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Cleaning product companies aren’t required to disclose the ingredients they use in their products, and what they’re keeping secret from you could be hazardous to your health. Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) commissioned an independent laboratory to test twenty popular cleaning products for hidden toxic chemicals from five top companies: Clorox, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser, SC Johnson and Son, and Sunshine Makers (Simple Green). We found reproductive toxins, carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and allergens, and none of these chemicals were listed on the product label.
Consumers deserve to know what chemicals they are being exposed to, so that they can easily avoid products that may cause allergic reactions or serious long-term health impacts like cancer, birth defects, or pregnancy complications. WVE is calling on Congress to pass new federal legislation that requires cleaning product manufacturers to disclose all the ingredients they use in their products directly on the product label.
Dirty Secrets Testing Results
| __________________________________ | _______________________ | _____________________ |
| Product Name | Chemical Detected | Health Concern* |
| __________________________________ | _______________________ | _____________________ |
Clorox | ||
| __________________________________ | _______________________ | _____________________ |
| Clorox Green Works Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner Original Scent | Limonene | Allergies |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Green Works Natural Laundry Detergent Original Scent | Limonene | Allergies |
| DL-Citronellol | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | _____________________ |
| Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner with Bleach | Chloroform | Cancer |
| Carbon tetrachloride | Cancer | |
| Limonene | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | _____________________ |
| Original Pine-Sol | Toluene | Pregnancy complications |
| Limonene | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
Procter & Gamble | ||
| __________________________________ | _______________________ | _____________________ |
| Tide Original Scent | 1,4-dioxane | Cancer |
| Limonene | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | _____________________ |
| Tide Free & Gentle (fragrance free) | 1,4-dioxane | Cancer |
| Limonene | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Bounce with Febreze Fresh Scent Spring & Renewal | Limonene | Allergies |
| DL-Citronellol | Allergies | |
| Linalool | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Bounce Free & Sensitive (fragrance free) | Limonene | Allergies |
| Linalool | Allergies | |
| 1,4-dioxane | Cancer | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Febreze Air Effects Spring & Renewal | Linalool | Allergies |
| Linalool | Allergies | |
| Galaxolide | Hormone disruption | |
| __________________________________ | _______________________ | ____________________ |
Reckitt Benckiser | ||
| __________________________________ | _______________________ | _____________________ |
| Lysol Disinfectant Spray Spring Waterfall | Limonene | Allergies |
| DL-Citronellol | Allergies | |
| Eugenol | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Lysol Neutra Air Fabric Mist Crisp Linen | Limonene | Allergies |
| Linalool | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Air Wick Scented Oil Lavender & Chamomile | Limonene | Allergies |
| Linalool | Allergies | |
| Eugenol | Allergies | |
| Coumarin | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | _____________________ |
| Air Wick Fresh Waters Air Freshener | Limonene | Allergies |
| Linalool | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | _______________________ | ____________________ |
SC Johnson & Son | ||
| __________________________________ | _______________________ | _____________________ |
| Glade Plug In Scented Oil Hawaiian Breeze | Limonene | Allergies |
| Linalool | Allergies | |
| Eugenol | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Glade Tough Odor Solutions w/Oust Refreshing Citrus Air Sanitizer | Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) | Reproductive harm, hormone disruption, neurodevelopment problems |
| Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) | Reproductive harm, hormone disruption, neurodevelopment problems | |
| Diethyl phthalate (DEP) | Reproductive harm, hormone disruption | |
| Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) | Reproductive harm, hormone disruption | |
| Galaxolide | Hormone disruption | |
| Limonene | Allergies | |
| Linalool | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Pledge Furniture Spray Dust & Allergen Outdoor Fresh | Limonene | Allergies |
| DL-Citronellol | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Pledge Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner Fragrance Free Hypoallergenic | None | N/A |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Windex Original | Limonene | Allergies |
| Linalool | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
Sunshine Makers | ||
| __________________________________ | _______________________ | _____________________ |
| Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner Non-Toxic Biodegradable | Toluene | Pregnancy complications |
| Limonene | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | ______________________ | ____________________ |
| Simple Green Naturals Multi-Surface Care Lemon Verbena | Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) | Reproductive harm, hormone disruption, neurodevelopment problems |
| 1,4-dioxane | Cancer | |
| Limonene | Allergies | |
| Linalool | Allergies | |
| __________________________________ | _______________________ | _____________________ |
*Health concerns listed are those which have been determined in the scientific literature through exposure to the chemical listed, by at least one route of exposure: inhalation, ingestion or skin absorption. In most cases, research has never been conducted to determine if exposure to the chemical through use of the cleaning product is associated with the health outcome.
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Something about the massive fragrance brand Glade stinks. Although Glade’s sprays, candles, and air fresheners are marketed as clean and refreshing, independent investigations have showed that Glade products contain secret, potentially toxic chemicals.
When health advocates Women’s Voices for the Earth commissioned an independent lab to test Glade for toxins, they found chemicals that have been linked to allergic reactions, birth defects, and increased risk of breast cancer. We know Glade uses synthetic musks that build up in the body over time, andultimately show up in blood and breast milk. Other companies, like Chlorox and the makers of Lysol have dropped these ingredients, but not Glade -- and we don't even know what else might be lurking in Glade fragrances.
In the United States, manufacturers aren’t required to label the ingredients of fragrances, so most don’t. That means consumers can’t avoid fragrances that contain unhealthy chemicals and allergens, like those found in many Glade products.
S.C. Johnson, the massive chemical conglomerate that owns Glade, likes to brag that it’s committed to honesty and transparency. But it only discloses the contents of its fragrances in a single online master list with over 1,500 ingredients. That master list includes scary ingredients like petroleum -- but it doesn't say which chemicals appear in which products! Consumers have no way of knowing which products to avoid if they have allergies or small children, or if they simply want to shy away from toxins.
In the European Union, where disclosure rules are stricter, Glade products already have labels about their ingredients, so we know that the makers of Glade could easily be more transparent. But it’s chosen to keep customers in the U.S. in the dark.
Glade recently responded to consumer complaints about its lack of transparency, but it simply reiterated what its policies are. It didn't address the basic issue: when we buy Glade products, we don't know what we're getting. Glade dodged a handful of complaints, but if thousands of us speak out together, it will have to get serious. S.C. Johnson wants to be seen as a leader on transparency, and this is its chance to live up to that billing. By labeling potentially harmful ingredients in Glade products, it can help set a new standard in the fragrance industry.
Thanks,
Rob, Kaytee, and the rest of us
*********
More Information:
Women's Voices for the Earth, Dirty Secrets test results
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