Topic: Toxic cleaning products - you may be surprised.
sparkle7
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posted
Greenwashing Cleaners labeled "safe," "non-toxic" and "green" can contain hazardous ingredients. There should be a law against bogus claims, but there isn't. Some companies are willing to bend the truth - because they can. Read more.
Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner It's labeled "non-toxic" and "biodegradable." It contains: �2-butoxyethanol, a solvent absorbed through the skin that damages red blood cells and irritates eyes; �A secret blend of alcohol ethoxylate surfactants. Some members of this chemical family are banned in the European Union. Worse, the company website instructs the user to dilute the product significantly for even the heaviest cleaning tasks. Yet it comes in a spray bottle that implies it should be sprayed full-strength. Such use would result in higher exposures.
Whink Rust Stain Remover Advertised for cleaning white porcelain sinks, toilet bowls and colorfast fabrics and carpet, the fine print warns: �"May be fatal or cause permanent damage." �"Causes severe burns which may not be immediately painful or visible." �On technical information for workers, "will penetrate skin and attack underlying tissues and bone." Product literature advises workers to "use only with adequate ventilation" and to wear gloves, safety goggles and a face mask. Consumers are advised only to wear rubber gloves.
Citra-Solv Cleaner & Degreaser These concentrated liquids and ready-to-use sprays contain d-limonene and orange oils from citrus peels. According to the company's worker safety disclosure, Citra-Solv concentrate is 85 to 95 percent d-limonene. That the oils are derived from citrus implies safety, but sprayed into the air, they can react with trace levels of ozone air pollution to form ultra-fine particles that penetrate deep into the lungs and formaldehyde, which the U.S. government classifies as a known human carcinogen. The California Air Resources Board advises people to limit the use of citrus- or pine oil-based cleaners on smoggy days to avoid exposure to particulates and formaldehyde.
EWG Green Tip: Read labels carefully and pay special attention to warnings. Don't buy any products labeled "poison," "danger" or "fatal" if swallowed or inhaled.
Banned abroad
Spic and Span Multi-Surface and Floor Cleaner This product contains nonylphenol ethoxylate, which the state of California has banned in cleaning products manufactured after 2012. Products containing this chemical cannot be sold in the European Union. It breaks down to nonylphenol, which can disrupt the hormone system, is toxic to aquatic life and persists in the environment.
Scrubbing Bubbles - Antibacterial Bathroom Cleaner & Extend-A-Clean Mega Shower Foamer These products contain up to 10 percent DEGBE, also called butoxydiglycol, a solvent banned in the European Union at concentrations above 3 percent in aerosol cleaners. It can irritate and inflame the lungs.
Mop & Glo Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner It contains DEGME, also called methoxydiglycol, at up to 15 times the concentration allowed in cleaners sold in the European Union. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe says DEGME is "suspected of damaging the unborn child." (This product is also sold as "Mop & Glo Triple Action Floor Shine.")
DampRid Mildew Stain Remover Plus Blocker It may contain up to 10 percent of a hazardous solvent called 2-butoxyethanol. Canada caps this chemical's use in cleaners at 6 percent. It also contains nonylphenol ethoxylate, prohibited in cleaners sold in the E.U.
EASY-OFF Fume Free Oven Cleaner This spray contains 5 to 10 percent DEGBE. The E.U. bars concentrations of DEGBE greater than 3 percent because it can harm the lungs.
EWG Green Tip: Check your brands' labels and websites for ingredient lists. Avoid products containing nonylphenol ethoxylates (look for "nonylphen" or "nonoxynol" within the ingredient name) and 2-butoxyethanol, butoxydiglycol, ethylene- or diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether or methoxydiglycol.
Drain cleaners that can burn and blind
Childproof packaging is just one clue that conventional drain cleaners are extremely dangerous.
Drano Professional Strength Kitchen Crystals Clog Remover The label says this product can severely burn eyes and skin and cause blindness or even death. Drano Kitchen Crystals may remain in the drain after use, creating an extreme hazard. Using a plunger could cause caustic splashback. Pouring any other product down the drain might trigger a dangerous chemical reaction. The label warns purchasers to "keep water out of can at all times to prevent contents from violently erupting or boiling out." Yet unsuspecting consumers have been known to store it under the sink.
EWG Green Tip: Use a drain snake and plunger, available in hardware stores. Store drain cleaner in high secure cabinets out of reach of children and away from water.
Oven cleaners that emit toxic fumes
Conventional oven cleaners can contain substantial amounts of sodium or potassium hydroxide, meant to dissolve crusty, baked-on gunk. These chemicals can also burn skin, lungs and eyes.
