Environment Canada’s Environmental Choice Program introduces new certification criteria for CLEANING PRODUCTS with LOW POTENTIAL for ENVIRONMENTAL ILLNESS and ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION (PRC097)

While the products certified under the existing general purpose cleaner guideline ECP33 demonstrate overall industry leadership, environmental concerns beyond those specifically addressed in that guideline have arisen since 1998. These issues include:

• Potential contribution of cleaning product ingredients to environmental illnesses.

• Potential endocrine-disrupting properties of certain ingredients

• Environmental effects of Ethylene Oxide used in surfactant production

Institutional and household consumers understand that cleaners contribute to polluting our environment and may be harmful. They also want clear evidence of any claimed environmental benefit.

General purpose cleaners contain surfactants or wetting agents as the largest ingredient, usually non-ionic surfactants. Non Ionic surfactants are a class of surfactants, which includes Alkyl Phenols Ethoxylates and Alcohol Ethoxylates.

Both Alkyl Phenol and Alcohol Ethoxylates are manufactured by reaction with Ethylene Oxide a known carcinogen which also possess several other physical health hazards including acute toxicity, high reactivity and mutagenic effects, neurotoxicity, and sensitization.

Most manufactures of surfactants claim good biodegradation through a number of test methods including ready biodegradation and simulated waste treatment processes, yet surfactants still find their way into our aquatic ecosystem. Until recently waste treatment plants did not test for non-ionic surfactants either in the influent or the discharge of effluent from waste treatment plants.

Some non-ionic surfactants form new compounds as they degrade called recalcitrant metabolites and some metabolites are more toxic and persistent than the parent compound.

Some non-ionic surfactants have demonstrated the ability to affect the reproduction system of fish and wildlife. Many concerns have been raised about very low levels of contaminants and combined contaminants in the environment. The accepted term for synthetic chemical reaction with the reproduction systems is ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS.

The City of Toronto now limits the discharge of certain non-ionic surfactants and their metabolites into any drain. The restrictions are so low that the use of any cleaner containing any amount of these surfactants would likely cause the building owner to exceed allowable limits for effluent discharge and be liable to possible fines up to $50,000.

Consumers are responsible for the effluent discharge. Suppliers are not obligated to inform consumers whether products purchased contain these ingredients, not even on Material Safety Data Sheets. Therefore consumers will have to get verification from individual suppliers or they may be in violation of the sewer use by law. Consumers should not take for granted that large corporations do not use these ingredients.

Other ingredients in cleaning formulations, which have environmental effects, are phosphates, NTA and EDTA.

VOC’s, the portion of a cleaner that evaporates and becomes part of the air we breath pose a threat to chemically sensitive individuals and pollute indoor air which can be many times more contaminated than outdoor air.

Many people have developed sensitivities to many cleaning products including general-purpose cleaners containing non-ionic surfactants.

One of the best ways of evaluating if a product is environmentally preferable is third party verification and certification of environmental benefits. We recommend Environment Canada’s Environmental Choice Program and reviewing the specific criteria for certification.

ECOgent has cleaning products that are certified by the Environmental Choice Program as “Low Potential for Environmental Illness and Endocrine Disruption (PRC097)"

Now consumers can identify cleaning products specifically designed for use around chemically sensitive individuals and offer reduced potential for disrupting our natural environment.

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