October 2008
The Southwest Portland Post • 11
fEatuRES
EarthTalk TM
(Continued from Page 10)
The most offensive common in-
gredients, according to a 2006 study
by the University of California
Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory, are ethylene-
based glycol, used commonly as a
water-soluble solvent in cleaning
agents and classified as a hazardous
air pollutant by the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA)
and terpenes, a class of chemicals
found in lemon, pine and orange
oils that can morph into carcinogenic
compounds when they mix with
ground-level ozone.
Also, chlorine, often labeled as
“sodium hypochlorite” or “hypo-
chlorite,” is almost ubiquitous in
household cleaners, unfortunately
for the inhabitants of many homes.
Breathing in its fumes can irritate the
lungs, and as such poses a serious
health risk to those with pre-existing
heart or respiratory problems.
According to the non-profit Can-
cer Prevention Coalition, some other
problematic chemicals found in
many household cleaners include
crystalline silica, an irritant to the
eyes and lungs and a likely car-
cinogen, and butyl cellosolve, which
has been linked to kidney and liver
problems and is reportedly toxic to
forming cells. The group lists doz-
ens of other potentially dangerous
ingredients in household products
on the “Hazardous Ingredients in
Household Products” PDF available
for free on its website.
Gaiam, a leading purveyor of
green household and lifestyle items,
reports that the average American
household contains between three
and 25 gallons of toxic materials,
mostly in the form of household
cleaners filled with petrochemical
solvents designed to dissolve dirt.
The company bemoans the fact
that no law requires cleaning prod-
ucts manufacturers to list ingredi-
ents on their labels or to test their
products for safety, leaving it up
to consumers to make sure their
homes are not only clean, but also
non-toxic.
Luckily there are plenty of “green-
er” alternatives now widely avail-
able from manufacturers like Gaiam,
Earth Friendly Products, Citra-Solv,
Ecover, Mrs. Meyers, Sun and Earth,
SimpleGreen, Method, and Seventh
Generation, among many others.
Even big players are getting in on
the act. Clorox recently released a
new line of home cleaning products
under the Green Works label to at-
tract a greening clientele.
For those so inclined, making your
own green cleaning solutions is easy
and cheap. According to The Green
Guide, consumers can “circumvent
the armada of commercial cleaners”
by keeping handy an ample supply
of eight ingredients for nearly every
do-it-yourself cleaning job: baking
soda, borax, distilled white vinegar,
hydrogen peroxide, lemons, olive
oil, vegetable-based (liquid castile)
soap, and washing soda.
CONTACTS: Cancer Prevention
Coalition, www.preventcancer.
com; Gaiam, www.gaiam.com;
Earth Friendly Products, www.ecos.
com; Citra-Solv www.citrasolv.com;
Ecover, www.ecover.com; Clorox
Green Works, www.greenwork-
scleaners.com; Mrs. Meyers, www.
mrsmeyers.com; Sun and Earth,
www.sunandearth.com; Seventh
Generation, www.seventhgen-
eration.com; SimpleGreen, www.
simplegreen.com; Method Green
Home Care Products, www.meth-
odhome.com.
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL
QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk,
c/o E/The Environmental Magazine,
P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881;
submit it at: www.emagazine.com/
earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earth-
talk@emagazine.com. Read past
columns at: www.emagazine.com/
earthtalk/archives.php.
Many household cleaners contain poten-
tially dangerous ingredients. But there's
no need to panic: Many safer and greener
alternatives are now available from Earth-
friendly manufacturers. (Photo courtesy of
Getty Images)
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