When you’re decorating and enjoying your Christmas tree, the last thing you might be thinking is “Gosh, is this tree toxic?” Sadly, it’s a thing, and it turns out that finding a truly non-toxic Christmas tree is more complicated than you think.
It’s sadly not as simple as “real Christmas trees are best” or “fake Christmas trees are bad.” There are pros and cons to both, but thankfully, knowledge is power and after reading this post you’ll be empowered to make a healthier Christmas tree choice for you and your family.
Growing up, we never had a real Christmas tree in our home, My mom had a severe allergy to real trees, so that option was out. I always dreamed of going to a Christmas tree farm to pick out the perfect tree, but alas, we never did.
When visiting friend’s houses that had real trees, I noticed that they bothered me as well, so when I had a place of my own, an artificial tree it was.
Since the fake tree didn’t make me feel bad, I thought it was a good healthy choice for me.
However, I’ve since found out that that wasn’t necessarily the case at all. Sadly, our artificial trees (we’ve had a few over the years) might have been just as bad for me as the real tree that I was allergic too. I just didn’t know it.
Though our Christmas tree wasn’t making me sneeze uncontrollably, there were likely other dangers lurking.
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Toxins In Live Christmas Trees
You might think that a real tree is the best natural, clean and healthy living way to go. I mean, natural is always the way to go, right?
Not necessarily. There are potential and very real toxins even in the most pristine of Christmas tree.
Pesticides and Herbicides
Unless you’re buying an organic Christmas tree, the tree that you purchase will most certainly have pesticide and herbicide residue on it. You might not have thought about this, but Christmas trees are known to be sprayed with glyphosate and bifentrhin and multiple other chemicals. Glyphosate is typically thought of as being a problem with wheat, but alas, the lowly Christmas tree is a victim of this toxic spray as well.
Some of these pesticides even are contaminated with PFAS, a “forever chemical” ‘that’s been getting a lot of attention lately due to its long term detrimental effects on humans and the environment (source).
Mold
Live Christmas trees can harbor mold and as a result, mycotoxins, which are a big problem for a lot of people. Christmas trees are typically harvested weeks before they’re sold, and sit in containers of water to keep them alive, leading to mold growth where the trunk is in water. Studies have shown that the longer the tree is in the home, the more mold spores there are and that, in fact, they start to multiply quickly after less than a week (source).
Dust
Let’s face it. Our world is dirty. There are toxins in rainwater and in the air we breathe. So depending on where your tree grew, it could have all kinds of residue on it from rain water, cars passing by, and more. And as if that wasn’t enough, mold lives on dust.
Dust is made up of particles of all sorts of things including human skin, hair, clothing particles, and more. It’s full of food for mold, so if you have dust, you also have more mold. Not a fun fact, but it’s true.
In addition, dust mites can cause allergies too. A not so fun fact is that it’s the dust mite feces (I know, it’s gross) that people are allergic to, not the mites themselves.
Either way, dust can come in on the tree from being stored, but can also be on your ornaments.
Terpenes
While the American College of Allergy and Immunology says that allergies to Christmas trees are rare (source), the trees do have terpenes that some people can be sensitive or allergic to. These can cause a reaction if they are smelled or touched.
How to Reduce Toxic Exposure from a Real Christmas Tree
- Buy an Organic Tree
- Spray your tree with water before bringing it inside (letting it dry as much as possible first). This will only work in a climate that isn’t very cold, unless there’s a sheltered place for drying. Some tree farms offer washing services, which is a great help.
- Use an Air Purifier. Of course you should have an air purifier at all times, but you definitely want one when you have a life tree in your home. Side note, I am an Austin Air dealer. If you’d like a great discount on one of these purifiers, just comment below or email me at adrienne at wholenewmom dot com.
- Clean Your Home: vacuum and dust often when you have a live Christmas tree in your home.
- Limit the time your tree is in your house by buying your tree as late in the season as you can and removing the tree from your home as soon as possible. It’s been shown that mold spore count expands exponentially after the first four to five days.(source).
- Limit physical contact with the tree.
- Wash your hands after touching the tree.
- Spray the tree with HOCl before placing ornaments on it. HOCl is stronger than bleach and addresses mold.
Toxins In Artificial Christmas Trees
If you’re like me, and you’re allergic to real Christmas trees, you might be thinking that an artificial tree is the answer to your Christmas tree health concerns.
Not so fast.
You’ll often see warning labels on artificial trees and lights telling you to wash your hands after touching them and lead is the main reason why, but there are many other things lurking in fake Christmas trees to be concerned about.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Like many consumer products these days, many artificial Christmas trees are made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride). One would think that PVC is pretty benign, but it’s not and here’s why.
Releases Toxic Gases
PVC is often treated with plasticizers to make it more flexible. The most common plasticizer is phthalates, which I touched on in this post about artificial fragrances. Phthalates shed or leach from the products they are used in, either in the form of gases or dust. As endocrine disruptors, they are linked to diabetes, reproductive disorders, obesity, thyroid issues, and more. They have even been linked to autism, ADHD, and cognitive issues in children (source, source, source).
Source of Lead
PVC can be treated with lead as a stabilizer. This was more the case in the past, but people tend to buy an artificial tree and keep it for many years or for life, so if you have a fake tree in your home, it’s likely that it has lead in it.
This lead sheds off the PVC in the form of dust that ends up on the surfaces of your home.
Lead is a huge health concern. It bioaccumulates and is connected with all kinds of health problems including cardiovascular, reproductive, kidney, brain, and more. Like all toxins, lead exposure is more of a concern for children due to their smaller size and can even cause permanent damage.
In 2001, it was estimated that about 50 million homes in the U.S. had an artificial tree in them. While this study did conclude that exposure to lead from artificial trees is likely not that that high, in some houses, this shedding can lead to problematic toxic exposures (source).
