Frequently Asked Questions
I am concerned about the stories I’ve heard that cleaning products can cause allergies. Is there any truth in the rumours?
-
If I need to contact the manufacturer of a product direct where can I find the information?
-
Why are manufacturers instructions and dosing requirements provided on the pack? Is it not a myth that you need to adhere to dosing instructions?
-
Just what are Volatile Organic Compounds and are they harmful when found in cleaning products? How do cleaning products impact on indoor air quality?
-
Do cleaning products cause or affect symptoms of asthma?
-
Can cleaning products adversely affect the quality of the air in our homes?
-
Is cleaning good for our health or can the chemicals in cleaning products be harmful?
-
Are cleaning products based on ‘natural’ ingredients safer to use?
If we have not answered a specific question which you may have please contact us.
I am concerned about the stories I’ve heard that cleaning products can cause allergies. Is there any truth in the rumours?
There is no sound evidence to link increased exposure to detergents and cleaning products to the rise in allergies. Whilst there has been little change in the level or nature of exposure to cleaning products, there has been a sharp rise in what are known as ‘atopic’ allergies e.g. hay fever, eczema, asthma and food allergies.
It is interesting to make a comparison between cleaning product usage and certain allergies around Europe: household cleaner usage per person between UK, France and Italy varies little (by no more than 10%). Italy uses the most, yet it has only one quarter the asthma rate of UK, and France one half. So, whilst the true cause is not known, what is clear is that some factor or factors other than cleaning products must be responsible. In fact, studies show that cleaning products and anti-bacterial products play a critical role in controlling harmful allergens and protecting public health, including operating to combat allergies.
If I need to contact the manufacturer of a product direct where can I find the information?
It is a requirement under The Detergent Regulations that this information must appear on the pack. The trade name or trade mark and full address and or telephone number of the party responsible for Placing the Product on the Market must be given.
Why are manufacturers instructions and dosing requirements provided on the pack? Is it not a myth that you need to adhere to dosing instructions?
Under The Detergent Regulations a manufacturer is required by law to include dosing requirements for various degrees of water hardness and wash loads. Scientific research has established that these dosing levels provide the best product performance.
Just what are Volatile Organic Compounds and are they harmful when found in cleaning products? How do cleaning products impact on indoor air quality?
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are those substances that under ambient conditions evaporate into the atmosphere. VOCs are present in the atmosphere in their thousands and most are harmless. Cleaning Products and Air Fresheners do not release harmful levels of VOCs.
In fact, the largest proportion of VOCs found in households is attributed to smoking and other factors. Out-of-home activities such as filling a car with fuel, for example, release benzene into the air. There are numerous sources of VOCs.
There is no evidence that cleaning products or air fresheners, when used as directed, cause any adverse symptoms. Indoor air pollution is caused by other common activities and products but not by cleaning products, which in fact contribute to making the built environment in which we live and work pleasant and hygienic. More.
Do cleaning products cause or affect symptoms of asthma?
Asthma clinicians and other experts recognise that maintaining a clean living environment, in which cleaning products play an important role, helps minimise asthma symptoms.
Whilst numerous studies have reported statistical associations between working as a cleaner and the likelihood of having asthma or similar respiratory illness, the totality of available evidence does not indicate that cleaning products in some widespread way increase the risk of developing such conditions.
Adverse effects are likely to be mainly limited to the triggering of symptoms in existing sufferers - just as many minor irritations such as dust and cold air conditioning do. Adverse effects are much more likely to arise from product misuse or from accidents.
Consumer safety is fundamental to the UK Cleaning Products Industry (UKCPI), to a sound and ethical business and to the Industry’s social responsibility as producers of consumer products. All household cleaning products and air fresheners are designed to be safe and effective when used as directed.
Products are developed, tested and produced in line with stringent national and international regulations, and undergo thorough assessment by safety and regulatory experts before they are placed on the market. UKCPI Members fully support and pay heed to robust scientific research on the safety of household products.
Can cleaning products adversely affect the quality of the air in our homes?
According to the Department of Health Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants:
“there is no evidence to suggest that current UK domestic exposures to VOCs, either as individual chemicals or as a total, pose a risk to health.
The Institute for Environmental Health has reported that:
“the majority of individual VOCs that make up the spectrum of VOCs in the air of UK homes have no reported health effects, even at levels orders of magnitude higher than those found in homes”.
