More than 5,000 tons of toxic chemicals from consumer products every year inside homes & workplaces
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/987538
INTRO: People often assume that the products they use every day are safe. Now a new study by Silent Spring Institute and University of California, Berkeley exposes how much people come into contact with toxic ingredients in products, used at home and at work, that could harm their health. Findings from the analysis could help state and federal agencies strengthen chemical regulations and guide manufacturers in making safer products.
Many common products like shampoos, body lotions, cleaners, mothballs, and paint removers contain toxic volatile organic compounds or VOCs—chemicals that escape as gases, accumulate in indoor air, and cause a variety of health problems including cancer. Because companies, for the most part, are not required to disclose what it’s in their products or how much, it’s difficult to know what people might be exposed to and the potential health effects.
“This study is the first to reveal the extent to which toxic VOCs are used in everyday products of all types that could lead to serious health problems,” says lead author Kristin Knox, a scientist at Silent Spring Institute. “Making this information public could incentivize manufacturers to reformulate their products and use safer ingredients.” (MORE - details)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/987538
INTRO: People often assume that the products they use every day are safe. Now a new study by Silent Spring Institute and University of California, Berkeley exposes how much people come into contact with toxic ingredients in products, used at home and at work, that could harm their health. Findings from the analysis could help state and federal agencies strengthen chemical regulations and guide manufacturers in making safer products.
Many common products like shampoos, body lotions, cleaners, mothballs, and paint removers contain toxic volatile organic compounds or VOCs—chemicals that escape as gases, accumulate in indoor air, and cause a variety of health problems including cancer. Because companies, for the most part, are not required to disclose what it’s in their products or how much, it’s difficult to know what people might be exposed to and the potential health effects.
“This study is the first to reveal the extent to which toxic VOCs are used in everyday products of all types that could lead to serious health problems,” says lead author Kristin Knox, a scientist at Silent Spring Institute. “Making this information public could incentivize manufacturers to reformulate their products and use safer ingredients.” (MORE - details)