Green washing

Undisclosed ingredients in cleaning products can be extremely harmful

I’ve been pretty horrified by the things I’ve learned about cleaning products recently. I keep wanting to tell everyone about the carcinogens, the developmental disrupters, and the asthma inducers they likely have under their sinks. Funnily enough, not everyone wants to hear about this when I bump into them on the street or even when I accost a complete stranger in the grocery story. Go figure. But luckily, I have you with whom to share my finds.

So, horrification number one, and yes, horrification is actually a word. There are very few regulations concerning the labeling of cleaning products. In the US, manufactures are required only to list the active ingredients in a cleaning product so many components can remain hidden from a consumer. In fact, many ingredients may remain hidden from manufacturers themselves if they are using a proprietary product from another company as part of their recipe. Furthermore, there are no regulations around using terms like “environmentally friendly”, “green” or “eco-safe” on cleaning products. And sadly there are many items which bear these labels even though they aren’t environmentally friendly. Talk about green washing! This has led the EPA, the American Lung Association, and The Environmental Working Group all to conclude that consumers can not rely on labeling to determine if a cleaning product is safe for their health or for the environment. How is it possible that products don’t have to be labeled to warn us about damaging ingredients and indeed can be labeled to mislead us that they are safe?

One of the biggest stars in “The Nightmare on Cleaning Street” fiasco is fragrances. The scents we smell come from vaporized compounds, which in certain forms can contribute to chronic respiratory problems, allergic reactions and headaches. In particular, fragrances in cleaning products are known to combine with household ozone to create formaldehyde, a known carcinogen that also worsens asthma and can contribute to other lung diseases. The American Lung Association advises that we avoid products with fragrances all together as well as bleach and ammonia. The Lung Association flat out recommends to never use air fresheners. So in addition to the lack of labeling regulation, horrification number two has to be “How is it ok to sell air fresheners?” I am left wondering how, at this point in my life, I have been unaware of this excuse to not clean?

But joking aside, in addition to contributing to asthma, some ingredients in cleaning products are also endocrine distruptors. Endocrines are system of glands which secret hormones. So when we disrupt them, we disrupt our hormonal balances. For instance, Alkylphenol ethoxylates, or APEs, are found in 55% of cleaning products and they degrade into alkyl phenols - hormone mimicking compounds. You may recall that I wrote about a similar hormone mimicking issue in a previous newsletter. In that case, it was microplastics which are believed to be tricking human bodies into producing less hormones and consequently reducing penis size, sperm counts, and fertility. By mimicing hormones, both the plastics and the APEs in cleaning products make the body think it doesn’t need to produce anymore. Observatons of the APEs in nature find that male trout in rivers polluted with APEs have 570,000 times the normal amount of vitellogenin, a precursor to forming egg yolk proteins. In addition to this feminization, the male trouts also had reduced testicular growth. And remember, APES are in 55% of cleaning products.

Another compound, triclosanye, can play either the role of endocrine disruptor or that of carcinogenic precursor. Triclosanye is used as an antibacterial and anti fungal in soaps, detergents and disinfectants and has been found in 58% of rivers tested. Triclosanye breaks down into dioxins that are carcinogenic and lead to immense developmental issues in nearly every vertebrate species studied. Lest you think it is only compounds you’ve never heard of that are unhealthy, ammonia and bleach are both dangerous. Bleach reacts to form persistent chlorinated organic compounds that bioaccumulate and are carcinogenic. Ammonia is a nasty air pollutant and at high levels is toxic to plants. And of course, together ammonia and bleach make chlorine gas which turns into an acid when it comes into contact with moisture like in our eyes or throats.

Finally, a listing of the negative impacts of cleaning products wouldn’t be complete without mentioning aerosols. Aerosols, and in particular CFCs, caused a giant hole to form in the stratospheric ozone layer. The ozone layer protects us from ultraviolet radiation which can lead to the development of skin cancers and cataracts so a hole in it is not good. The Montreal Protocol of 1989, hailed as one of the greatest environmental success stories, is an international agreement to ban the use of CFCs in spray cans. The ensuing reduction in the use of CFCs has lead to the the size of the ozone hole shrinking. Sadly, CFCs have been replaced with hydrocarbons and other compressed gases - a ‘regrettable substitution’ which contributes to smog and air pollution.

But how much of a health impact will cleaning products actually have on us? It is difficult for scientists to pin down the causes of a given cancer, lung problem or development issue but there are some studies which try to unpick this. One of the studies found that people who use a spray cleaner once a week or more were 30-50% more likely to develop asthma over a 9 year study period. This study led to the estimate that 1 in 7 cases of adult asthma are due to cleaning products. Another study found that people who clean for a living are 1.5 to 2.5 times more likely to have asthma and other respiratory problems. A further study of 1500 women found that those whose cleaning rate was in the top 25% were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer than those whose cleaning rate was in the bottom 25%. And workers in a boric acid factor were found to have reduced sperm count and libido. This is consistent with observations in other mammals that exposure to borax led to testicular atrophy, reduced ovulation and fertility, fetal skeletal problems and low birth weight.

These studies do make me want to avoid nasty chemicals in my cleaning products, but I’m slightly exhausted by the above list of molecules to avoid. And I’ve just brushed the surface. Fortunately, the EPA has a rigorous labeling program. Products that are safe for the environment and people, and also meet other criteria like cleaning performance, pH and truly eco-friendly packaging, may proudly display the label of “Safer Choice”. On a search of my house I found many cleaning items labeled as“eco-friendly” and “green” products, but only one product with the Safer Choice label. I’ve fallen for green washing in my efforts to wash greenly. And no wonder, companies like Palmolive try really hard to convince us their products are eco-friendly with “Gentle on planet” and “Responsibly made” displayed on their bottles. But I now know these labels zero regulations and I can’t trust that Palmolive’s ingredient list is exhaustive. So I for one will sticking with products which have the Safer Choice label,sucha as many Seventh Generation products.

As for consumers in the UK, I couldn’t find any UK labels but I did find the European Parliment’s EU Ecolabel. This label is managed by the European Commission and to display this label products have to undergo a rigorous assessment of their entire lifecycle from material extraction, through manufacturing, usage, transport and disposal. https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/eu-ecolabel-for-consumers.html I don’t know what the implications of Brexit are for the EU Ecolabel. There are also a slew of other eco-labels with independent certification in the US and in the UK which may be useful as well.

We can also just follow some common sense rules, such as avoiding any product that is labeled “Harmful if swallowed” or “Use in well ventilated area” as suggested by the EPA. And most powerful of all, we can make our own cleaning products. By making our own cleaners we we will know all of the ingredients, we cut down on plastic bottles, and we save some money. Cleaning products can be as simple as equal parts vinegar and water. Put it in an old spray bottle and you are good to go. For tougher jobs, add 1/4 part baking soda to 1 part vinegar and 1 part water. Or just forgo the cleaning and eat chocolate.