WVE Finds Hidden Carcinogens & More in Brand-Name Cleaners‏

Here’s a recent article from Women’s Voices for the Earth.

Cleaning product companies aren’t required to tell you the chemicals they use in their products, and what they’re hiding could be hazardous to your health.
You’re the first to know about a report WVE is releasing today, Dirty Secrets, that reveals the presence of hidden toxic chemicals in 20 top brand-name cleaning products.

We discovered secret toxic ingredients in all the products tested, including cancer-causing chemicals, reproductive toxins, hormone disruptors, and allergens. Here’s the dirt:

• Tide Free & Gentle® and Bounce Free & Sensitive® contained 1,4-dioxane, a known cancer-causing chemical.

• Simple Green Naturals® also contained 1,4-dioxane as well as phthalates, a chemical linked to reproductive harm. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner® contained toluene, linked to pregnancy complications.

• Glade Tough Odor Solutions® contained phthalates and galaxolide, a chemical linked to hormone disruption.

• Clorox Clean-Up® contained chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, both linked to cancer.

• High levels of allergens appeared in fragranced air fresheners, yet there were no warning labels. Allergens were also found in products marketed as fragrance-free.

• None of these chemicals were listed on the product label.

These are just a few of our findings—you’ll be shocked by what else we found. Read the report to find out what’s hiding in your cleaning products!
Here’s the good news. The Cleaning Product Right to Know Act was just introduced in Congress and will require companies to disclose all ingredients directly on the label.
Want to know the ingredients in your favorite cleaning product? Ask your Representative to co-sponsor the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act.

Companies shouldn’t be allowed to keep toxic chemicals a secret from you.
Alex Scranton Director of Science and Research