A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels.
“I was surprised by both the number and the potential toxicity of the chemicals that were found,” Steinemann said. Chemicals included acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish remover; limonene, a molecule with a citrus scent; and acetaldehyde, chloromethane and 1,4-dioxane.
“Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted from these six products, and none were listed on any product label. Plus, five of the six products emitted one or more carcinogenic ‘hazardous air pollutants,’ which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure level,” Steinemann said…The European Union recently enacted legislation requiring products to list 26 fragrance chemicals when they are present above a certain concentration in cosmetic products and detergents. No similar laws exist in the United States.
Gee, what a surprise! Who’da thunk it?
A similar study was conducted by one of our “consumer association (?)” here in France, 1 or 2 yrs ago, with similar results. The industry’s answer was that users should open their windows for fresh air after using air fresheners (Arf arf). It did raise some eyebrows..
Isn’t Agent Orange the “Secret Ingredient” of all the “Anti-bacterial Soaps and Detergents” ??? Dow had LOADS OF IT left over from Viet Nam and had to get rid of it somehow, and better to have Americans cover their skin with it than Dow having to pay the cost of safe disposal !!! You know, those costs might impact PROFITS AND CEO COMPENSATION and we couldn’t have that !!!
Names, names, we need names..
People in industrialized places come in contact with toxic chemicals all the time. Luckily though usually when we do it isn’t in high enough concentrations to do any harm.
Often folks will get all worked up because a chemical that “has been shown to cause cancer” is found in something. What knee jerks don’t tell you is that you have to consume a metric buttload of it to do any damage and the mice they tested it on were on an IV pump of the stuff equal to thier body weight every day for a year.
Oh nOOO please save us from evil LIMONENE, that evil CHEMICAL that gives oranges its scent. Ridiculous. Acetaldehyde? Apples and bread. People, people… We’re MADE of chemicals. Knowing which ones are toxic is indeed important. 1,4 dioxane? Now we’re talking nasty. Listing two chemicals that are ubiquitous and relatively safe along with it is stupid. Learn. Learn. Learn.
I’d rather find toxic chemicals in our detergents than go back to the days of LD-50 testing of laundry detergents and other inedibles.
That said, I do think it’s time to change the laws on chemical companies. Instead of suing after victims determine that the products are toxic, it should be the responsibility of the chemical companies to prove their products are safe before bringing them to market.
Oh, anyone want to guess whether the executives will be held responsible for their criminal negligence? If a human dumped these chemicals, said human might get jail time. If a corporation does it, the execs are protected. Why?
Corporations were created to shield people from potential financial bankruptcy, not to allow them to commit crimes under the corporate banner.
Is that an image of the “Toxic Avenger”?
Even that which is “supposedly” consumer protection laws in the USA in fact usually are not.
Most recent example I got run over by here in California: Consumer Protection law is that a car repair place most give you the old part IF YOU ASK FOR IT BEFORE THE WORK IS DONE. What BS. A real protection law would be that all parts must be returned to customer UNLESS specifically refused in writing AFTER the work is done.
Statutory fines should be levied against the corporations for not correctly labeling their products with retesting and increased fines. Doesn’t matter at all if the unlisted ingredient is safe or not.
#9 – bobbo,
For some parts, i.e. those that can be rebuilt and resold, one should actively get a rebate for leaving the old part.
#4, Gig,
People in industrialized places come in contact with toxic chemicals all the time.
Industrial employees have protections consumers don’t.
The first being the “Right to Know”. Which means the employer must supply the employee with Material Safety Data Sheets. The employer must also supply the employee with protective equipment, barriers, and environment as required. And the employer must provide training in handling the dangerous chemicals. The heaviest protection is that the supervisor can be held criminally responsible for violating the law or not enforcing employees behaving responsibly.
It is precisely because most industrial establishments use much more concentrated and quantities that they have the stronger regulations.
Consumers are seldom warned of dangers except by small print on the back. Often the dangers are cryptic so consumers don’t understand them. Sometimes they seem contradictory to what the intended use of the product is. While they may be weakened concentrations, in continuous exposure they may cause problems.
the sky is falling! limonene is found in every citrus fruit, are we to ban lemons? Acetaldehyde is found in apples and other fruits and is created in your own body when you drink alcohol.
…and we wonder why cancer is on the increase.
Did I get fleeced when I bought my Fleecy ?
We have use fabric softener sheets for a long time to get rid of ground squirrels. You put them in their nest and the squirrels go to sleep forever. Very potent stuff see:
http://www.ourlittleplace.com/fabric.html
Modern labs can detect chemicals at such low levels that for all practical purposes they aren’t there.
As noted by one poster some of these chemicals are made by people and/or they are a natural part of foods we eat.
As the story was written I’d say somebody wants to be noticed.
A lot of sent products are already banned in Europe.
We got lobbiest to keep us doped up!
#16. deowll,
As noted by one poster some of these chemicals are made by people and/or they are a natural part of foods we eat.
Sure, it is a long list. Some foods though contain cyanide. Is that an excuse to put it in your Fruit Loops?