The average household contains roughly 80 to 100 hazardous household products. They contribute to indoor air pollution, and, when thrown into the local landfill, they contaminate local groundwater and the general environment. Now a "Household Hazardous Waste Wheel" tells you how to dispose safely of seven classes of paint products, 11 classes of pesticides, five kinds of automotive products, and 13 kinds of household products (e.g., oven cleaner, disinfectants, floor and furniture polishes).

Where safe substitutes exist, the Wheel reveals them; where safe disposal means are known, the Wheel tells you about them. The Wheel lists hazardous ingredients, lists toxic effects, and makes us think about why we need (or don't need) all those dubious products that a corporate TV ad campaign convinced us all to buy.

The Household Hazardous Waste Wheel is $3.25 from Environmental Hazards Management Institute, P.O. Box 283, 137 High St., Portsmouth, NH 03801; phone (603) 436-3950.
--Peter Montague, Ph.D.

Descriptor terms: waste disposal; household hazardous waste; pollution; indoor air pollution; household hazardous waste wheel; Environmental Hazards Management Institute; pesticides; paint; wax; ehmi;