Flame Retardants
Although PVC is already flame retardant and many trees are now made with PVC, apparently flame retardants are still often used on fake trees. In fact, some companies state that after 2-3 years you should consider reapplying the toxic chemicals to your tree. Of course, one such source is a company selling the flame retardants (source).
Antimony Trioxide
In addition to PVC, artificial trees are also made out of polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, or a combination of either PE or PET and PVC. PE and PET trees are much more durable than PVC trees and they’re also more realistic-looking, but also are more expensive.
The concern about PE and PET tree toxicity is that the main catalyst for making those chemicals is antimony trioxide. It’s a likely carcinogen and also a possible endocrine disruptor. Furthermore, a lot of antimony is released into the environment when PE and PET are made.
Antimony bioaccumulates, and air contaminated with the chemical has been linked to many health issues. As such it’s now called a “priority pollutant” by the United States’ EPA.
Manufacturing PE and PET manufacturing also results in the production of 1-4 dioxane which is a likely carcinogen and is likely a bioaccumulating environmental toxin as well.
While this is all a concern, once a PE or PET tree is in your home, the toxic concerns are much less than with a PVC tree. The reason for that is that antimony is mainly released much more at higher temperatures (50°C (about 122°F) and above. Aside from the manufacturing environmental concerns, a PE or PET tree is a much better choice for your home.
PFAS
PFAS is one of the new “forever chemicals” that’s been getting a lot of attention recently. It’s been said that artificial Christmas trees are sometimes sprayed with chemicals containing PFAS to make them last longer by making them more resistant to heat and light. I haven’t been able to verify this, however.
Dust
Artificial Christmas trees are often stored in attics and garages and they can harbor tons of mold and dust as a result, especially if they are stored without a container. All those little needles are harboring tons of dust and they’re very hard to clean. Also, if the tree is stored in a warm attic in the dark, mold can really fester.
How to Reduce Toxic Exposure from an Artificial Tree
- Buy a Less Toxic Tree: Purchasing a tree with a higher percent of PE/PET than PVC is a better choice.
- Outgas: Allow your new artificial tree to outgas outdoors before bringing it inside for the first time. For a new tree – outgas outdoors before setting up.
- Limit physical contact with the tree.
- Wash Hands: Wash your hands after decorating or otherwise touching the tree.
- Purify the Air: Use an air purifier.
- Clean Your Home: vacuum and dust often when to address any toxins that might have shed in your house.
- Get a Smaller Tree: The smaller the tree, the less toxic it will be. Below are 3 sizes of trees we currently have: large, small and thin, and then a small tabletop Christmas tree that was a wedding gift. It’s about as small as it gets, but I still love it!
Where to Buy Non-toxic Artificial Christmas Trees
There are a number of trees with a combination of PVC and PE branches, with most of the mixed PVC/PE trees having at the most 65% PE. However, Balsam Hill and IKEA stand above the others by having at least some trees with more than 65% PE.
I’ll be checking with more companies in the future, but below is some information on these trees.
Of course this information can change from year to year so it’s best to reach out to make sure that the trees still meet these standards.
Balsam Hill
Balsam Hill has a variety of trees with varying amounts of PVC / PE in them.
Their “most realistic” trees have 65 – 100% PE so that’s the way to go if you’d like a tree with the least amount of PVC. Apparently the following trees are “completely PE”, with the exception of PVC wrap on inner, lower, top of the tree trunk for the appearance of fullness, and that part is removable.
The company told me that their trees are coated with antimony trioxide flame retardant, but again, that shouldn’t be a concern as mentioned above. Apparently antimony trioxide isn’t flame retardant in and of itself, so I hope to follow up with the company about this. My guess is that they use a flame retardant that is enhanced by antimony trioxide.
IKEA
IKEA doesn’t have many trees to choose from, so you are more likely to get what you’d like at Balsam Hill. Also note that despite IKEA’s claims of their trees being non toxic, it’s important to read the reviews.
IKEA claims that the Vinterfint tree is made from PET, but one review states that the tree had a strange smell and that it shed a green color onto hands when it was decorated. (Note that the tree isn’t shown on their site right now, so hopefully that will be back online in the future so you can see what I’m referencing.)
More Sources of Christmas Tree Toxins
Ornaments
You might not think about this but your Christmas tree ornaments can be another big source of toxins. First of all, they can harbor lead. However, if you’re storing them in a cardboard box, mold is a factor as well.
Cardboard is a great food source for mold. When you bring a cardboard ornament box in your home and take all of the ornaments out, you’re distributing the spores into your home. Though I’m not a fan of plastic storage in general, in this case an (( LINK! all-plastic storage container is a much better choice.
Lights
Most Christmas tree lights have lead, but you can find some without. Of course you’ll want to check anytime you need to get new lights but here’s a list of lead-free options.
Alternatives to Regular Christmas Trees
Another option is to have an alternative to a Christmas tree like the following:
- Decorate an Outdoor Tree: We actually do this a little bit with lights and some giant ornaments either on a tree or on a large bush!
- A Different Kind of Potted Tree – having a tree that you know how it was cultivated and treated can be a lot less toxic than what you might be able to find nearby as far as live tree options go.
- Book Tree – search “book Christmas tree” online and you’ll see this interesting option! Just make sure the books aren’t moldy!
- Wooden Tree – you can find ideas for this online too.
More Healthy Christmas-related Posts
These posts can help you have a truly healthier Holiday season.
Healthy Stocking Stuffers
Does “Xmas” Take Christ Out of Christmas?
Natural and Healthy Homemade Christmas Gifts
Healthy Christmas Cookies
Gluten-free Christmas Cookies
What kind of Christmas tree do you have?
