Planetoverhaul.com

March is Women’s Month. The Driving force behind our homes may very well serve as warriors against pollutants that harm our planet. The national non-profit group Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) recently released a report card called “The Dirt on Cleaning Product Companies” that grades five leading cleaning product manufacturers on toxic chemical and consumer right-to-know issues.

The companies were graded on several subjects, including toxic chemicals in products, responsiveness to consumer concerns, and their toxic chemicals screening process and how well companies inform consumers of ingredients contained in their products. All companies were given an opportunity to review their grades and provide feedback prior to the release of the report card.

“It’s outrageous that there are hidden ingredients in our cleaning products that have been linked to serious health problems,” says Dori Gilels, executive director of Women’s Voices for the Earth. “Just like with labels on food packages, consumers have a right to know exactly what they’re buying so that they can avoid certain ingredients and make healthy choices for themselves and their families.”

Of the estimated 85,000 chemicals in the U.S. marketplace, only a small fraction has been tested for their chronic impacts to human health. While Europe has banned 1,100 chemicals from use in products based on safety concerns, the U.S. has banned fewer than 10.

The U.S. does not require household cleaning product companies to disclose all ingredients on their labels, and currently none of the five companies WVE reviewed include this information on all of their cleaning products. WVE is working to pressure companies to develop a formal policy on ingredient disclosure that goes beyond compliance with U.S. law. On September 23, WVE members from across the country contacted the Soap & Detergent Association (SDA) with requests that the group support an industry-wide initiative to disclose cleaning product ingredients. The action corresponded with the start of the SDA’s Fall conference in Washington, DC. “As the largest consumer group responsible for making purchasing decisions, women hold a lot of market power,” says Gilels. “The cleaning product industry must listen when we say: keep toxic chemicals out of our homes.”

“Every day, we are exposed to so many chemicals that are questionable in terms of safety,” says Alexandra Gorman Scranton, staff scientist at WVE. “Since we don’t yet know the long-term, cumulative effects of being in close contact to these chemicals, many people are taking the precautionary approach by choosing their products more consciously, or making cleaners at home with non-toxic ingredients like vinegar and baking soda. This precaution makes a lot of sense, especially for pregnant women or people with young children in the home.”

For more information, go to http://www.womenandenvironment.org.

Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) is a national organization that engages women to advocate for the right to live in a healthy environment. WVE seeks to reduce and ultimately eliminate environmental pollutants that cause health problems for women, their families and communities. To this end, WVE creates opportunities for women to influence environmental decision-making.