Your Household Cleaners May Have ‘Secret’ Ingredients
by Trey Granger
Published on January 8th, 2010
4 Comments
The EPA is reevaluating the health impact of chemicals that are present in everyday products and has developed an action plan for the treatment of four chemicals including phthalates. These plans include limits and potential bans of these chemicals in consumer products within the next five years.
Congress has already introduced several measures to require manufacturers to provide this information, as some of these chemicals do not pose immediate health risks but can be hazardous over time.
The Washington Post reports that nearly 20 percent of the 80,000+ chemicals available in the U.S. have their ingredients guarded from public knowledge in order to "protect trade secrets." Photo: Flickr/myelectricsheep
Two of the more commonly discussed chemicals are phthalates and Bisphenol A (BPA), which are used as additives for plastic to increase durability and longevity. Phthalates are primarily used in the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, which range from artificial Christmas trees to plastic piping.
The plan for phthalates is to add eight different varieties to the Concern List this fall, with a goal to limit or ban them before 2012. If this occurs, the EPA will develop a green chemistry program to find alternative ingredients.
The other chemicals that will be affected are ethers, flame retardants and additives for lubricants. The action plans will all summarize the hazards of the chemicals, outline risks and decide what needs to be done to address concerns.
What hasn’t been discussed is the effect these decisions will have on the cost of products. When California decided to ban high-volatile organic compound (VOC) products from its shelves last year, manufacturers responded that consumers should expect an increase in costs of the alternative products as a result.
Pippi’s ClipBoard « Streams of consciousness
posted on January 8th, 2010 at 9:36 am
[...] 911 Your Household Cleaners May Have ‘Secret’ Ingredients “The EPA is reevaluating the health impact of chemicals that are present in everyday [...]
Paige Bayer
posted on January 11th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
“manufacturers responded that consumers should expect an increase in costs of the alternative products as a result.”
What a threat! When household cleaners are so easy and inexpensive (and effective!) to make (see: http://bit.ly/5y4pea , http://bit.ly/hVTEG , http://bit.ly/2Cgypr , http://bit.ly/8xeip0 , http://bit.ly/6wkgvt) who really cares what these manufacturers plan to charge? I say charge double…triple! Their products will remain on the shelf, while baking soda, vinegar and the like make up for those sales. We’ll all be the better for it.
Nicole McCleaf
posted on January 13th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Do you have suggestions of products that do not have these ingredients?
Brad
posted on February 16th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Yes, some readers would have found it helpful if you listed some alternative, eco-friendly products. Let me suggest you try the line of Seventh Generation cleaning products which I found to be of good quality. A little more expensive perhaps, but if you believe in minimizing your impact on the environment I think they are worth the extra money. Method is another good eco-friendly brand, and I have tried their dish soap which works really well. Ecos makes laundry detergent that is 100% natural and also works well. Not all “green” cleaners are created equal though, and I have for example been disappointed by Clorox Greenworks dish soap which doesn’t seem to have much “staying power”. Good luck!