In this article, we will learn the harmful effects of cleaning products and how they are degrading your and the environment’s health.
What if we tell you that the cleaning products you are exposed to daily could cause many health problems? Would you believe us?
Yes, We know the feeling of a freshly cleaned house!
But, if you are the one who panics about the germs in the house but has no idea about the number of toxins hiding in your home in the form of cleaning products, then this article is for you!
This is because, In India, manufacturers are not compelled by law to disclose the ingredients clearly in their cleaning products; many of them don’t. They only have to list “chemicals of known concern” ingredients. They say it’s because they cannot disclose their product’s formulation or due to the limited space on the label.
For example, the term “FRAGRANCE”
Ever thought about what exactly fragrance is?
It’s basically an umbrella term that the company uses on ingredients lists that hide hundreds of harmful chemicals like phthalates linked with cancer, respiratory problems, and reproductive toxicity. No standards are set for the term “Natural Fragrance,” it can be just as dangerous as synthetic fragrances.
But, some companies today have voluntarily chosen to be completely transparent about their ingredients & safety because they are proud of their formulations. As consumers, it’s our responsibility to stay conscious and know what’s in the products we use in our homes and around our families.
While removing toxins from the body, it’s also important to stop them from coming in. According to a study, currently, only 1% of chemicals in products have been tested, and thousands of chemicals are being used. They include chemicals like phthalates, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, and many more, which have ties to a wide range of health changes.
They interfere with the body’s endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, and neurological effects in human bodies and animals. They add to the indoor air pollution in our homes. Some of the harmful ingredients in cleaning products include:
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate & Sodium Laureth Sulfate/ Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLS/ SLES): An essential ingredient in your laundry detergents, dishwashing liquid, hand washing, and shampoo, SLS and SLES are surfactants that are intended to remove soil and act as a foaming agent. They supposedly inflame skin, eyes, and lungs and damage the internal organs
- Formaldehyde: It is a colorless, strong-smelling gas used in making building materials and many household products. Even at very low levels, exposure to them from breathing or smelling formaldehyde increases cancer risk.
- Chlorine Bleach: It is known that using chlorine bleach-containing products in cleaning activities such as laundry and dishwashing can release volatile organic compounds such as chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, which may pose a carcinogenic health risk.
- Ammonium Sulfate: This laundry additive is so toxic that its manufacturers recommend not using it indoors. Ammonium sulfate can cause serious irritation in the nose and throat, which may result in cough and wheezing.
- Parabens: Most cleaning solutions that are available in the market contain parabens. Parabens are man-made chemicals that are harmful and often used in small amounts as preservatives in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, foods, and beverages.
- Fragrances: Manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients of their fragrances because of a legal loophole. A fragrance may have over 200 undisclosed chemicals. Adding fragrance to detergent gives a false impression of cleanliness without improving the action of the product in any way.
Apart from these, many other harmful ingrediensts are used in everyday products. Labels like ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ can also be misleading, as they might contain other preservatives that can cause skin irritation leading to inflammation and rashes.
Warning! Caution! Danger!
Like cigarette packages, some other products also have these words written on them, and we still use them normally at home almost daily!
According to EPA, these signal words are required by law to be on a label to indicate how toxic or hazardous a product can be. Here are some of the EPA’s definitions:
- Caution: Harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin.
- Warning: It may be fatal if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. It also indicates products that can easily catch on fire.
- Danger: Fatal if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. Also used on products that could explode if they get hot.
Most of us believe products that placed at a supermarket or grocery store are regulated by the government and thereby safe for us to use when actually most of the cleaning products are regulated by a law passed over many, many years ago.
There are no requirements
- For the product to be safe
- To list any ingredients
They simply limit the company’s liability by placing a warning signal on the product label. Over the years, it’s agreed by many experts that there are unnecessary toxic chemicals used in them that are bombarding our bodies and increasing the risk of sickness & diseases.
You’ll be surprised how many of these toxic products are in your cupboards now. Just check their labels if they have any signal words on them
Your skin is the largest and most permeable organ in the body. It’s been reported recently that it takes 26 seconds for the chemicals to enter your bloodstream when applied to your skin and 30 minutes for them to show up in your saliva. Now you may wonder why you only use cleaning products on the toilets or hard surfaces and not directly on your skin!
Right?
But there are some major routes through which the chemicals enter your body like
- Inhalation
Our body eats not just from our mouth and skin but through our nose, too, in the form of fumes. The fumes of toxic toilet cleaners can be highly hazardous, which is why some of the most prevalent toilet cleaners come with a warning “Do not breathe vapors”. Apart from these, air fresheners & surfactants that you use to clean your house produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that mix in the air indoors which we then inhale. They are the primary cause of problems like asthma and migraine. Hand sanitizers are high alcohol-based, killing even healthy bacteria for skin protection when used. - Absorption
Our skin is our biggest organ and absorbs everything we apply. If you suffer from any skin problems, you should be very careful about what detergents you are using for washing your clothes, as even after washing, the residue of these harsh chemicals never really goes away. They linger on your clothes all day and have bleaches, dyes, and phosphates, which are great skin irritants. - Ingestion
Fruit and vegetable wash is highly needed these days when your food is being sprayed with harsh pesticides. The liquid you use for washing or soaking your fruits and vegetables contains harmful sulfates, fragrances, alcohol & even harsh preservatives. Fruits and vegetables can absorb the chemicals through the surface, which you ultimately ingest.
