The environment refers to the air, land, freshwater and sea water that is all around us. The products we use in our houses affect this environment, and that is what this essay helps to highlight.
The bulbs you use are damaging the environment. The lesser used incandescent bulbs were damaging because they used so much power, and power is gained through damaging the environment (unless it is renewable, which most is not). Energy saving bulbs have some very powerful poisons in them. They make our landfill sites a lot more toxic and they will be toxic for years to come. The worst part is that these chemicals seep into the water supply and help to damage the local wildlife, and people who drink or swim in the water.
The chemicals in your house do cause a little bit of damage to the environment, but far less than you probably think. Your cleaners and deodorants are more harmful to you when you use them rather than when you flush them away. They cause damage on the way to the water refinery, and cause a few nasty fumes when they get there.
Your medication is quite dangerous for the environment in many ways. Whether you flush them or put them in the bin, they are quite toxic to the environment in a wide variety of ways. Products that contain methylene chloride are also bad for the environment and humans. Since methylene chloride stopped being used as much in America, the amount of lung cancer cases dropped (many of the lung cancer cases were being incorrectly blamed on smoking and second-hand smoking).
Your washing powder may be damaging your drinking water. Some of them use trisodium nitrilotriacetate (NTA). Apart from being carcinogenic, it stops wastewater treatment plants from working correctly. They are tasked with removing metals from waste water, and NTA helps to re-mobilize it back into the water.
Bleach is a damaging compound too, which is a shame because it breaks down easily in drains and even the cheapest bleaches will kill 99.99% of bacteria. Sadly, bleach can release chlorine gas when it is mixed with other bleaches, which is deadly in any environment. This is not a problem in the home, but when bleaches mix in the sewers then the gas is released. It may also bind with organic material in water systems which then organochlorines are created, which are deadly to marine life, is the bleaching agent sodium hypochlorite. Many places around the country do not clean their water before pumping it back into the sea, making coastal swimming more dangerous for humans too, not to mention making fish eating more toxic.
Conclusion
Your bleach is damaging the environment, as your washing powder may also be. Your bulbs are causing damage to the environment (unless you are using LED) and your household chemicals are causing damage to you and the environment. Your medication is also very toxic to the environment. All of this is proof that the products you use have an effect on the environment. Be a little more careful about the products that you buy and use, and you can avoid a lot of damage to the environment.
