Toxic Homes and Household Toxins (broadcast Friday, December 14th, 2007)

Sure, you know not to drink the drain cleaner -- but what about the less obvious toxins in your home? The Enivronmental Protection Agency says the air inside your house could be more polluted than the air outside. In this segment, Ira and guests talk about dangers in common household products and in the very materials that make up your house. Are there greener alternatives? Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests

Richard Corsi
Director, Indoor Environmental Science and Engineering Program
Professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Cockrell School of Engineering
E.C.H. Bantel Professorship for Professional Practice
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas

Paul Blanc
Author, How Everyday Products Make People Sick: Toxins at Home and in the Workplace (2007, University of California Press)
Professor of Medicine
Endowed Chair of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California

Related Links

• NIH Household Products Database
• Forbes.com: Hidden Household Toxins
• American Lung Association: Indoor Air Quality
• US EPA - Indoor Air Quality
• Howstuffworks: A guide to Household Toxins

Segment produced by:Karin Vergoth

Elsewhere on Sciencefriday.com

Explore More

• Chemistry
• Public Health
• Environmental Chemistry