Windex Crystal Rain Pump Spray:
According to the National Library of Medicine's Household Product Database, the Windex Crystal Rain Pump Spray appears to be a fairly safe product to use. This product does have a slight flammability risk, with a rating of 2, but all other potential hazards are either listed at a rating of 0, or do not have enough information within the database to formulate a ranking. However, I did note that the product does contain the ingredient Fragrance, which has some potential for eliciting allergic reactions. Overall, this product does not appear to be of any major concern for toxicity hazards.
Clorox 2 Laundry Stain Remover:
According to the National Library of Medicine's Household Product Database, Clorox 2 Laundry Stain Remover is not a major health concern, and is approved by OSHA. However, the database does note that the product contains Hydrogen Peroxide, which can cause skin irritation, respiratory irritation, and eye irritation. It is recommended that any prolonged contact with the product to the skin should be removed via thorough rinsing with warm water.
Questions:
What Surprised Me?
I was surprised that the products used for personal hygiene appeared to have more harmful effects to the human body, than these cleaning products. Also, I was surprised that the same ingredients used in the personal hygiene products were also being used in these household cleaners.
Did I Decide to Change My Behaviors?
No. These products appear to be adequately safe for use as household cleaners. However, it is always beneficial to be educated on what is contained in the products that you use, and has encouraged me to become more educated on the products I am currently using.
Should Everyone Know About the Risks?
Yes! Everyone should be educated on the potential risks which are contained in the products they use. I believe that many of us choose not to be educated, because we trust that these corporations are held to certain standards which prevent them from placing overly harmful ingredients into their products. However, it has become apparent to me that this is simply not the case, and that more should be done to ensure that these corporations are checked, before releasing their products for consumption by the general public.
Yes I strongly agree with "it's always beneficial to be educated on what is contained in the products that you use". The customers have right to know and companies need to be more accurate and provide detailed information about ingredients of products.
ReplyDeleteHi Samuel,
ReplyDeleteYou made several good points throughout your post. The most important being that some of the same chemicals are used in both our cleaning products and our personal care products! This is shocking and does not seem safe!
In addition, I also found several products in the database to have missing data so no health score could be established. This is almost a bigger concern because we have no idea what the hidden risks of these substances are. The FDA should also focus its efforts on studying the effects of these "grandfathered" chemicals.
-Elena