Last Friday, The Today Show did a story on the lawsuit we told you about back in February. This is EXCITING because their story helps bring the mainstream into the loop that the chemical ingredients in house cleaning products should be known before determining that a particular product is safe for humans and pets.
Anyone from the Soap and Detergent Association will tell you that “…Cleaning products are safe when used as directed and….millions of people use cleaning products safely in their homes every single day.” But this attitude is driven by internal (possible biased) research. Independent scientific studies outside the realm of the Soap and Detergent Association provide empirical data that is contrary to the SDA’s view and it’s time that the general public becomes aware of this issue.
According to the MSNBC web site, Senior Scientist at Consumers Union Urvashi Rangan says “There are about 9,000 chemicals on the market today that have not been fully tested for safety.” It’s also true that historically testing has not acknowledged and addressed a potential cumulative effect of exposure to the same chemical over time and/or exposure to a combination of chemicals.
SC Johnson has already responded to the suit, announcing last week that they will list all of the ingredients in their house cleaning products, including all that could potentialy be included in the product’s fragrance. (Fragrances are part of the problem – by law companies don’t have to disclose these ingredients because they are considered proprietary trade secrets.) The good news is that it’s happening. The not so good news is that it won’t be complete until 2012.
So, for the time being, stick with the Household Products Database as your best means to learn what chemicals are in your house cleaning products.(http://www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/)
