Again, I was very interested to learn about
the cleaning products we use in my home because all of us are exposed to them
on a daily and constant basis. I reviewed our Clorox Disinfecting Wipes and
Cascade Complete Dishwasher Pods.
- Were you surprised to find out the toxicity rating of your household products?
- Clorox Wipes- Right away I noticed that the container says
“Bleach-Free” and there are precautionary statements on the back with
directions on how to treat your eyes if the liquid gets in. All ratings
for this product were either 0 or 1, which was surprising because for
some reason I imagine all cleaning products to be incredibly harmful if
ingested. Directions from the website include: rinse skin with plenty of
water if irritation occurs, drink a glassful of water if ingested, and
move to fresh air if significant fumes are inhaled.
- Dishwasher Pods- The biggest risk listed with the dishwasher pods
is the potential of severe danger to eyes. Because they are in a tightly
sealed pod and one would be able to feel the powder or liquid on their
hands before they rubbed their eyes, I’m not so concerned about my
family’s health. However, there are no small children in our home and we
keep the pods on the bottom shelf. Because babies are known to put
everything in their mouths, on their faces, and have a large exposure to
the floor, a family with young children would need to keep this product
out of reach of their kids. The good news with this product is that there
are no known risks if ingested and consumers are instructed to drink 1 or
2 glasses of water. This is an important note, as this product has the
potential to be directly transferred to food and beverages from dishes.
- Did you decide to change any of your consumer behaviors based on your findings?
- Based on the safety and reliability of these products I don’t see
myself searching for any new household products in the foreseeable
future. My mom is really conscious about the products she brings into our
home and what we clean with, and I’m happy to know they are as safe as I
hoped they would be.
- Should everyone know about these risks and why don’t they?
- Yes, everyone should know about the risks of their cleaning products.
Companies like Clorox and Tide do have a responsibility to educate their
consumers about the risks of ingesting their products, but they are also
under the assumption that people will look into these harmful effects on
their own volition, which is rarely the case. I believe one factor
contributing to the lack of knowledge of cleaning product safety is that
unless extremely harmful products like lye are directly ingested, the
long term effects of being exposed to chemicals are not thought of very
often. We know toxins accumulate over time, and I think we believe
because these products are meant to clean germs, viruses, and other bacteria
we believe they are safe.
Wow! I was surprised about the Clorox wipes as well. I would assume that if the liquid was ingested that one would need to call the poison control center... but nope! I think the concern with the pods would be if someone were to squeeze it too tight and it burst, splashing into the eyes. Otherwise, great point about how the pods can directly transfer to dishes if the dishwasher does not adequately rinse the dishes.
ReplyDeleteOne concern that I have from an nursing student/over thinker's perspective is if the pods are intended for cleaning and killing pathogens on dishes, will they kill off the good bacteria in the gut if ingested? Would drinking 1-2 glasses of water truly clean the gut out? Or, will probiotic supplements help replenish the good gut bacteria? Not that I expect you to know this, but it is something research-worthy!
I'm with both of you on the Clorox wipes. They have such a strong smell and leave my hands super dry, so I thought they would score higher on the hazard level. We also use the same dishwater pods at home and I didn't think the highest hazard or concern would be severe danger to eyes. As the class progresses, I think about ways to cut down exposure to chemical hazards at home as much as possible. It's good that we only use the dishwasher whenever we have guests over for dinner. But I should look at the hazard level for the regular dish washing detergent we use everyday...I think this class is going to flip my world around, in a good way!
ReplyDelete