<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

This is an interesting database of household and personal care products. For
people who are concerned about their toothpaste, lipstick, shampoo this
provides some information as well as excellent contact information for the
manufacturers.

Michael Thorn
CeliACTIONetwork at Yahoo groups.
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

NIH News

National Library of Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 1, 2003

CONTACT:
Robert Mehnert
or Kathy Cravedi
(301) 496-6308
[log in to unmask]

HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS DATABASE
New Information Service Provides Information On Health and Safety of
Everyday Products



BETHESDA, MARYLAND -- The National Institutes of Health today unveiled a
consumer's guide that provides easy-to- understand information on the
potential health effects of more than 2,000 ingredients contained in
more than 4,000 common household products.

Some household products contain substances that can pose health risks if
they are ingested or inhaled, or if they come in contact with eyes and
skin. The National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Household Products
Database (http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov) provides information in
consumer friendly language on many of these substances and their
potential health effects. For more technical information users can
launch a search for a product or ingredient in TOXNET from the Product
Page in the database.

Information in the database is provided to NLM under a collaborative
agreement and is derived from publicly available sources, including
brand-specific labels and information provided by manufacturers and
their Web sites. The list of products covered will be expanded, and
information for products currently in the database will be updated at
least annually.

"The Household Products Database is a natural outgrowth of the work that
the Library has done in recent years, educating the public about
environmental risks posed by chemicals in the air, soil and water,"
explained NLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg. "Last year, we unveiled
Tox Town (http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov), a site that introduces consumers
to the toxic chemicals and environmental risks they might encounter in
everyday life, in everyday places. Tox Town looks at facilities like
schools, office buildings and factories, and the chemicals likely to be
in them. With the Household Products site, we go inside the user's home
and provide information about common products and their potential health
effects."

The Household Products Database enables users to learn what's in the
products under the kitchen sink, in the garage, in the bathroom, and on
the laundry room shelf. It is designed to help answer questions such as:

-- What chemicals are contained in specific brands and in what percentage?

-- Which products contain specified chemicals?

-- Who manufactures a specific brand? How can I contact the manufacturer?

-- What are the potential health effects of the chemical ingredients in
a specific brand?

-- What other information is available about such chemicals in the
toxicology-related databases of the National Library of Medicine?

For example, a homeowner trying to decide which algae- killing product
to use in her swimming pool could select the "Landscape/Yard/Swimming
Pool" category in Household Products and click on "algaecide." She then
could choose several brands to examine for chemical content and possible
health hazards.

The record for each product would show her the ingredients from
something called the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Designed to
provide workers and emergency personnel with the proper procedures for
handling or working with a particular substance, these sheets are
produced by the manufacturer of the product as required by Federal law.

NLM Associate Director for Specialized Information Services, Dr. Jack
Snyder, said, "NLM has provided an important set of databases for
toxicologists and other scientists for many years. The target audience
of the Household Products Database, however, is both scientists and the
general public. The database allows users to browse a product category,
such as 'Pesticides' or 'Personal Care,' by alphabetical listing or by
brand name. Products can also be searched by type, manufacturer, product
ingredient, or chemical name.

* All posts for product information must include the applicable country *