Several studies – such as the ALSPAC study - have been regularly reported in the media as showing that Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) may cause a range of symptoms or illnesses and these self-reported symptoms have been erroneously linked to household cleaning products when in fact no such causal link has been proven. In none of the peer-reviewed reports of these studies do the authors claim that they have shown use of cleaning products causes these effects.
Furthermore, some of the reports are based on mistaken assumptions that certain ingredients (such as benzene, toluene, xylene, chlorobenzenes etc) are used in products when they are not.
Most of the reports are based only on questionnaires about recalled frequency of use of certain ill-defined product types, with no actual measurement of quantities used, the way they were used, or time spent using them leading to accidental ‘bias’ and misinterpretation. More.
Is cleaning good for our health or can the chemicals in cleaning products be harmful?
Cleaning products have done much to contribute to not only a pleasant environment but, more fundamentally, to interiors that are safe and make a positive contribution to health, well-being and a reduction in infant mortality.
Despite these benefits, it is fashionable at present to suggest that detergents, cleaning products and air fresheners are chemical cocktails that aren’t good for us. This argument is often accompanied by an unfounded nostalgia for ‘Granny’s remedies’ which are thought to be simpler and therefore safer. In fact, old-fashioned methods of cleaning and laundering were often ineffective at best and extremely unpleasant to use, at worst. The facts are these:
- Everything is made of chemicals
The world and everything in it – whether living or not, natural or man-made - is made of chemicals. Everything is an assembly of atoms and molecules - different combinations of the 90-odd chemical elements, so the ‘natural’ versus ‘man-made’ distinction is essentially meaningless.
- Testing is rigorous
The substances, both natural and synthetic, from which detergents and cleaners are made, have been extensively tested. Before launch, the safety of finished products is systematically assessed to ensure they will be safe for people to use. Products must of course be used according to the manufacturers’ instructions.
Millions of people use these products safely and effectively every day. The result is products that are not just safe but much more effective, more efficient and easier to use than those Granny had to make do with.
- Labelling and legislation are stringent
There is an extensive array of EU and national legislation that controls all ingredients including the use and labelling of any hazardous substances that may be incorporated into products.
All substances can of course be toxic, depending on the dose. Many plants (think of foxgloves or rhubarb leaves for example) and even salt and water can kill if you eat or drink enough. The most toxic substance known [botulinus toxin] is a natural product. The key issue therefore is to assess the risk from exposure. This risk assessment is fundamental to the science on which product development and regulation is based.
- Allergies mainly due to natural substances
The vast majority of allergic reactions are to natural things - such as pollen, dust mites, cat allergens and proteins in various foods - although people can also become allergic to synthetic substances also.
Experts agree that the rise in allergies is not driven by greater exposure to allergens, nor is chemical exposure generally viewed as a significant factor.
- Safety assessments take children into account
Children have a lower body weight and this can reduce safe doses and there is a need to consider the possibility of subtle effects on development.
- Chemical ‘cocktails’, far from being unusual, are common
As every living thing is made of chemicals, life revolves around mixtures of chemicals, and exposure to such mixtures is nothing unusual. At any point in time, our bodies are full of ‘chemicals in transit’, mainly breakdown products of the natural substances in the foods we eat. The mere presence of a chemical in the body does not mean it is doing harm. Living cells are highly complex ‘chemical cocktails’ but since different substances exert toxic effects by different mechanism, the effects of different substances in a mixture normally don’t add up.
Are cleaning products based on ‘natural’ ingredients safer to use?
It is a common misconception that ‘natural’ ingredients are safer and more sustainable for the environment than those that are man-made. Modern cleaning products have done much to contribute to a pleasant and safe environment.
The potential for environmental harm depends not only on toxicity, but on two other key characteristics. These include:
- biodegradability - the ease at which the substance is broken down in sewage works or the environment;
and
- bioaccumulation - the extent to which the substance might concentrate, or build up, in the environment.
It cannot be said that natural substances are safer for the environment than man-made substances.
The facts are:
Everything is made of chemicals.
The world and everything in it – whether living, inert, natural or man-made - is made of chemicals.
Testing is rigorous.
Both natural and synthetic substances, from which detergents and cleaners are made, have been extensively tested before a product is placed on the market. The safety of finished products is systematically assessed which ensures that they are safe for both humans and the environment. More.