• 1 out of every 3 chemical cleaning products contains ingredients known to cause human health or environmental problems1
• Commercial cleaning companies are under no legal obligation to research how their products might harm human health.
• The EPA ranks poor indoor air quality among the top five environmental risks to public health.
Interestingly, five out of 10 Americans are not aware of this fact.*
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found the levels of air pollution inside the home can be two to five times higher (and sometimes even 100 times higher) than outdoor levels.*
• An EPA study concluded that the toxic chemicals in household cleaners are 3 times more likely to cause cancer than outdoor air.2
• A study comparing women who work ouside the home with women who work at home , found a 54% higher risk of developing cancer in women who work at home. The study concluded that this is a direct result of the chemicals in household products.3
• On average, poison centers handle one poison call every 1.5 seconds4
• 89% of all poison exposures occur in the home4
• 92% of exposures involve only one poisonous substance4
• 2,403,539 human exposures to poisons were reported in 20064
• 8.9% of the human exposures involved household cleaning substances4
• Cleaning substances are the 3rd most common reason for exposure to poison in adults4
• 51% of the human exposures to poison in 2006 involved children under 6 years old4
• Household cleaning substances are the second most common reason for pediatric exposure to poison4
• Unintentional ingestion of toxic household chemicals is associated with an annual average of 39 deaths to children under age 5, and an estimated 87,700 children treated in hospital emergency rooms. These poisoning incidents resulted in an estimated societal cost of almost $2.3 billion.5
• Americans generate over 38 million tons of hazardous waste per year 6
• Chemical manufacturing accounts for 21 million tons (55%) of the hazardous waste 6
• Cleaning Compounds and soap account for 30,948 tons annually 6
• Going green is one of the best ways to reduce hazardous waste and keep a clean, healthy home
2Consumer Product Safety Commission and Environmental Protection Agency, "The Inside Story A Guide to Indoor Air Quality" CPSC Document #450
no date, available at: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/450.html
4Bronstein, Alvin C., Spyker, Daniel A., Cantilena Jr, Louis R. Green, Jody, Rumack, Barry H. and Heard, Stuart E. (2007) '2006 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System (NPDS)', Clinical Toxicology, 45:8, 815 - 917 available in pdf here