high class residents, I find that streets are really well taken care of. 

From my following experience, I have noticed that the color of the people does not matter, it is usually the low income community that is impacted by such things in out community. Although, I can see this happening in much bigger cities and impacting those of a certain color or race. 

M3.2 Vulnerable Populations

Considering the question "Why are we still ONLY focused on sedentary lifestyles and diets when addressing obesity in the US?" In my opinion we only tend to focus on dieting and certain lifestyles when addressing obesity, because we as the public are not informed well enough about all other causes that lead to obesity. I feel that a lot of information is "hidden" from the public eye in order for large companies to continue making million of dollars. If information regarding obesity is linked to certain chemicals found in our food, and this is made public information, I think that consumers would be more cautious. 
Another question to look at is "Why are we not also looking at ways to decrease exposures to those chemicals that may be contributing to the epidemic?" Again, I feel that since these exposures are not given to the public so easily, it is hard to eliminate them out of daily use. In order to decrease our exposure to products that contain BPA, it needs to be labeled clearly on containers. I think by clearly labeling products, consumers would be able to decrease exposures. Also, educating consumers on these hazardous chemicals could decrease exposure. 

M3.1 Biomonitoring

By watching the video in regards to biomonitoring, I was quiet disheartened to find out that so many damages could be caused to our bodies. When hearing that Anderson Cooper was exposed to some of these chemicals back in the 1970's and yet they were still found active in his blood, I was really shocked. I would think that over the years chemicals are "washed" out of our bodies and that we no longer have to worry about them, but it seems to me now that they are there to stay permanently.

Another issue that I found shocking was that the things we think about the least could be harming our bodies the most. Something like makeup, which I wear often, could be causing infertility. This is something that would never cross my mind, and it terrifies me that how careful we really need to be in order to protect our bodies and our children from the harm around us!!

M3.4 Air Pollution

Living in Stanislaus county, I always knew that pollution was greater than expected. The top polluters in my county come from dairy companies, which is something that doesn't surprise me since there are so many of them around the area. Only 2% of homes in my county contain lead based paint, which shockingly this number is not too high!
There are three Superfund Sites found in Stanislaus County. According to the search engine, the websites were the Modesto Ground Water Contamination, Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant, and Valley Wood Preserving.
A Superfund Site is responsible to remove hazardous materials from a specific area, and one that is near where I live is the Modesto Ground Water Contamination.
In my county, the air quality is good 55% of the time every year. This is something that did not really shock me, because the valley consists of a lot of farming. Every so often chemicals are sprayed on farms, and this causes the county to have bad air quality. The water quality on the other hand, is shown to be not so bad and this makes me happy!
My zip code shows that the environmental and social justices are divided up pretty much equally. Although, in some cases it does have a smaller impact on those who are slightly above the poverty line.

M3.5 Transportation

Public transportation is very important to have across the country. I feel that this is something we lack in the United States. I have traveled to many countries, and the convenience when using public transportation enforces all to use it rather than their own automobiles. I live in the Central Valley and one of the biggest issues we have is the lack of public transportation. Wanting to go somewhere using the city bus, would be something that you would need to plan ahead of time, because the bus comes only every few HOURS! This makes it very inconvenient, and pushes the public to use their own vehicles.

Also, I have noticed that we lack proper bike lanes where I live. This makes it dangerous riding your bike in the street. If we want to push the public to use more public transportation the proper tools need to be provided, without the necessities no one will be able to make this change. Knowing that this change can improve the health of many I think that law makers need to support these changes fully. 

M2.4 Blog Assignment: Ken Cook and Advocacy Organizations on Toxics in Personal Care Products

Watching the video that was made by Ken Cook has truly opened my eyes. When thinking about harming our bodies by the chemicals around us, I never thought it would have even a greater harm causing a major health shift for the future. I am currently pregnant and after watching this video, I have learned to take those extra precautions!
When Cook was talking about ensuring products are safe prior for them being released for sale, I always thought this is the way steps were taken. It seems like that bigger companies are concentrating more and more on making money rather than the consumer safety. Although, there are things that cannot be avoided in todays society and cause major harm, I think it is important to do everything possible to avoid what is in our hands.
With the use of technology today, there are certain matters that cannot be avoided because the exposure is everywhere. As Cook mentioned in his speech, the projectors and screens that are around us could be causing a great amount of chemical release that could damage our bodies. At the same time, I think the use of technology is important, but one needs to limit himself/herself to the exposure.

Household Products

For household products that we use on daily basis and often, I chose to look up the laundry detergent that we use. To wash our clothes, we use Arm & Hammer Ultra Liquid Detergent. The toxicity for this product was rated with a 2, which is moderatly toxic. I was surprised to find this out, only because I thought it would be much higher. Since this product is not organic, I figured the toxicity would be higher than it was. There were some warnings for using this product, but I was not shocked because these warnings are typically found on most cleaners. I will continue to use this product, since it was actually a lot safer than I had anticipated. 

The second product that I chose was the dish soap that we use to wash our dishes. We use Dawn Liquid Dishwashing Detergent, we do use different scents, but for the purpose of this product I decided to look up the Jasmin and Lavender scent. This product was rated 1 for toxicity, which is considered slightly toxic. This is a very good sign, and makes me feel comfortable to continue using this product. 

For cleaning bathrooms, I do mix some of this particular soap with white vinegar. At our home, we do not like to use bleach and now I know that we are making the right decisions. 

I believe that both of these products that I chose contain the appropriate labeling on packages, which gives all consumers the information that is required. 

Personal Care Products

For my first personal care product I chose the Secret Scent Expressions Antiperspirant & Deodorant Clear Gel. I chose to look up the deodorant that I use daily, because I use this product often and it was important to me to see if it is toxic and how harmful it could be for the body. I found out that this product has a hazard score of 5, which was higher than expected, it also can cause more than moderate amount of allergies. This information was very scary to look at for me, since this is a product I use everyday and have never thought about how much harm it could be causing to my body. After finding this information, I have decided to look for a safer product to use that the hazard number is a lot lower than this one. 

The second personal item that I chose was the Dial Glycerin Bar Soap, this is a soap that I use on daily basis when taking a shower. I always thought that this product was safe to use, but when reading the information provided on the website I was very shocked. The hazard score that this particular soap received was a 4. This product could also cause a lot of allergies, which is a huge concern to me, since I already do have allergies. After finding out about this information I will be looking into organic soaps in order to not use this product any longer. 

It is very important for consumers to be aware of this type of information, because I am confident that they too would make the decision to make changes. 

M1.5 Environmental Health Home Assessment

For my home assessment assignment I have completed the worksheets below. I currently live in an condo that was built in 2010, so it is pretty new. My specific condo is on the first floor, and there is only another space above mine. All my appliances are electric, including my stove. My husband and I rarely eat at home, so we don't do a lot of cooking. For drinking water, we use bottled water that we buy from the store.
We do have a smoke detector, but do not have a carbon monoxide detector, we do plan to buy one ourselves soon to ensure maximum safety at home. Since the condos are individually owned, there are no directions posted anywhere regarding evacuation plans. Even though there is no plan for everyone to follow, my husband and I have discussed what we would do in case of an emergency. For pesticides, we don't use any sprays. Also, we do not use any air fresheners or candles in the home. Both my husband and I are not smokers, so there is no smoking inside or outside of our home.
I think that it has been a fairly simple process for us to avoid using hazardous materials in our home, but even if it wasn't easy it is very important to try and do so.