Tree Hugging Family

Weekly Green Audit: The Dangers of Home Cleaning Supplies

by Jennifer on March 4th, 2008

We’re looking at home cleaning supplies this week. Actually this is such an in-depth topic that we could blog on nothing but toxic cleaning supplies all year, and never once run out of things to say.

That said, this week we’ll look at some major points related to the dangers of cleaning supplies, some earth and people friendly alternatives, and lots of links to extra info. There’s a lot to digest. Too much. For example, two years ago the University of California at Berkeley conducted research surrounding just one small area of cleaning supplies - the exposure to indoor airborne chemicals while cleaning and what resulted was a 200+ page report.

What current research says about the dangers of household cleaners:

Almost all the major long-term research on household chemicals shows that the most dangerious chemicals in our homes are almost always basic cleaning supplies. Some of this relates to the actual ingredients and some of it depends on how we use these chemicals.

Research shows that people terribly misuse household chemicals i.e. mixing items that should never be mixed. If you have a bucket of ammonia diluted with water solution, and you pour that in your bathtub, and then wipe down that same tub with a sponge that has bleach on it, you’re already producing enough toxic gas to be classified at a harmful to human level.

The Washington Toxics Coalition notes that the most dangerious chemicals in most homes include corrosive drain cleaners, oven cleaners, and acidic toilet bowl cleaners.

VOCs found in oven, carpet, and other cleaners containing Toluene, Formaldehyde, Nitrobenzene, Chloride, Methylene, and Ethylene glycol have been shown to cause asthma in children.

Numerous OSHA studies show that individuals in the cleaning industry develop health problems at higher than normal rates related to cancer, skin issues, permanent eye damage, and organ damage because of their use of toxic and strong cleaning supplies. These are people who tend to use full strength cleaners as opposed to diluted - but the exact same ingredients are found in both industrial cleaners and household cleaners, simply in different amounts. If a product causes major health issues at high levels than low levels truly aren’t technically safe either - you’ll just become exposed and sick slower. Slower is not too big a consolation if you end up with major organ failure.

Many of the chemicals found in cleaning supplies are only supposed to be used with protective equipment. This means gloves, eye goggles, long sleeves, and face masks. If you aren’t cleaning your home with protective gear then technically you aren’t following proper safety procedures, and you shouldn’t be using the products.

Whether or not you believe the research related to the dangers of household cleaning chemicals there’s plenty of proof that people are being affected negatively. U.S. Poison Control Centers relate that in 2000, cleaning products accounted for 206,636 phone calls to the centers. Of these calls over 120,000 involved children under the age of six.

An entire page of scary research about the cleaning products in our home - an eye opening read.

OSHA/EPA Occupational Chemical Database: Enter a chemical and see how dangerious it is.

More later, including more dangers and safer option.

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POSTED IN: Green Audit, Green Cleaning, Health & Wellness, Toxic Stuff