EWG Report Released Today…457 chemical Contaminants in Cleaning Products

Research links school air quality to school cleaning supplies

Keys Note:  Although we are a natural skin remedy and health company, we have long said that many skin disorders are misdiagnosed and caused by chemicals in household products.  Because this report is about schools, on the surface, do not dismiss this report when choosing your household cleaning products.  Especially your laundry detergents that come in direct contact with your skin.  At Keys, we believe that 95+% of all household cleaning products contain harmful chemicals to humans and pets and cause over 75% of diagnosed skin disorders.  Our belief…What’s yours?  Please read this summary and the linked report for your own well being!

EWG, November 6, 2009:  Cleaning supplies used in 13 large California school districts release an airborne brew of chemicals, including a number that have been linked to asthma or cancer by state and federal health authorities. Tests of 21 cleaners from these schools conducted for the Environmental Working Group found that when used as directed, the products released six chemicals known to cause asthma, 11 contaminants that are known, probable, or possible cancer-causing substances in humans, and hundreds of other compounds for which there is little or no hazard information.

The school districts using these products are Bakersfield City and the unified districts of Fairfield-Suisun, Fresno, Jefferson (Daly City), Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento City, San Bernardino City, San Francisco, San Jose, Stockton, Visalia, and West Contra Costa County. Some of these districts have reduced their use of more toxic products by adopting or trying green cleaning supplies.

In all, air testing revealed 457 chemicals emitted by these products. While some of these airborne compounds are known to be hazardous, nothing is known about the health risks of most of them. Manufacturers’ documents disclosed the presence of another 38 chemical ingredients that air testing could not pick up.

Statewide, cleaning supplies release 32 tons of contaminants into the air each day.

Some of the products tested are widely used in American households, including:

• Comet Disinfectant Powder Cleanser, which emitted 143 contaminants when used as directed, including formaldehyde, benzene, chloroform and four other chemicals identified by the state of California as causing cancer or reproductive harm.
• Simple Green, a general purpose cleaner that released 92 chemicals into the air, including two linked to cancer (2-butoxyethanol and acetaldehyde) and one linked to cancer and asthma (formaldehyde).
• Febreze Air Effects, an air freshener that gave off 88 airborne contaminants including acetaldehyde, a chemical linked to cancer.

Please read the entire report.  Click Here