EWG’s Online Guide to Healthy Cleaning
Many Cleaners Contain Toxics, Some “Green” Cleaners Hide Ingredients
CONTACT: EWG Public Affairs: Alex Formuzis (202) 667.6982 or alex@ewg.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 10, 2012
Washington,
D.C. – “Keeping
your home clean shouldn’t put you and your family at risk, and with
EWG’s new online guide you won’t have to,” EWG senior scientist Rebecca
Sutton, Ph.D, said. “Quite a few cleaning products that line store
shelves are packed with toxic chemicals that can wreak havoc with your
health, including many that harm the lungs. The good news is, there are
plenty of cleaning products that will get the job done without exposing
you to hazardous substances.”
Just
7 percent of cleaning products adequately disclosed their contents. To
uncover what’s in common household cleaners, EWG’s staff scientists
spent 14 months scouring product labels and digging through company
websites and technical documents. EWG staff reviewed each ingredient
against 15 U.S. and international toxicity databases and numerous
scientific and medical journals.
Ingredient
labels are mandatory for food, cosmetics and drugs sold in the U.S. –
but not for cleaning products. Bowing to pressure from customers and
the threat of federal regulation, most companies list at least some
ingredients on their labels and websites. A few companies disclose
nothing, while others list just one or a few of their ingredients or
describe them in vague terms such as “surfactant” and “solvent.”
Key findings:
•
Some 53 percent of cleaning products assessed by EWG contain
ingredients known to harm the lungs. About 22 percent contain chemicals
reported to cause asthma to develop in otherwise healthy individuals.
• Formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen, is sometimes used as a
preservative or may be released by other preservatives in cleaning
products. It may form when terpenes, found in citrus and pine oil
cleaners and in some essential oils used as scents, react with ozone in
the air.
• The chemical 1,4-dioxane, a suspected human carcinogen, is a common contaminant of widely-used detergent chemicals.
• Chloroform, a suspected human carcinogen, sometimes escapes in fumes released by products containing chlorine bleach.
• Quaternary ammonium compounds (“quats”) like benzalkonium chloride,
found in antibacterial spray cleaners and fabric softeners, can cause
asthma.
• Sodium borate, also known as borax, and boric acid are
added to many products as cleaning agents, enzyme stabilizers or for
other functions. They can disrupt the hormone system.
• Many
leading “green” brands sell superior products, among them Green Shield
Organic and Whole Foods’ Green Mission brand. But not all cleaners
marketed as environmentally conscious score high. Some “green” brands,
including Earth Friendly Products and BabyGanics, do not disclose
ingredients adequately.
EWG
recommends avoiding a few types of products altogether, since they’re
unnecessary – or there are no safer alternatives. Among them:
• Air fresheners contain secret fragrance mixtures that can trigger allergies and asthma. Open windows or use fans.
• Antibacterial products can spur development of drug-resistant superbugs.
• Fabric softener and dryer sheet ingredients can cause allergies or
asthma and can irritate the lungs. Try a little vinegar in the rinse
cycle.
• Caustic drain cleaners and oven cleaners can burn eyes and
skin. Use a drain snake or plunger in drains. Try a do-it-yourself
paste of baking soda and water in the oven.
The
Environmental Working Group has worked with other organizations devoted
to protecting consumers from hazardous ingredients in common household
cleaning products. Among them: Women’s Voice for the Earth. <http://www.womensvoices.org/>
“Women’s
Voice for the Earth has been a terrific partner in our efforts to
eliminate toxic chemicals from cleaning products, and we applaud its
research and advocacy on behalf of human health,” Sutton said.
“There
is simply no excuse for companies who hide ingredients and make toxic
products,” said Erin Switalski, Executive Director of Women’s Voices
for the Earth. “That’s why we are so pleased that EWG is releasing this
new database. This tool will give women the information they need to
vote with their pocketbooks until we have regulations in place that
assure all products are safe.”
Alex Formuzis
VP, Media Relations
Environmental Working Group <http://www.ewg.org/>
1436 U St. NW, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20009