Using cleaners that you make yourself, from ingredients you know are safe, frees you from worrying about the possible or proven health effects of cleaning chemicals. As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Though full scientific certainty has not been reached about the toxicity of some chemicals, there is enough evidence to lead many experts to believe that any unnecessary exposure should be limited, especially for children.
According to the National Institutes of Health, “The most serious diseases confronting children in the United States are chronic, disabling illnesses that place an enormous burden on our healthcare resources. These include asthma, leukemia and other childhood cancers, and neurobehavioral disorders such as autism, mental retardation, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Recent studies on childhood illnesses suggest that many of these diseases are caused in part by exposure to environmental chemicals. Children are especially vulnerable to the thousands of high volume chemicals that contaminate our air, water, and food. Children receive proportionately larger doses of chemical toxicants than adults, and these exposures occur at a time when children’s organs and tissues are rapidly growing and developing.”
Non-toxic cleaning products are those that do not harm human or animal health. Cleaning chemicals can be toxic either acutely (immediately) or chronicly (over the long-term). The extent and nature of the health effect will depend on many factors including the toxicity of the chemical, the level of exposure and length of time exposed. Acute effects can be eye, skin or lung irritation; headaches; nausea; chemical burns or poisoning. Cleaning products were responsible for 9 percent of all toxic exposures reported to the U.S. Poison Control Centers in 2005, accounting for 218,316 calls. Chronic effects of chemicals include three main classifications: Neurotoxic chemicals can damage nerve tissue, such as the brain and spinal cord. Carcinogenic chemicals have the potential to cause cancer and are classified as known, probable, anticipated, and potential carcinogens by regulatory agencies. Endrocrine-disrupting chemicals mimic or block hormones in the body, thus affecting the functions that these hormones control.
Check the labels of cleaning products. Obviously, ones labeled with the word “Poison” or “Danger” can be very harmful to anyone who is exposed to it. Toilet-bowl, oven, and drain cleaners often bear this label. Other ingredients are known to be hazardous to human health, or there is enough research to conclude that harm to human health is likely. For example, endocrine disruptors include alkylphenolethoxylates (APEs), added as surfactants to detergents and found in most all-purpose cleaners, and phthalates, components of synthetic fragrances which are found in almost all cleaning products. These substances are known to be disruptive to the hormonal function in animals (causing birth defects, cancer and feminization of male species) and are suspected of similarly disrupting endocrince systems in humans. Many glycol ethers, used as a solvent and a grease cutter in a wide variety of cleaners, and p-dichlorobenzene (pDCB), used in some deodorizers, are neurotoxins. Phenol, a disinfectant, is acutely toxic and ingestion can be fatal.
If you would like to learn more, check out our For Your Family Resources page.
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