There are health risks associated with commercial cleaning products. Keeping your home clean helps reduce your exposure to dust, mold, mildew, and germs. At the same time, certain ingredients in cleaning products pose hazards themselves, including eye, skin, respiratory irritation and other human health issues. Certain chemicals can also affect the nervous system, and have been associated with cancer and reproductive disorders. For more information on the health risks of cleaning products, visit our Making the right choice section.
Commercial cleaning products contribute to air and water pollution. Certain ingredients in cleaning products can cause harm to the environment if they are disposed of incorrectly or don’t break down into harmless chemicals during waste-water treatment. For more information on the environmental impact of ingredients in cleaning products, visit our Making the right choice section. For safe disposal tips, visit our Recycling and Disposal section.
Government safeguards are lacking. A report published in June 2005, by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that most chemicals used in consumer products have never undergone federal safety review. In fact, the EPA has required testing for fewer than 200 of the 62,000 chemicals used in commerce since the agency began reviewing chemicals in 1979.
Cleaning products are frequently involved in home poisoning. According to a 2008 report from the American Association of Poison Control Centers, about 9 percent of all poison exposures reported to poison control centers involved cleaning products. More than half of those exposed were children under the age of five.
Indoor air pollution. A growing body of scientific evidence is showing that indoor air can be more seriously polluted than outside air. Household cleaning products are among the many sources of this pollution. In particular, studies carried out by the EPA have found levels of certain pollutants to be two to five times higher inside homes than outside, and inside is where people are estimated to spend 90 percent of their time. This is of particular concern for the young, elderly, and chronically ill, who are more susceptible to the effects of pollutants.
A common source of indoor air pollutants are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted by a variety of household cleaning products and air fresheners. Health effects from indoor air pollutants can be experienced upon exposure or possibly years later, depending on the type and amount of the chemical and the duration of exposure. More immediate health effects include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat; headaches; dizziness; and fatigue. Long-term effects may include some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer. To learn more about indoor air quality, visit the American Lung Association’s Indoor Air Quality Web site, or the EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Web site.
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