No obligation to label 

There is a significant (and intentional) lack of clarity around the ingredients found in detergents. If you have a known allergy to a fragrance or surfactant, for example, its absence on the ingredient label doesn't mean it's not in the product. Detergent manufacturers are concerned about piracy of their formulations, regardless of consumer welfare. Labeling requirements vary globally and are always complex. In the European Union, under Regulation (EC) '648/2004', the European Parliament imposed stricter labeling requirements on detergent manufacturers. This included a requirement to list ingredients with a concentration greater than 0.2%, but more importantly, it does not require manufacturers to list specific chemicals, only the categories (for example, "anionic surfactants" or "enzymes "). If a detergent contains a fragrance, it must be included, even below 0.2%, but as "fragrance" or "perfume" and not as a chemical ingredient. A data sheet containing more information should be available to the general public on the manufacturer's website, but it is often hard to find and lacking essential details. A more detailed fact sheet must be provided to medical professionals upon request, but this cannot legally be passed on to anyone else. The application of the legislation varies by member 8 state, but in the UK these offenses are a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment or a fine. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Most household consumer products emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which pollute the air around us, including: air fresheners, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, disinfectants, and deodorants. Manufacturers are not required to list these ingredients on labels, and there is growing concern about possible detrimental effects on human health. A study published in 2015 by one of the leading VOC researchers, Dr. Anne Steinemann, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Melbourne, reviewed 37 household products and found 156 unique VOCs, 42 of which the EPA considers toxic. , with less than 3% listed on ingredient labels or manufacturer's data sheets. 1,4-dioxane (1,4-diethylene oxide) A well-documented example of a VOC is 1,4-dioxane, a solvent that has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. Manufacturers don't always add 1,4-dioxane directly to their products, although they don't necessarily strive to remove it, either. It is used as a solvent to produce many of the other ingredients, making it into the final detergent in small amounts. The concern surrounding 1,4-dioxane is that it is easily absorbed both orally and by inhalation, is a known irritant, and causes liver tumors in animal studies. There is very little evidence of its effects on human health, but both the EU and the US consider the solvent a probable carcinogen. The FDA does not set an upper exposure limit for 1,4-dioxane, but the EU recommends a maximum concentration of 10 parts per million (ppm) in pharmaceuticals only. Popular detergent brands have been shown to contain between 10 and 50 ppm 1,4-dioxane and are not as tightly regulated as pharmaceuticals. In Dr. Steinemann's study described above, five of the 37 products contained 1,4-dioxane.

Fragrances 

Fragrances in laundry detergents and other household products are among the worst VOCs because they are designed to pollute the air, with the goal of improving a product's smell. There are over 3,000 known fragrance ingredients that emit pollutants, including limonene and α-pinene. These "primary pollutants" then react with air to form "secondary pollutants" such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Fragrance products have been reported to cause a variety of adverse effects, including: migraines, breathing difficulties, and skin conditions.

Known to be harmful 9 

The prevalence of VOCs in household products shows that exposure to hazardous pollutants is not limited to the workplace, but many of the other ingredients in detergents can also be harmful, including: surfactants, alcohols, preservatives (eg. g., formaldehyde, sodium benzoate), enzymes and phthalates. The role of each of these ingredients in the deleterious effects of detergents is not fully understood. Furthermore, the lack of regulation makes trying to avoid specific ingredients essentially impossible.

Asthma 

Many of the ingredients found in detergents are known to exacerbate asthma, including: chlorine, ammonia, fragrances, and enzymes. In California, it was reported that 11% of work-related asthma attacks are due to cleaning products, and 80% of these people are not directly involved in cleaning . Even in people without asthma, cleaning products are associated with acute bronchitis and other respiratory conditions due to the inhalation of irritating compounds.

Skin conditions 

Numerous studies have been conducted on the risk of detergents causing or exacerbating skin conditions. The risk may seem low, because detergents are washed out, but many of the irritating ingredients, like preservatives and fragrances, are retained after washing. The prevalence of contact dermatitis after exposure to detergents is difficult to establish, but the North American Contact Dermatitis Group found a prevalence of 0.7% in a study of 738 participants. Skin conditions reported after exposure to detergents include: skin sensitization, napkin dermatitis, granular parakeratosis, burns. It is well documented that detergents can cause skin irritation, but the risk of severe burns is less researched. Doctors at The Ohio State University Medical Center have published a case report highlighting a 10-month-old boy who experienced 2% partial-thickness burns after a laundry detergent 'pod' ruptured, and not it was sufficiently decontaminated at the time. Cases of significant esophageal and respiratory burns from detergents, requiring extensive hospital treatment, have also been reported.

Poisoning 

In both the EU and the US, detergent manufacturers are legally required to label their products as "hazardous", "corrosive" or "irritating", depending on the specific ingredients. A study published in 2016 estimated that more than 35,000 patients presented to emergency 10 departments in the United States with detergent poisoning between 2012 and 2014. The majority of these cases were children under the age of five.

The toxic and harmful ingredients found in detergents make them a considerable source of household environmental pollution. The environmental impact of detergents is of such magnitude that when mixed with water it has different harmful effects that we will explain in the next news.

Reference

Ethan, 2017, https://www.safehouseholdcleaning.com/the-trouble-with-laundry-detergents/