U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a federal regulatory agency, oversees the safety of household cleaning products. The law requires precautionary labeling, including safe handling, storage instructions and first-aid information in case of an accident on the packages of any products that contain known hazardous formulations. While the commission can take action against a manufacturer that has dangerous ingredients accessible to consumers, they do not require that individual ingredients be tested for safety.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates chemicals that pose an “unreasonable” risk to human health and/or the environment, including those found in cleaning products. However, a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that existing chemicals are not routinely assessed for risk. New chemicals are reviewed for toxicity by using predictive models, but such models do not ensure that chemicals’ risks are fully assessed before they enter the marketplace.
The EPA is involved with indoor air quality, as well. It has partnered with public schools and groups such as the World Health Organization to educate people on ways to reduce indoor air pollution and has carried out a number of studies to determine the levels and sources of air pollution inside homes. To learn more about indoor air quality, visit the EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Web site, or the American Lung Association’s Indoor Air Quality Web site.
The EPA also runs the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program, an initiative that encourages federal agencies to buy products and services that are less toxic and better for the environment, including “green” cleaning supplies. Several state governments have adopted similar programs.
The Household Products Database. The National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine maintains the Household Products Database. This online guide lists the potential health effects of more than 2,000 ingredients contained in 6,000 common household products. The database includes Hazardous Materials Identification System (HMIS) ratings and brand-specific safety information provided by manufacturers. Although the hazard ratings are specific to workplace exposures, they are relevant to consumer use of these products at home.
National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides an ongoing assessment of the U.S. population’s exposure to environmental chemicals, including those found in household cleaning products, and publishes its findings in the National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals.
The Kids Safe Chemicals Act. This is a bill recently introduced in the Senate. It would require manufacturers to perform basic testing of their products and provide hazard and exposure information to the EPA and the public. It would also require the EPA to determine the safety of 300 chemicals within the next five years. By 2020, all commercially used chemicals would need to meet a safety standard. Learn more about the Kids Safe Chemicals Act.
Phasing out phosphates. Washington state has banned the sale of household detergents with more than 0.5 percent phosphorous; the law went into effect in some areas on July 1, 2008, and will take hold statewide on July 1, 2010. Several other states currently have passed similar legislation or are considering banning detergents with phosphates. A bill calling for a nationwide ban was introduced in the U.S. Senate in March 2009.
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