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Many ingredients may cause skin, eyes and respiratory irritation, asthma, headaches and chemical burns. Others have been associated with more serious long term health concerns such as hormone disruption, neurological disorders and cancer. However, you can learn something about a product's hazards by reading its label. 'Danger/ Poison' - most hazardous; 'Warning' - moderately hazardous; 'Caution' - slightly toxic. Ingredients vary in the type of health hazard they pose. These include skin or respiratory irritation, watery eyes, or chemical burns, while others are associated with chronic, or long-term, effects such as cancer. Avoid: chlorine or ammonia, listed as active ingredients formaldehyde, terpenes, phenols, chlorine, organic mercurials, balsams and aluminium complexes are known to have carcinogenic effects detergents containing Alkylphenol Ethoxylates (APEs) - do not degrade completely and are known hormone disruptors. detergents containing phosphates - cause algal blooms in waterways Look for: biodegradable to AS4351, or better still, an international standard plant-based ingredients, instead of petroleum-based concentrated form specific ingredient information such as 'solvent-free', 'no petroleum-based ingredients' rather than unregulated 'greenwash' claims such as 'natural' and 'eco-friendly' See which cleaning products are most environmentally friendly.

There are currently about 720,000 head of cattle in Australia's feedlots. Each animal has five to 10 square metres of space in a pen of 50 to 200 cattle. In these cramped conditions, cattle are forced to stand and sleep in their own manure and endure extremes of weather. Close confinement means a much higher risk of disease so antibiotic drugs are routinely used. Grain feed commonly causes their digestive systems to be acidic. Talk to your butcher and ask for grass-fed, chemical free meat from a local producer.

These include hyperactivity, headaches, gastric irritation, behavioural disorders, learning difficulty, cancer, skin rashes, and asthma symptoms. Another ethical issue relates to consumers' lack of agency over the additives they consume. While numbers are a practical way to classify them, almost no one will memorise every number. As a result, consumers have to go beyond the label to understand what is in their foods. Combined with the lack of education on the potential harms of some food additives, this makes it more difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about their dietary choices. What can you do? If you are worried about food additives, try eating less processed foods and more whole foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, and whole grains. Read this article by CHOICE to learn more about specific kinds of food additives and their controversies. Identify dangerous food additives with the Chemical Maze book and app, or follow the link to see the Food Intolerance Network’s complete list of additives and their safety.

Silk begins as a liquid secreted from two glands in the silkworm's head. While they are still in their pupal stage, the cocoons are placed in boiling water, which kills the silkworms and begins the process of unraveling the cocoons to produce silk thread. Approximately 15 silkworms are killed to make a gram of silk thread, and 10,000 are killed to make a silk sari. India is the second largest silk producer, after China. Choose 'Eri silk' or 'Peace silk', which has been harvested after the moths have left the cocoons. Because the silkworm makes a hole in the cocoon in order to emerge, the strand is no longer unbroken, resulting in shorter fibers, so the silk is spun rather than reeled. More on alternatives