Walmart Great Value Heavy Duty Oven & Grill Cleaner The label warns: "Will burn skin and eyes. Avoid contact with skin, eyes, mucous membranes and clothing. Harmful if swallowed. Avoid inhaling spray mist. Wear long rubber gloves while using�"
CVS/pharmacy Fume-Free Oven Cleaner Though claiming to be "fume-free," the label warns: "Vapor harmful� open windows and doors or use other means to ensure fresh air entry during application and drying." The label says the product contains an unidentified substance "known to the state of California to cause cancer."
EASY-OFF Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner Aerosol Spray The label warns: "Warning: �DANGER: CORROSIVE�WILL BURN EYES AND SKIN. HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED. Avoid contact with eyes, skin, mucous membranes and clothing. DO NOT ingest. Use only with adequate ventilation. Avoid breathing spray mist. Wear long rubber gloves when using�"
EWG Green Tip: Sprinkle baking soda liberally to cover the bottom of the oven. Spray with water. Wait 8 hours, scrape and wipe clean.
Mystery mixtures
Ingredient labels are mandatory for food, cosmetics and drugs - but not for cleaners. Bowing to pressure from customers and to the threat of federal regulation, most companies list some ingredients on labels and websites or in worker safety information. But a few companies disclose nothing. Others may list one or a few ingredients or use vague terms like "surfactant" or "solvent."
Target's Up & Up This brand's Toilet Bowl Cleaner and Glass and Surface Wipes do not list any ingredients on the product packaging. Other products sold under the Up & Up label list only one or two ingredients or use vague terms.
LA's Totally Awesome This brand divulges few ingredients. It lists just one ingredient for its Orange All Purpose Degreaser & Spot Remover, the hazardous solvent 2-butoxyethanol.
Walmart's Great Value This store brand does not list ingredients in its Heavy Duty Oven & Grill Cleaner and lemon-scented Furniture Polish, despite the company's commitment "to sell products that sustain people and the environment." Other items sold under the Great Value brand list few ingredients or use general terms for them.
EWG Green Tip: Look for products listing most or all ingredients on the label or website. No information could mean something to hide.
Fatal if inhaled
Some popular cleaning products contain addictive inhalants. Inhalants generally have been abused by 1 in 5 American teens and are considered "gateway drugs" that lead to drug and alcohol abuse (www.inhalent.org). They are potentially fatal in concentrated form. A few of the many inhalant products EWG found:
Glade Air Freshener Sprays, Air Wick automatic air fresheners, and Old English furniture polish These products warn that "intentional misuse by deliberately concentrating and inhaling the contents can be harmful or fatal."
Spot Shot Carpet Stain Remover This product warns that "inhalation abuse of aerosol products may be harmful or fatal."
EWG Green Tip: Talk to your kids about the risks of inhalants (www.inhalant.org). Read warning labels and keep cleaners that are potentially fatal if inhaled out of your home.
Fatal if swallowed
When is a clean house worth this risk?
Lysol Disinfectant Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Lime & Rust Remover This corrosive acid concoction kills bacteria but is also labeled "harmful or fatal if swallowed." The cleaner's child-proof cap is an important safety feature. The label warns not to squeeze the container when opening and to wear safety goggles. A bit of this acid in the eye can cause "irreversible damage."
2000 Flushes and X-14 toilet bowl cleaners These chlorine-laden discs don't harm plumbing or septic systems, but according to the label they "may be fatal if swallowed." The boxes warn customers to wear rubber gloves when handling, hold the disc away from the face and avoid inhaling the fumes. A pet could confuse a disc with a plastic chew toy.
EWG Green Tip: Don't take a chance on products that are fatal if swallowed. Pets and children are most at risk, so read the warning labels. Stock your cabinet with safer choices, but keep them, too, out of children's reach.
High-hazard ingredients
Hagerty Liquid Jewel Clean It contains perchloroethylene, a toxic solvent classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Tarn-X Tarnish Remover This "Wipe & Rinse" product contains up to 7 percent thiourea, a chemical classified as a carcinogen by the state of California. The company's technical information for workers says "prolonged or repeated exposure may cause reproductive and fetal effects."
Ajax, Dynamo and Fab Ultra liquid laundry detergents (Phoenix Brands) These contain formaldehyde, also known as formalin, classified as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. government and World Health Organization. Formaldehyde can cause asthma and allergies. The company divulges the presence of formaldehyde in the product only on technical disclosures for workers.
EWG Green Tip: Try safer do-it-yourself options first, before heavier duty options.
Combatting static with toxic chemicals
Dryer sheets and anti-static sprays may free clinging fabrics and stop static sparks, but they usually do it with quaternary ammonium compounds that can irritate lungs and cause asthma as well as allergic contact dermatitis.
Static Guard This product contains the chemical DTDMAC, or ditallow dimethyl ammonium chloride, which is so persistent in the environment that it can't be used as a cleaning ingredient in the European Union.