Apart from this, the dishwashing liquid you use includes sulfate particles that are so tiny that they tend to stick to the surface and remain on the utensils even after they are washed. They destroy your internal organs when ingested with food.
Harmful Effects of Cleaning Products
Effect on Human Bodies
- Inflammation of Skin & Eyes: The most common ingredients used in your laundry detergents, shampoo, and handwash are SLS and SLES, i.e., Sodium Laurel Sulfate & Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate. They help remove soil and act as a foaming agent. When used on the body, these chemicals irritate your skin & inflame your eyes and lungs, and damage internal organs. So, if you often face skin problems, you should be extremely cautious of which detergent you use to wash your clothes because our skin is our second mouth. The harsh chemical residue is never really washed off your clothes; they keep lingering on them all day long and are thus absorbed by our skin, causing inflammation & other problems like eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, etc. They are also the primary cause of depression, diarrhea, and many other ailments.
- Decreased Breathing Capacity & Migraines: Many surfactants and dishwashing liquids contain Phosphates & Ammonium Sulfate, which are so toxic that when we inhale them, they can cause serious lung problems and diseases like asthma. They irritate the nose and throat, causing cough & wheezing.
- Our body eats not just from the skin and mouth but also through the nose in the form of fumes. Just turn the bottles of your Toilet Cleaner; it will include so many ingredients that not a single one can be considered safe for you. It contains methyl salicylate, triclosan, CTAC, hard cosmetic colors, and many other acids like hydrochloric acid, which, when inhaled, are extremely hazardous. That is why most toilet cleaners have a warning on the label “Do not breathe vapors; it may cause respiratory problems.” 🙂
- Certain hormonal imbalances in the body are caused due the “parabens” present in various cleaning and cosmetic products. These synthetic chemicals are often used in personal care and food products as preservatives. They are most commonly linked to breast cancer and various reproductive problems as the skin easily absorbs them.
Effect on Water Bodies & Marine Life
- Increased Risk of Foam Formation: The phosphates in the cleaners increase the risk of foam formation in rivers like it has already done in Bellandur & Varthur lakes.
- Threat to Marine Life: The wastewater from our homes reaches the sewage treatment plants through the drains, where it cannot remove the toxic chemicals from the water sources and hence are ultimately discharged into the rivers and lakes and absorbed by the fishes.
- Threat to Pets: Pets are severely affected by these cleaners as their skin is directly exposed to their chemicals & hence causing various skin irritation.
Have you heard about the Bellandur and Varthur lakes in Bangalore?
High foam levels are formed in both these lakes, especially during monsoons, and overflow onto the road, causing roadblocks. It is reported that the foam causes skin irritation due to toxic chemicals.
It’s because 40% of the city’s waste, including chemical surfactants, is discharged into these lakes.
According to Worldwatch reports, our oceans have been more damaged by the detergents we use and pollute the fresh water. Banning phosphates in detergents is a crucial step in saving natural waterways from eutrophication mineral poisoning that causes the die-off of marine life.
Water pollution occurs when materials are released into the water beyond its natural capacity to break it down. We never thought that apart from oil spills and other factors, water pollution can also stem from personal use of everyday items, including household cleaning products. When we use cleaners with toxic ingredients, some of those will go down our drains, into the sewer system, wastewater treatment facilities, and eventually into our rivers, lakes, and oceans, causing great harm.
Many of these harmful ingredients are broken down when they reach the wastewater treatment systems as they are designed to break down chemicals before entering the environment. However, they are not equipped to filter out all the chemicals that end up down our drains. This means that many chemicals end up in our fresh and saltwater ecosystems, where they are extremely dangerous to animals, plants, and ultimately, to our drinking water and health.
We should always remember what these detergents are doing not just to the water bodies but to our own bodies too! Apart from you, they can pose serious health threats to your pets like skin irritation, cancer, and respiratory issues.
Air Pollution
Using these products as surfactants produce volatile organic compounds which mix with the air indoors, which we inhale, leading to problems like asthma, migraine, and skin irritation.
Destroys the ecosystem of your septic tank
A septic tank is an underground sewage collection unit where your household waste is broken down and decomposed with the help of bacterial activity. The health of your tank depends on the balance of the naturally-occurring bacteria. But, unfortunately, the chemical cleaners, when they move down through your drains, damage these microscopic organisms, affecting how the waste is being degraded.
So, you must be mindful of what you put into your drain!
What Can We Do?
Simply being aware of the problem is the first step; Next, the key is green cleaners like bio enzymes that do not produce toxic fumes and improve indoor air quality. This doesn’t have to be expensive!
To understand in detail the use and procedure of preparing bio enzymes at home, read our blog on “Bio Enzymes – Versatile & Eco-Friendly Home Cleaners!”
