While no one expects household cleaning products to be as safe as bottled water, you might not expect them to be lethally poisonous, either. But the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has just released its Hall of Shame list of the most hazardous home cleaning products, and they include several you may have under your kitchen sink (hopefully under lock and key if you have young children). Several of the products warn of permanent health damage if ingested, while others contain ingredients banned in California and the European Union. Others claiming to be environmentally-friendly “green” products are anything but.
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Here are some of the worst offenders:
Fatal if Inhaled: Glade and Airwick air fresheners
Causes Asthma: Clorox, Fantastik, Febreze, Formula 409, Easy-Off, Lysol, Mr. Clean and Spic & Span
Can Burn or Blind: Drano Professional Strength Kitchen Crystals Clog Remover
Emits Toxic Fumes: Wal-Mart, CVS and Easy-Off brand oven cleaners
Contains ingredients banned in California and the E.U.: Spic & Span Multi-Surface and Floor Cleaner
Greenwashed (or fake green): Simple Green Concentrated All-Purpose Cleaner
And these aren’t the only ones. The EWG’s Hall of Shame contains dozens more well-known, brand name products and their health and environmental hazards. In many cases, it also offers safer alternatives to toxic chemicals. So why risk exposing children and pets to these hazardous home cleaning products?
Find out more at the Environmental Working Group.
