Health

How Hazardous Are These Household Items?

The cookware, fragrances and nail polish you use might be harmful to your health, but how dangerous are they really?

How Hazardous Are These Household Items?
Getty Images / Justin Sullivan
SMS

Sometimes we are reminded that some things we use every day may not be so good for us. But before you start panicking, let's look at the facts.

The first are canned food and plastic containers. These products can contain BPA, and there's concern it can cause cancer, but nothing concrete proves that.

Although, the Food and Drug Administration maintains that low BPA levels are safe in food, and it's been in use since the 1960s.

"It may be okay to carry food in every once in a while, but don't ever put it in microwave. When you heat it up that's when the toxin can get into your food," said Dr. David Samadi on Fox News.

Next on the list: those convenient non-stick pans. The lining can chip off into your food ... yum. To avoid this, you might consider using a cast-iron skillet and a natural, non-stick spray.

So, now that we've made you question how to store and prepare your food, let's move on to stuff that smells good.

Air fresheners are also potentially dangerous because they may contain phthalates, a chemical that can cause problems with the reproductive system. (Video via Febreeze)

Phthalates also show up in a lot of cleaning products, so Dr. David Samadi, an analyst for Fox News, recommends checking labels and using something like baking soda or borax when possible.

And for those of you who like to keep your nails pretty, this last one is kind of a bummer: nail polish. It can contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, and toluene, which can affect the central nervous and reproductive systems.

Now, don't throw away all your containers, cookware and mani/pedi packs. Some research is still up in the air, and there are lines of all of these products that don't have those chemicals.

This video includes images from Getty Images.