More Harsh Facts

Commercial cleaners were introduced in the 1940’s after WW11. Canadians today now use about 54 kilotons of (petroleum-based) general purpose cleaners per year. This results in contamination of our fresh water, soil and air supplies.

Cancer rates have doubled since 1960. Asthma has increased 600% since 1980. Experts cite household chemicals as a factor.

Levels of chemicals inside the home can be hundreds, even thousands of times higher than the outdoor air in the most polluted of cities. In fact, indoor air pollution levels are high enough to trigger an inspection by health and safety authorities in any workplace setting. (The Nature of Things, CBC-TV 2002). Chemicals contained in household cleaning products are the same as those used in industrial settings. Scientists worry that we do not understand the impact of exposure to the cocktail of chemicals found in household air and dust.

The government does not restrict the chemicals used in cleaning products. Human health and environmental effects data are only available for less than 10% of registered chemicals, which proves that over 90% of the chemicals out there may pose a health or environmental risk that has not yet been identified. As for the other 10% that has been registered, it is all too easy for the company to falsify a document for profit and who can tell the difference.

Some cleaning supplies may be necessary for hygiene reasons, but it is worthwhile researching the cleaners of choice and then making a more environmentally/health conscious decision to use alternative cleaning materials.