Final Touch Ultra Liquid Fabric Softener This brand contains quaternium-18 (dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride or DHTDMAC), which also cannot be used in cleaning products sold in the European Union because of its persistence in the environment.
EWG Green Tip: Use a humidifier if your indoor air is dry - more water in the air means less static electricity. Add vinegar to the rinse cycle to prevent static cling or run a damp cloth over clothing.
Spray cleaners with asthma-causing ingredients
Even though 1 in 10 U.S. children suffers from asthma, some companies make spray cleaners that fill the air with asthmagens, meaning ingredients that cause asthma.
Clorox, Fantastik, Febreze, Formula 409, Easy-Off, Lysol, Mr. Clean and Spic and Span. Many of the spray cleaners sold under these brand names are laced with quaternary ammonium compounds or ethanolamine, ingredients classified as asthmagens by the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics, a professional association of clinics and health experts. These chemicals can trigger asthma attacks and can cause new cases of the disease in people who are asthma-free. Ingredients classified as asthmagens don't belong in spray products.
EWG Green Tip: Skip spray products that contain ethanolamines (MEA, DEA and TEA) and "quats." Beware of ADBAC, benzalkonium chloride or ingredients with "-monium chloride" in the name from the label or the company's website. Do not use disinfecting sprays, since most of them contain asthmagens.
100+ hidden chemicals
EWG's 2009 state-of-the-art air pollution tests of 21 common school cleaning products turned up a wide range of air contaminants linked to asthma, cancer, reproductive toxicity, hormone disruption and neurotoxicity. Some of the worst offenders are in products also commonly used in the home.
Comet Disinfectant Cleanser Powder This product emitted 146 different chemicals, including some thought to cause cancer, asthma and reproductive disorders. The most toxic chemicals detected - formaldehyde, benzene, chloroform and toluene - are not listed on the label. Little is known about the health risks of most of the contaminants found.
Febreze Air Effects This product released 89 air contaminants.
EWG Green Tip: Open windows or run a fan - or both - to clear the air during and after cleaning.
Undisclosed chemicals in the air
Air fresheners do not clean or purify the air. They merely cover up odors by releasing undisclosed mixtures of fragrance chemicals. Common fragrance components include chemicals that spur allergies, trigger asthma attacks or impair reproduction.
Lysol Neutra Air Freshmatic This product boasts that "your home will always smell fresh and clean" but cautions that the device should be placed "in well-ventilated rooms away from sleeping areas." Among the label's warnings: may be harmful if directly inhaled, may cause allergic reaction in some individuals, DO NOT spray towards face or body, DO NOT get in eyes, avoid content with skin, DO NOT spray directly onto surfaces.
Air Wick Freshmatic Compact This product cautions to "use in well-ventilated rooms away from sleeping areas."
Febreze and Glade automatic air fresheners These products warn, "Do not use in small confined pet areas without adequate ventilation."
EWG Green Tip: If a room has an odor problem, track down the source and eliminate it instead of covering it up with fragrances. A bowl of baking soda in the bathroom can absorb odors.
Dead zone detergents
Most detergents claim they are "phosphate free." And that's a good thing, because phosphate compounds, formerly a mainstay for cleaning dishes and clothing, wash into waterways and spur rampant algae growth that leads to massive "Dead Zones" in the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay and other water bodies. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia prohibit phosphates in household dishwashing and laundry detergents. But some companies exploit a legal loophole by selling phosphate-laden additives that are as harmful as banned detergents.
FINISH Glass Magic Hardwater Performance Booster This product contains up to 21 percent phosphate by weight, according to the label.
EWG Green Tip: Skip phosphate additives for dishwashers and clothes washers. Don't use cleaners with ingredients that damage the environment.
About the Hall of Shame: EWG provides information on cleaning product ingredients from the published scientific literature and from data available from companies and the government. Products in the Hall of Shame are examples of the types of cleaners that could pose a concern for human health or the environment. Actual health risks will depend on the level of exposure, individual susceptibility, and conditions of use or misuse.
� 2012, Environmental Working Group, All Rights Reserved. EWG Headquarters: 1436 U St. N.W. Suite 100, Washington, DC 20009 | (202) 667-6982
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Tammy N.
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All toxic toxic stuff. I avoid pretty much everything. I basically use baking soda and vinegar. My shower cleaner is by Seventh Generation (a great brand). And to disinfect, I usually use rubbing alcohol.
It's scary to think of all the stuff going down our drains too. Ugh.
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sparkle7
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I was pretty surprised about the citrus & pine cleaners. I was exposed to alot of these things throughout my life.
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sparkle7
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I think this is just the "teaser". It's going to be a bigger list in the fall.
