UW Study Finds Harmful Toxins in Common Household Items
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A University of Washington study has found that detergents, air fresheners and laundry sheets contain troublesome amounts of potentially harmful chemicals, some of which can cause cancer or harm respiratory, reproductive, neurological or other organ systems. There’s no way for you to know if you’re exposing your family to dangerous toxins, because manufacturers aren’t required to list all their ingredients.
Industry representatives insist their products are closely regulated. Chris Cathcart, president of the Consumer Specialty Products Association, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that the chemicals in question "are not present in the products at levels deemed hazardous under the law. Given the limited space on product labels, it is important to include the relevant information consumers need to make intelligent use, storage and disposal decisions.”
