Cleaning Products

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Cleaning products, unlike food or personal care products, are not required to display a complete list of ingredients. 1

Many ingredients may cause skin, eyes and respiratory irritation, asthma, headaches and chemical burns. Others have been associated with more serious long term health concerns such as hormone disruption, neurological disorders and cancer. 2

However, you can learn something about a product's hazards by reading its label. 'Danger/ Poison' - most hazardous; 'Warning' - moderately hazardous; 'Caution' - slightly toxic. Ingredients vary in the type of health hazard they pose. These include skin or respiratory irritation, watery eyes, or chemical burns, while others are associated with chronic, or long-term, effects such as cancer. 3

Avoid:

Chlorine or Ammonia, listed as active ingredients

Formaldehyde, Terpenes, Phenols, Chlorine, Organic Mercurials, Balsams, Aluminium Complexes – known to have carcinogenic effects.

detergents containing Alkylphenol Ethoxylates (APEs) - do not degrade completely and are known hormone disruptors.

detergents containing phosphates - cause algal blooms in waterways

Look for:

biodegradable to AS4351, or better still, an international standard

plant-based ingredients, instead of petroleum-based

concentrated form

specific ingredient information (such as "solvent-free," "no petroleum-based ingredients”) rather than unregulated "greenwash" claims (such as "natural" and "eco-friendly")

Find out more Fresh Green Clean

Find out more Safer Solutions

1 www.thegreenpages.com.au/index.asp?page_id=1173
2 www.grist.org/article/possessions-cleaning/
3 www.onguardsafetytraining.com/samples/Labels_MSDS_Instruction.pdf

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