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Carol in PA
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Everyone in my high school biology class was exposed to formaldehyde when we dissected stuff.
I was breathing it for an hour at a time, at very close range, and the skin on my fingertips got hard from handling the preserved tissues.
Same thing in the college class.
Ugh.
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-------------------- Fall down seven times, get up eight ~Japanese proverb Posts: 1146 | From west coast | Registered: Mar 2008
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Keebler
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- Lauralyme, great stuff at that link.
As for labeled brands, I stick with the folks who have been offering safe products long before it became "green" or popular. The top two in my book:
Seventh Generation & BioKleen.
BioKleen's All Purpose Cleaner is everything to me: Dish soap (not dishwasher, though); toilet cleaner, sink cleaner, diluted for a TUB cleaner extraordinaire, glass and countertop cleaner. -
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Lauralyme
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Here is a great Glass Cleaner recipe
2 TBSP Vinegar 1/2 cup Alcohol (rubbing) 1/4 tsp dishwashing liquid 2 cups water
put into a spray bottle and shake
-------------------- Fall down seven times, get up eight ~Japanese proverb Posts: 1146 | From west coast | Registered: Mar 2008
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sparkle7
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They really should just take all this "stuff" off the market. Anything that poses a hazard to human health should be removed. I'm sure it's mostly women who are exposed to all this stuff, too. Sad but true...
How many men do you see in dishwashing, laundry or floor cleaning ads?
Yes, same goes for cosmetics & beauty aids. It's not really regulated. Even if it is regulated - for some reason the "regulation" means nothing. I thought our tax money was going to pay for some kind of protection...
Why are we paying for this? I guesss the best thing is to be aware & stop buying this crap. Whole aisles in the supermarkets are devoted to all these poisons.
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Keebler
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- A note to everyone with MCS (multiple chemical sensitivities):
Steer clear of the smell of rubbing alcohol.
The petroleum in this can just clobber those with MCS or any kind of porphyria (a liver issue).
About MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- sparkle7,
I voiced sentiments such as yours to a friend a while back and she suggested that I see the documentary:
The Corporation.
I had forgotten about it until now. So, what we can do is purchase not just from companies that have (sort-of, kind-of) gone "green" but
instead, get what we need from those companies with a a long history of safe products and good ethical practices (including how they treat all employees and vendors, at each step).
Also, I've learned that I can do without so much of the stuff I used to think necessary. I love being free of make-up and scents. It's very freeing. I was so loaded up with fluff in my youth, it's amazing I managed to even breathe at all. -
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mojo
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Dr. Bronner's liquid concentrate can be used for everything from laundry to showering to cleaning.
I love the new Rose scent.
Posts: 1761 | From USA | Registered: May 2006
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sparkle7
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All of this is so far along - I don't know if there's an endpoint that isn't catastrophic in one way or another.
Yes, we can avoid what we can but the stuff is still in the air, food, & water. I can say - I don't want this crap - but is it right for me to tell the millions who buy this stuff to stop & use something less toxic?
It goes for wifi, laundry detergent, driving a car, using Agent Orange as a pesticide on food crops...? Where does it end?
Shopping at Whole Foods is nice when the money is available but they are a corporation, too. They thrive on profits. I'm beginning to think the problem lies with capitalism in general...
As long as a model of philosophy is profit above human life - all of this will continue. I benefit from using the wifi or driving a car or eating candy bars just like anyone else - so, I don't want to be a hypocrite...
I will try to make an effort to get rid of toxic cleaning & healthcare products. I don't use them much anyway - but I did throughout my life. It's probably contributes to why I'm so ill now...
I can agree with that, Keebler. I don't know the answer but we do have to be aware that these cleaning products are very toxic & make an effort to not buy into that agenda.
I know "agenda" is a strong word but I can't think of any other reason why we are being poisoned with every step we take.
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17hens
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I used Shaklee cleaners for 25+ years. Basic H (household) and Basic G (germicide) mixed in a spray bottle. My friend's daughter drank some of the mix as a toddler and it never did anything to her. And yet the Germicide is strong enough to kill the aids virus.
-------------------- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalms 73:26
bit 4/09, diagnosed 1/10 Posts: 3043 | From PA | Registered: Dec 2009
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sparkle7
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I was mostly surprised that Simple Green & citrus cleaners were no good according to the list. I never knew about the Shaklee cleaning products. There's some other soap type product that alot of people swear by. They even use it internally - I think it's called Miracle Soap...
There have been further articles on this topic. I saw one in Time Magazine. This one is good from Mercola -
he Household Appliance that Releases 600 Potentially Dangerous Chemicals into the Air
I live near a laundry mat... It sucks. On a nice spring day I smell laundry products not fresh air.
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sparkle7
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