Deception of consumers: "non-toxic", "environmentally friendly" household chemicals
Researchers from the United States have demonstrated that household chemicals with fragrances and flavors, which are often labeled as "environmentally safe" ("green"), can often be a source of dangerous chemicals that are usually not included in the list of components of washing powder or dishwashers.
Researchers from the group of Anne Steinemann (Anne Steinemann) from the University of Washington (Seattle) used gas chromatography methods to analyze volatile organic compounds (volatile organic compounds, VOC) that stand out from twenty-five brands of household chemicals that are leaders in sales in the US market, such as washing powders, detergents and air fresheners. It was discovered that all these household chemicals are a source of dangerous chemical compounds.
Among the toxic compounds found, carcinogens such as acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane and dichloromethane were found. According to Steinemann, the US Environmental Protection Agency does not even allow trace amounts of these compounds in household chemicals. Other dangerous compounds discovered by researchers from Seattle, for which, however, there are content standards – methanol, cumene, hexane and chloromethane.
In accordance with US law, manufacturers of household chemical products are not required to indicate the composition of the mixture used to perfume the goods. Also, the law does not strictly define the use of such characteristics as "environmentally friendly" (green), "of natural origin" (organic), "non-toxic" (non-toxic) or "natural" (natural). Nineteen of the 25 products studied were labeled with the above labels, however, it was found that products with tempting labels also emit toxic compounds, as well as products that are not labeled as "environmentally friendly".
Ian Colbeck, an air ecology specialist from the University of Essex, notes that currently no one means exactly what the terms "environmentally friendly" or "natural origin" can mean in relation to household chemicals, and therefore, he believes, manufacturers of household chemicals would only benefit if a number of rules were developed that legislatively enshrine the legality of the use of the terms "natural" and others.
Kolbeck is concerned about little information about the effect of perfume components on human health, but Steinemann believes that it is difficult to make a final conclusion about the danger or safety of household chemicals – the effect of volatile organic compounds on human health is almost impossible to separate from the influence of other factors that the human body is exposed to.
Steinemann emphasizes that the study of the toxicity of compounds found in detergents can be individual for different people – a substance that is safe for most people, someone can cause an asthma attack, and someone has an epileptic seizure. It may also happen that two volatile organic substances that are safe separately will cause harm to health when they are exposed together.While agreeing that small amounts of volatile organic compounds may not pose a significant danger to most housewives, Kolbek nevertheless suggests that it is necessary to investigate the impact of household chemicals on those who, thanks to frequent contacts with them, can be included in the high–risk group - for example, employees of laundry services or cleaning companies.
The article by Anne C. Steinemann et al. "Fragranced consumer products: Chemicals emitted, ingredients unlisted" is published in the electronic version of the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to the materials ChemPort.Ru15.11.2010