Cleaning Intentionally

Chemical Toxicity

Here are some places to learn more about chemical toxicity.

Washington Toxics Coalition

Washington State Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Network

NW Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides
(Study on Non Hodgkins)

The Chemical Injury Info Network is in Montana but excellent resource

American Academy of Environmental Medicine

Journal of Pesticide Reform

How ´Clean´ Is Your Home? Toxins under the sink

Household cleaners packaging

Earthjustice Wants Companies to List Chemicals in Household Cleaners

Are Household Cleaners Harmful?

How green are green household cleaners?

Recent scientific evidence has uncovered a dirty side to many of these cleaners. That means your all-natural X Brand cleanser may be slipping in some harmful chemical cousins under the radar.

Which Household Cleaners Contain Secret Toxic Ingredients?

What we do know: Many common ingredients pose risks both to humans and the environment. Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), which are used as “surfactants” to make cleaning solutions spread over a surface smoothly, are an endocrine disruptor and are banned in Europe. Ethanolamine, also a surfactant, can cause asthma attacks. Most troubling: Even chemicals that are relatively innocuous on their own can combine to create toxic substances. Ammonia and chlorine, for example, can form a toxic gas called chloramine, which can cause a whole host of respiratory symptoms. When all those chemicals end up in waterways, it’s bad news for wildlife.

Why go to all the trouble to find a safe green cleaner when there is one cleaner that does it all?

Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner


The Facts About Childhood Poisonings with Home Cleaning Products

Bleach causes the most injuries, but there’s another cleanser that’s more likely to send your kid to the hospital. Get the facts.

Nearly 12,000 children aged 1-5 went to a hospital emergency room because they drank, touched or were sprayed with household cleaners in a single year, according to a new study that analyzed data from 1990 to 2006.

Organizations working hard to stop toxic chemicals

If you can’t pronounce it, should you use it?

‘Can always smell the cleaning products’

“You can always smell those cleaners even though they’re all tightly sealed.” Everywhere the cleaning products are kept, the readings jump. The average home normally reads about 50 parts per billion. We asked Ellis to test three products that are often advertised on television: Pledge, Clorox Wipes and Lysol Disinfecting Spray. Pledge registered 273 ppb. Anything over 500 could be a problem for people with sensitivities.The Clorox Wipes came in at more than 1,000 ppb. The Lysol Disinfecting Spray was much higher — around 1,200 parts per million, or 1,000 times higher than the Clorox.

We live in an increasingly chemical society: experts don’t know how dangerous these chemicals might be, but they are starting to worry. Dr. Gideon Koren is a pediatrician at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
