Environmental Science Activities for the 21st Centuary
Activity - Household Chemical Inventory and Assessment
Identify one product that you use for each of the categories on the Activity Sheet. If you do not use a particular category of product, simply enter the phrase "do not use" and explain why.
For example, if you do not use pet care products, enter "do not use" in the "Product Name" column and "do not have a pet" in the "What the Warning Says" column.
For each product identified that you do use indicate the following:
1. The product name
2. What the product does, also known as the product "service"
3. Whether there is some type of warning about using the product.
4. What the warning says.
Answer questions 1 & 2 on the Activity Sheet when you have completed the inventory.
After doing this, select three products from your household product list which you think may be "hazardous" based on the warnings listed on the products.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines hazardous as any material that is ignitable, corrosive, explosive, or toxic to humans, plants or animals. List the three products on the Activity Sheet.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) maintains a database that contains a wide variety of information on over 5,000 consumer products.
Information contained in the data base includes the chemical ingredients, the manufacturer and contact information, as well as any possible acute and chronic effects associated with the chemicals that make up the products.
Go to the NIH website at the following- "householdproducts". In the Quick Search box on the left side of the screen, look up the first potentially hazardous product you have listed.
Scroll down the page until you come to the link "What is an MSDS?" and follow the directions on the remainder of the Activity Sheet and answer the questions.
Please note: As of 2013 manufacturer required reporting has changed from the MSDS to the SDS (Safety Data Sheets).
However, the NIH website still continues to use information from the MSDS. More information on these changes can be found on the websites
1. Was this inventory difficult to complete? Why or why not?
2. Are you surprised by the results of the inventory? If so, in what way?
MSDS
3. What does the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) describe?
4. Who develops or prepares the MSDS?
5. Does the MSDS provide any health effects or first aid information?
6. Who is the primary audience for the MSDS?
7. Are MSDS relevant to consumers?
Click the "Back" link on your browser to go back to the first product's ranking and answer the following questions.
8. What is the health rating for your product? (Note: Your product may not have a health rating. If it does not, choose another product that does. The health rating can be found under "Health Effects."
9. What does that rating mean?
10. What is the flammability rating for your product?
11. What does that rating mean?
12. What is the reactivity rating for your product?
13. What does that rating mean?
Now scroll up the site until you come to the section marked acute health effects and chronic health effects. Answer the following questions.
14. What does the website say about any acute health effects from the product?
15. What does the website say about any chronic health effects from the product?
16. What is the difference between an acute and chronic health effect?
17. Based on your research/analysis, how hazardous is the product?
Go back to the NIH website and research your other two products. If a product you selected is not listed, pick another product from your original list of eight. At the conclusion of this step in the exercise, you should have looked up and found results for 3 products.
18. Rank order your 3 products based on your assessment of how hazardous they are and list below from most to least hazardous.
Hazardous Ranking
19. Explain you answer. Why did you choose the ranking that you did?