User:Nicole.romero/environmental impacts of cleaning agents/sandbox

Environmental Impact of Cleaning Agents

Introduction:

 * Background history of the rise in use of cleaning agents in the U.S. as well as other countries
 * Introduce the large companies who have contributed to the most to the issue
 * Overview of some of the effects that have been found
 * Talk about initiatives against companies that produce products harmful to the environment

Design:

 * Information on a few of the most common cleaning agents that we use everyday
 * Background information on how these products became to be so popular and heavily used
 * Information on how these products become an issue in our environment.
 * For example, detergents are harmful after they run off into out water supply


 * Cleaning products that affect the environment
 * Alternatives to cleaning products to attempt to reverse the damage that has already been done and to avoid great impact in the future
 * Green Cleaning Products

Environmental and Health Impacts:

 * The impact of cleaning agents on the environment lies in the chemical composition contained in the products. Chemical from cleaning products are released into the environment through evaporation of volatile compounds, rinsing products down the drain with sponges or mops, etc.

Exposure

 * Humans exposed to chemicals may experience skin or eye irritation
 * talk specifically of some of the hazards of common cleaning products
 * Volatile organic compounds (VOC) from chemicals are released into the environment and affect indoor and outdoor air quality
 * Consequences of human exposure


 * Animals in aquatic habitats are particularly vulnerable to chemicals that run off into the water supply
 * algal blooms
 * endocrine disruption in wildlife

Toxins in Cleaning Agents:

 * Ingredients common in cleaning agents are known to be carcinogens or toxic to reproductive systems. Also, many chemicals have been found to be endocrine disruptors, a threat to both human and wildlife. Phosphates have also been found in many products, a known opponent to the delicate balance of ecosystems.


 * 2-butoxyethanol
 * This common glycol ether is a solvent in specialty and carpet cleaners. It has been known to cause blood disorders, kidney and liver damage after it has been absorbed through the skin or inhaled.


 * Ethoxylated nonyl phenols
 * These chemicals are known endocrine disruptors


 * Silica
 * Silica is found in abrasive cleaners and is carcinogenic when finely ground from quartz. Upon inhalation, this product becomes a threat to the body.


 * Bleach
 * Chlorine in bleach is toxic to marine life, however, the larger threat is the reaction that forms organochlorides. These compounds accumulate in the environment and lead to dire consequences to marine life.


 * Phosphates
 * Phosphates are common in laundry detergents and some cleaning products and have been a large contributor to ocean pollution. Phosphates disrupt the sensitive balance of marine life and has led to the devastation of many fish populations caused by the disequilibrium of aquatic habitats.

Government Regulation:

 * In 1997, the Federal Acquisition Regulation was amended to encourage government facility of green products. In 2005, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program to support agencies in purchasing environmentally preferable cleaning products.

Green Cleaning:

 * Heightened awareness to the dangers of cleaning agents has led to the creation of green cleaning, the use of cleaning methods and products that are made with environmentally safe ingredients.

Product Content:

 * Biobased solvents that are recyclable: citrus, seed and vegetable oils.
 * Biodegradable
 * Low toxicity to human and aquatic life
 * Product packaging is also environmentally friendly