NIH unveils household product site

The National Library of Medicine's Household Products Database

The National Institutes of Health has created a database of information on common household products and potential health effects.

NIH's National Library of Medicine's household products database provides information for consumers about more than 2,000 ingredients in more than 4,000 products. The information comes from public sources, such as labels and manufacturers' Web sites.

The database is intended to answer questions about:

* The percentage of chemicals in certain brands.

* What products contain specific chemicals.

* How to contact a manufacturer.

* Health effects of chemical ingredients.

The database lets users to search by category, such as pesticides, by alphabetical listing or by brand name. The site is similar to Tox Town, which the Library released last year to provide information on toxic chemicals consumers may encounter daily and their environmental risks.