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Environmental Impacts of Cleaning Agents
Cleaning agents are chemically complex compounds usually in solid or liquid state used for removing impurities from surfaces. In doing so, these agents have an adverse effect on the environment. There are several brands of cleaners on the market but all of them essentially contain the same chemicals that are harming our environment.

Aklylphenol ethoxylates and alkyphenols
The alkylphenols are one of the most widely characterized group of environmental estrogen. They are manufactured by reacting the alkylphenols with ethylene oxide. These compounds are generally introduced to the environment after microbial break down of the alkylphenol polyethoxylates. These alkylphenols are lipophilic and some have a long half-life (the UK Environmental Agency). Research and observations have shown that alkylphenols cause endocrine disruption in aquatic organism. This disruption is as a result of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APES) mimicking the hormone estrogen which harm the reproduction and survival of aquatic animal in water which they are present. Alkylphenols with branched bulky alkyl chains show relatively high binding affinities to estrogen receptors in fish. It has been observed that alkyphenols acting as endocrine disrupting chemicals affect the development of gonads, induction of plasma vitellogenin in male and juvenile, and inhibition of spermatogenesis and oogenesis.

2-Butoxylethanol, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (EGBE)
2-Butoxyethanol is a common glycol ether used as a solvent in carpet, hard-surface, glass, and oven cleaners owing to its surfactant properties. It is a relatively cheap, volatile solvent of low toxicity. It has the further advantage of not undergoing bioaccumulation. At ambient room temperature and pressure, EGBE is a colourless liquid and as a reults, it is able to mix with water (i.e. is miscible). Being present in so many consumer everyday used products, 2 Butoxyethanol is found in large concentrations in the environment. EGBE effect on organisms are dependent on the type of exposure the organism have with the chemical. Exposure can be short-term, long-term, sub-chronic, etc. Tests have been done to see the effect this type of substance have on different organisms such as humans, rats and rabbits which produced intermediate results for each organisms. The chemical seems to affect organisms based on the concentration in which it is ingested or absorbed. Nasal and throat irritation, and headache to a lesser extent are the most severe symptoms that are experiences from exposure to a small quantity of small concentration. However, if exposed to a higher concentration level of the drug, one can experience increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and transient polyuria and hypoxemia.

Government regulation
The recognition of the adverse effects of cleaning agents on the environment, has brought a governmental regulation. In 1993, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and US General Services Administration (GSA) established the first pilot program: Cleaning Product Pilot Project (CPPP). CPPP aimed at identifying and comparing chemically preferable cleaning products. In other countries, such as Japan, the impact of these pollutants on aquatic organisms is not addressed directly, but indirectly as a result of the regulation put in place to protect human health, which, in turn, may be also beneficial in the protection of aquatic life.

Environmentally-friendly alternatives
Environmentally friendly alternatives aim at protecting human health and preserving environment quality. This can be accomplished in two ways – by using less toxic chemicals and by reduction of use of non-renewable resources and energy. Lowering the toxicity involves a switch to Green cleaning products, which are directly extracted from natural sources and after the use - biodegrade into innocuous, biologically-safe, compounds. Naturally occurring substances that may replace synthetic cleaning products include vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. For example, lemon juice may be used as a degreaser. Vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean almost anything. Baking soda is not only an odour-eliminator for carpets but it is also able to remove those strange smell from the fridge. The other way to make the cleaning agents more environmentally friendly is to reduce energy and resource use. Energy savings can be achieved by reformulation of laundry detergent to allow the consumers to use cold water rather than hot, thus with each load cutting back significantly on energy costs. By allowing the consumer to use cold water rather than hot, each load cuts back significantly on energy costs. The action is also cutting back significantly on depleting The reduction in the non-renewable resources, like petroleum, can be achieved by the eliminating of petroleum-based cleaning products and replacing them with green cleaning products.