February 23rd, 2008
Another bit of hopeful news on the green front: The EPA, which has previously looked mainly at the effect of disinfectants or indoor pesticides on human life, will be taking a broader look at the outside environmental impact of anti-microbial products (disinfectants) on waterways, fish and wildlife, Ms. Shackelford said.
That should help make future comparisons between conventional and green cleaners easier to size up.
LET’S GET CLEAN
Ready to tackle the grimy corners and byways of your indoor environment with a new greener cleaning approach? Step one: Check the label for the absence of the bad agents that you don’t want either in your house or seeping into groundwater or even being flushed away to the waste treatment plant. They include:
- Phosphates. Despite years of negative press, they still turn up in dishwasher detergents. They are partly composed of nitrogen, just like fertilizers are part nitrogen. This common “natural” element is fairly benign, until you dump heaps of it into groundwater and rivers, causing a phenomenon called “algae bloom.” Algae bloom causes excessive algae growth that eventually sucks so much oxygen from the water it suffocates the fish, oysters and anything else trying to breathe. It is why we have a dead zone several miles deep along a crescent in the Gulf of Mexico. No one can calculate how much cleaners (ammonia is also a culprit) are to blame, because industrialized farming and yard fertilizers contribute greatly to the problem. If dead fish and shrimp don’t move you, a problem closer to home is that phosphates can sabotage “grey water” systems in popular use in California and other arid or water-restricted areas. Grey water tanks recapture used household shower and cleaning water for outside irrigation, so using naturally-derived plant-based cleaners that have no phosphates or chlorine bleach is a no-brainer.
- Chlorine Bleach. Why is bleach so offensive? You know what it does to your nose and throat when you inhale it. But let’s see what the government’s Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) files say about bleach. Here’s a label warning from a conventional cleaner with bleach added: Exposure to vapor or mist may irritate eyes, nose throat, lungs. Harmful if swallowed. May cause nausea and vomiting if swallowed. The following medical conditions may be aggravated by exposure to high concentrations of vapor or mist: heart conditions or chronic respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis or obstructive lung disease. Under normal consumer-use conditions, the likelihood of any adverse health effects is low.…Here’s more, excerpted from a popular all-purpose cleaner with bleach: Apply carefully, this product contains bleach. DO NOT use or mix with other household chemicals, such as products containing ammonia, toilet bowl cleaners or acidic cleaners, or with other (Brand Name) products, as hazardous gases may be released. Avoid contact with clothes, fabric, carpet, wood, rubber, vinyl, painted and paper surfaces. Prolonged contact with metal, old porcelain, worn Formica and marble may cause discoloration. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. Rather speak for themselves, don’t they? Handle with caution. The MSDS reports, considered the government’s final word on hazards and toxins, rank some cleansers containing bleach or ammonia and other strong chemical concoctions as a “3” on a four-point scale of dangerousness, meaning they can have “serious” health consequences. Other bleach products are listed as having “slight” or “moderate” health effects. In fairness, the MSDS guidelines also note that citrus and hydrogen peroxide — ingredients in many green cleaners — can irritate the skin and eyes. But they don’t carry the same raft of precautions against inhalation and contact with skin pertaining to bleach.Some advocates of green cleaning, like Ellen Sandbeck, author of Green Housekeeping, maintain that you don’t need bleach anyway. In the laundry, bleach whitens, but it also stresses fabric. Her solution: Wear your new white shirt to the office. Let it yellow over time. Turn it into a garden shirt, and finally use it in the rag bin. It’s a natural progression that makes good use of the shirt, and no use of bleach.Furthermore, the oxidizing effects of hydrogen peroxide can take on several of the tasks previously assigned to bleach, and later the H2O2 breaks down quickly in water or soil. Of course you still don’t want to splash hydrogen peroxide in your eyes or let it sit on clothing.
- Sulfamic Acid – This corrosive chemical can be found in lime cleaners, some toilet-cleaning tablets, tarnish removers and dishwasher powders. The MSDS files describe it as “Irritating. Toxic. Harmful or Fatal If Swallowed.” It can severely burn the eyes, skin and respiratory tract and cause reproductive and fetal “effects,” according to the report. It should not be mixed with bleach, stored with food and should be disposed of in a “hazardous waste management facility.” This is one cleaner ingredient that can’t brag on its convenience.
- Alkyphenol Ethoxylate – A known “endocrine disruptor” that causes reproductive problems for fish and wildlife, according to the EPA.
- Nonylphenol Ethoxylate Surfactants – These NPEs are considered “persistent toxins” and are restricted in Europe and Japan. Both NPEs and their breakdown products are toxic to aquatic life because they don’t biodegrade, according to the EPA, whereas “surfactants that break down quickly are safer, since they are effectively neutralized in sewers and waste water plants, such that fish are not exposed to them.’’
