The Hazards of Household Cleaning Products

Cleaning is a necessity for a home that's habitable. Most of the thousands of cleaning products on the market are safe to use with proper ventilation, care and a pair of cleaning gloves. Although levels of toxins are low in most cleaners, it's smart to find substitutes or avoid hazards presented by cleaning products.

Dioxin

Although most bleach contains little chlorine, other disinfectants, detergent, water and paper products contain chemicals that can break down into organochlorines and dioxin---a deadly carcinogen.

Alkalis

Detergents contain surfactants like sodium hydroxide that break the surface tension of water to get to dirt and grease. Contact with this substance damages skin; ingestion or contact with eyes damages tissue and mucous membranes.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde (formalin), commonly used in dish soaps, paper products and disinfectants, is a neurotoxin and, in high concentrations, a carcinogen; it also becomes a volatile organic compound with increases in temperature.

Phosphates

Phosphates soften water---they're also super-fertilizers that "overdose" any plant or animal life they touch. Although outlawed in most detergents, they're still present in dishwasher detergents.

Volitile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

VOC'S like ethylene-based glycol ethers and isopropyl alcohol are found in a wide range of aerosols and pump sprays, and can cause irritation and respiratory problems. Methylene chloride, found in waxes and degreasers, is a carcinogen.

Terpenes

Pine, lemon and orange oils in solvents and many products contribute to the formation of ozone in closed areas.

Ozone

Although ozone is not present in cleaners, the ozone in smog and some ozone-producing deodorizers reacts with many of the chemicals in commonly used cleaners to form toxic compounds, including formaldehyde.

Resources

• Articles and recipes for safe cleaners
• UC Berkeley study on cleaners