Spring
Cleaning: Protecting You and the Environment
By
Jubilee Daniels
 Spring
is traditionally known as the time for “spring cleaning”.
However, do you know if your cleaning products are safe for
your health and the environment? Green cleaning is a term
used to describe cleaning products that are safe for you and
environment. Read below for a few simple steps you can take
to eliminate toxic household cleaners from your home, and
identify safer cleaning products.
How
can household cleaners affect your heath? Many cleaning
products contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These
VOCs are gases (fumes) that are emitted from the product,
which can then be inhaled into your lungs and potentially
affect your health. Many of the smells that your conventional
cleaning product gives off are due to VOCs, and in fact the
smell could be warning you of their potential presence. According
to the US Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to certain
VOCs can cause: “Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches,
loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and
central nervous system, and some VOCs can cause cancer.”
More
on VOCs...
Household
cleaners can also be harmful for the environment. It begins
in the manufacturing of the product, with the manufacturing
waste itself creating a toxic waste stream. Then, when you
use the cleaner, the release of VOCs can also affect the health
of you, your pets and local wildlife. The residual products
that go down the drain inside your house enter the sewer system
and, after treatment, ends up in on our rivers and oceans
where it can potentially affect local aquatic life. When the
product is used outside, it ends up in the stormwater system
and goes directly without treatment to your local creek where
it may harm the aquatic life. When you dispose of the cleaning
bottle, it enters into a hazardous waste facility or landfill
and potentially creates exposure to wildlife. For example,
chemicals such as alkyphenol and ethoxylates are endocrine
disrupters, are slow to biodegrade, not generally treated
in municipal water treatment systems, and have shown up in
the endocrine systems of fish, birds and mammals. Phosphates
can cause an algal bloom, which impacts the natural ecosystem
balance and can kill aquatic life.
The most
important thing to look for when choosing a cleaning product
is to read the list of ingredients. If your cleaning
product does not have a list of ingredients, there is no way
to know if it contains potential harmful chemicals, and should
be avoided. (See below for a short list of ingredients to
be aware of, as well of websites with more extensive ingredient
information). Also look to see if the cleaning product says,
“Danger Poison, Warning or Caution”. These words
let you know the qualitative“toxicity” of the product.
In addition, if the product label calls for using it in a
well-ventilated area, it is very likely that it releases VOCs.
If you would like to purchase cleaning products that have
been extensively reviewed by a third party non-profit independent
agency, you can look for products with specific certifications.
Green Seal and Environmental Choice are currently the two
most stringent certifications, and all the products they certify
most pass very rigorous standards for human health, environmental
protection, and product performance. In addition, many safe,
good cleaning products can be made at home. Simple recipes
for making your own safe cleaning products can be found at
websites noted at the end of this article.
If you
decide to eliminate all potentially hazardous cleaning chemical
from your home, it is important to remember to not pour them
down the drain or throw them in the garbage. Contact your
local Department of Public works and ask them how to dispose
of the cleaners. If you do decide to keep some of these cleaning
products, remember that VOCs are not just released when you
use the cleaning product – the gases can leak even from
a closed container. So store them in a well ventilated area
and safely out of the reach of children.
| Some
key ingredients to be aware of include: |
| • |
Ammonia,
found in many glass and general cleaners is a powerful
eye and or respiratory irritant that may trigger asthma.
Chronic effects can cause bronchitis and pneumonia. |
| • |
Formaldehyde,
found in some household products, is a strong irritant
to eyes, throat, skin, and lungs and may cause cancer.
|
| • |
Nitrobenzene,
found in furniture and floor polishes, can cause skin
discoloration, shallow breathing and vomiting. It has
also been associated with cancer and birth defects. |
| • |
Paradichloro–benzene,
found in many toilet bowl cleaners, is a possible carcinogen. |
| • |
Petroleum
Distillates, found in furniture polish, heavy duty
cleaners, car wax, and pet flea treatments, is an eye,
skin, and respiratory irritant. It may also contain traces
of the carcinogen benzene. |
| • |
Perchlorerhylene,
found in carpet and upholstery shampoo, is a known carcinogen
and can also cause liver, kidney and nervous system damage. |
| • |
Sodium
Hypochlorite (bleach), found in a wide range of household
cleaners, disinfectants or deodorizers, is a corrosive,
an eye, skin, and respiratory irritant especially hazardous
to those with heart conditions or asthma. Make sure to
especially stay away from it in your dishwashing cleaners,
because residues can stay on your dishes, and you can
swallow it resulting in harmful effects. For other compounds
containing chloride look for any compounds containing
“chlor”. Never mix bleach with acid toilet bowl
cleaners or ammonia. These mixtures may produce fumes
which can be deadly. |
| • |
Triclosan,
found in some antibacterial cleaners is absorbed through
the skin and can be tied to liver damage. |
Green
Cleaning Products Recipes:
Alameda
County Waste management Authority: (Local government
website with recipes for green cleaners and other green building
resources)
City
of Builder Office of Environmental Affairs
(green cleaning recipes)
King
County Government Website (green cleaning recipes)
List
of Potentially Harmful Chemicals in Cleaning Products
EnviroSense
USA EPA: Fact Sheet: Safe Substitutes at Home: Non-toxic Household
Products
Cancer
Prevention Coalition Alert No 8 (Four page
list of chemicals and their health effects)
List
of Green Cleaning Products:
New
American Dream (Green Seal and Environmental
Choice certified products)
Green
Seal
Environmental
Choice
Back To Rock the Earth Notes
|
