What's in your walls? - Toxic building and repair materials to avoid

As parents who care about protecting our families and preserving our world, we make choices every day to live a green lifestyle: we recycle, buy organic, clean with vinegar, use cloth diapers, and promote our little ones' love of the planet.
But what toxic dangers are still lurking in our homes even with all of these efforts?
Our homes contain many materials that have high levels of toxicity. Although we can't tear down our walls or build a new home in the majority of cases, we can be mindful of these dangerous materials and make small changes over time. Maybe one day we'll have the opportunity for renovation or to put up a new coat of paint. When that day arrives, let's make sure we're armed with the information we need to make safe choices for our families.
Here is a list of construction and repair materials to avoid paired with safer alternatives:
- Instead of vinyl, choose solid wood, bamboo, cork, linoleum, paper-based wallpaper, or wood paneling. For windows and their coverings, choose wood, metal, or fiberglass windows.
- If you install carpet, avoid stain resistant finish and choose natural materials like wool.
- Avoid oil based paints and stains, paints with mercury compounds, and stains that contain wood-preservative chemicals, and choose low-VOC or zero-VOC latex paints, stains, and primers.
- Avoid curtain and window weights made of lead.
- Avoid adhesives, caulk, and grout - or anything at all - that contains phthalates.
- Avoid particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard, and choose solid wood instead.
- Avoid PVC piping, and choose polyethylene and copper instead.
For more information, please visit the resources that provided me with the information for this post:Healthy Child, Healthy World
Household Products Database
Pollution in People