Hazardous Substances in daily life

Published on December 24, 2020

A project about hazardous substances in common household items was created for the Russian-speaking audience in order to draw people's attention to invisible sources of danger that can lurk in familiar objects in every home, to show how you can avoid the hazard and motivate to avoid using certain hazardous materials. The project gives information on different products and materials, their components and health effects, explains danger signs, pictograms and ecolabels (Vitality Leaf in Russia) as a tool for sustainable consumption. The project is implemented in the frames of an international project "Non Hazard City 2" with the support of INTERREG Baltic Sea Region programme

The aim of the project is to demonstrate possibilities to reduce emissions of hazardous substances to the Baltic Sea at the source. The main focus is on emissions from small scale emitters in urban areas. The activities of the project include information campaigns and trainings for different stakeholders - private households, municipal entities and businesses. We provide the information on hazardous substances in different forms: website, video, social media posts, articles, seminars and webinars. The information covered within the project includes: a general overview of the health and environmental problems related to the use of hazardous substances; information about which hazardous chemicals can be found in different everyday products; advice on how to find safer alternatives and minimize the exposure from hazardous chemicals. The information and activities of this project will help to raise awareness and preserve peoples health as well as prevent the release of hazardous substances into the environment. It is impossible to avoid exposure to hazardous substances completely, however we should take every effort and opportunity to reduce the numbers and amounts of substances contained in the chemical cocktail we are exposed to. We expect people, local businesses and municipalities to pay more attention to the materials, components, labels and danger signs of the items that they purchase and use e.g. kitchenware, furniture, cosmetics, detergents etc and to choose more safe and environmentally friendly options. By doing so we will lower our chemical impact on the environment and move towards more sustainable consumption and production models. Share the information, materials and resources from our website https://thinkbefore.eu/ru/ Share the video on hazardous substances at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK_imR-XFFQ