Cleaning and Laundry Products Fact Sheet

Download from http://www.mcs-america.org/cleaningfactsheet.pdf

Facts About Cleaning & Laundry Products

• Indoor air is more seriously polluted than the outdoor air, even in the largest and most industrialized cities.1
• Laundry and fabric softener products contain undisclosed hazardous chemicals with known health risks.2,5
• Cleaning products, especially those with germ killing properties, are harmful to health.6
• Air fresheners actually worsen indoor air pollution by adding toxic chemicals to the air.4
• Analysis of fragranced products reveals undisclosed chemicals with known irritant and neurotoxic properties.3,5,7

References

1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2010, April 26). The Inside story: a guide to indoor air quality. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidest.html.
2. Anderson RC & Anderson JH. Respiratory toxicity of fabric softener emissions. J Toxicol Environ Health. 2000 May 26;60(2):121-36.
3. Anderson RC, Anderson JH. Acute toxic effects of fragrance products. Arch Environ Health. 1998 Mar-Apr;53(2):138-46.
4. Anderson RC, Anderson JH. Toxic effects of air freshener emissions. Arch Environ Health. 1997 Nov-Dec;52(6):433-41.
5. Steinemann AC. Fragranced consumer products and undisclosed ingredients. Environ Impact Asses Rev (2008), doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2008.05.002.
6. Hahn S, Schneider K, Gartiser S, Heger W, Mangelsdorf I. Consumer exposure to biocides--identification of relevant sources and evaluation of possible health effects. Environ Health. 2010 Feb 3;9:7.
7. Heather Sarantis, MS, Commonweal; Olga V. Naidenko, PhD, Sean Gray, MS, and Jane Houlihan, MSCE,
   Environmental Working Group; and Stacy Malkan, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Not So Sexy: The Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrance. 2010. Retrieved from http://www.ewg.org/files/SafeCosmetics_FragranceRpt.pd