Green is not just a word in a brand name!
Many people think of “Simple Green” a well known and popular product, used in many homes and schools, as a safe alternative. The common assumption is that the product is green, in-fact the company states the “Product is safe and non-toxic for general health.”
Imagine my surprise when I read The Environmental Working Group’s evaluation of this product and its relationship to asthma and other health issues. EWG states they found three of the primary ingredients to be Formaldehyde, Phenol #1 and Acetaldhyde. None are disclosed on the bottle label. These are ingredients linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, asthma and neurotoxicity just to name a few. All three are listed in California’s Proposition 65 list for cancer and reproductive toxicity.
According to the EWG only 1 of the 93 air contaminants detected is disclosed by the manufacturer. “Simple Green” is a product that lists multiple uses on its label, therefore the exposure is multiplied for the consumer.
Unfortunately the use of harmful chemicals is a common practice for most manufacturing companies. The everyday consumer has no one watching out for us.
Green needs to be safe for the environment and safe for the consumer.
The study that EWG conducted took place in 13 California public school districts with high asthma rates among its student population. The evaluations were done using the Material Safety Data Sheets the manufacturer provided for each product.
This entry was posted in Air Quality, Environment, Green, Non-toxic, Toxins and tagged acetaldhyde, asthma, bacteria, cancer, formaldehyde, label, Phenol, reproductive.
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