Household Products Database
For this assignment, I chose one product that I commonly use around the house to clean and one pet product I assume could be dangerous.
The first product is Total All Purpose Cleaner by Soft Scrub.
Overall, this product was given a health rating of 2 (moderate) and a flammability rating of 1 (slight). Acute health effects include: eye irritation from direct contact, gastrointestinal discomfort (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, lethargy) with ingestion, and respiratory tract irritation from inhalation. Prolonged exposure can irritate the skin, but no chronic health effects are suspected. The chemicals include: fragrance, sodium octyl sulfate, sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, and sodium dodecyl diphenyl oxide disulfonate. None of which are known to be carcinogenic substances.
This information is similar to what I expected. In fact, I thought that this product could have more serious side effects than what is listed in the database. For example, I was surprised to learn it was not carcinogenic. Nonetheless, I wear gloves when cleaning with this product to lessen my chances of exposure.
The second product is Topical Treatment for Fleas and Lice by Bayer Advantage.
Overall, this product was given a health rating of 2 (moderate) and a flammability rating of 1 (slight). Acute health effects include: respiratory tract irritation (coughing, sore throat, and runny nose), nausea and dizziness with inhalation, and eye irritation (reddening, tearing, and stinging). Long term exposure can cause skin defatting due to solvents. Of note, this product does not contain any carcinogenic substances. The active chemicals in this product are pyriproxyfen and imidacloprid.
I was surprised to read that this medication was not neurotoxic because lice treatment for humans can be. This is good news because I often forget my dog had his flea treatment and pet him with my hands. I am happy to know that I am not inadvertently exposing myself to an overly dangerous substance. Regardless, I will try to be more mindful of when he has his treatment and ensure washing my hands afterwards.
The Future
In general, I would like to move away from cleaning with antimicrobials and other harsh chemicals. In a home environment, such strong substances are not necessary. I also feel like I get exposed enough at work to harsh cleaning products, and should try to limit my exposure elsewhere. I have heard that Method products are safer and more gentle. However, there is little information in the database about the safety of these products.
On a related note, I was happy to find out that the government finally banned antibacterial soap for use by the general public. This will help to reduce the formation of MDROs.
General Knowledge
The government requires that MSDS sheets be publically available, but few consumers actually look at these to determine the safety of the products they use. I think companies should do a better job of ensuring that the public is more informed about their purchases. This could be accomplished by easy to read infographics that come printed on the product's label. In addition, the government should regulate the use of toxic chemicals in household products.
It is interesting that you were surprised by your products. You expected to have more side effect for the first product. Also you were surprised by your second product, which was not neurotoxic. I thought similarly with my products. I expected them to be more harmful to human body. However, they had very low or zero level of toxic ingredient. I am not sure how much we can trust the web site that we use for, but it still helps me to determine which product to use.
ReplyDeleteHey Elena,
ReplyDeleteI agree that cleaning with harsh antimicrobials is not necessary for the home environment, and simply add to your personal risk of chemical exposure. Especially since you are already exposed to harsh chemicals in the work environment, an extra does of chemical exposure at home is just not welcomed. Also, I think that it is great that you take the precaution to protect yourself with the use of gloves.