The development of this database was initiated in 1994 by DeLima Associates of McLean, Virginia, USA in response to a need for a database (identified by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention), that related household product types, brand names, chemical constituents, health-related information (acute and chronic effects and target organs), and exposure minimization techniques.

The annual costs in mortality, morbidity, and treatment that result from exposure to household products are considerable. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, more than 800,000 persons including over 460,000 children under the age of six were exposed to chemically hazardous products in 2003. The largest number of exposures involved personal care products (233,187), household cleaning products (211,077), pesticides (97,677), hobby supplies (45,382) and paints (23,961), resulting in over 145 deaths. Despite Government and consumer concerns about household products, the following facts remain:

• While workplace exposures are monitored and highly regulated, household exposures (especially chronic exposures and their long-term effects) are not well understood.
• Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent to study and understand chemical risks at the workplace, yet household exposures are largely ignored.
• Despite the annual toll on human health and life caused by household products, consumer education about hazardous chemicals in household products remains inadequate.
• Currently consumers seeking non-emergency information about potential long-term health effects from exposure to household products or methods of product disposal have no ready resources.

This Consumer Product Information Database (cpid) that currently links over 12,000 consumer brands to health effects has been designed to educate consumers about chemical ingredients of household products and has the following benefits:

• Conscientious consumers might choose alternative brands, thus achieving an across-the-board use/risk reduction where potentially harmful chemicals are concerned.
• The number of accidental poisonings of individuals and the environment might be decreased. If a consumer knew, for example, that a product contained a carcinogen, he or she might be more likely to take protective actions, including precautions on the label, storing remaining materials in a safe manner and location, and disposing of the container and residue safely and in an environmentally appropriate manner.
• Sensitive or allergic consumers could avoid brands that contain an offensive chemical.

In addition to the benefits to consumers, this database is useful to epidemiologists to do scientific research; dermatologists and allergists to identify products and brands that particular patients should avoid; and regulatory agencies to carry out their mission of protecting the public against product hazards.

The Consumer Product Information Database (cpid) contains health effects information for products used in the home that contain chemicals. The cpid is unique in that it will, for the first time, link brand names to health effects and allow consumers to select brands based on their individual sensitivity to specific chemical ingredients. The cpid website is designed to answer the following typical questions for consumers: While workplace exposures are monitored and highly regulated, household exposures (especially chronic exposures and their long-term effects) are not well understood.

• Who manufactures a specific brand?
• How do I contact this manufacturer?
• What brand choices do I have for each type of product that I use at home?
• What are the chemical ingredients and their percentage in specific brands?
• What are the acute and chronic effects of chemical ingredients in a specific brand?
• Which organ systems can potentially be affected by exposure to chemical ingredients?
• Where can I get more information about the properties and toxicity of chemicals?
• Where can I find brands that have been recalled?
• Which Government agencies regulate specific types of products?

The cpid contains the following types of information:

• Label Information, including brand name, ingredients and warnings
• Manufacturer Information, including street address and contact telephone numbers
• Ingredients, Health Effects, Storage and Disposal Information from manufacturer’s material safety data sheets
• Properties and health studies for the chemical ingredients of brands

Brands in the cpid are selected based on market share within each of 9 product categories and shelf presence in retail stores such as drugstores, supermarkets, auto parts stores, building supply stores, pet stores and office supply stores. Product information in the cpid is from a variety of publicly available sources including labels on product containers, Material Safety Data Sheets provided by manufacturers and manufacturers' web sites.