Why Eco-friendly Cleaners?
You probably already know that clean water, the environment, and a safe home are important, but if you would like some more related information, see below.
- Clean water is essential for life.
- Chemicals add pollutants and toxins to your home.
- The average American home has 3-10 gallons of hazardous materials. (Children’s Health Environmental Coalition)
- More and more people are suffering from asthma. Cleaning chemicals have proven to be a trigger in children according to two different studies: University in Bristol, UK and the Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia.
- Nationwide more than 32 million pounds of household cleaning products are poured down the drain each day. Many of these products contain toxic substances that are not adequately processed by sewage treatment plants and septic systems. (Maryland Cooperative Extension)
- Chemicals in household cleaners break down slowly in the ecosystem and can lead to harmful algae blooms and accumulation of toxins in the fatty tissues of fish and wildlife. (Clean and Green, Bond and Dadd)
- The U.S. government has not conducted even basic toxicity testing for about 75 percent of the 15,000 high volume chemicals in commercial use. More than 90 percent of these high volume chemicals have not been tested for health effects on children. (Children’s Health Environmental Coalition)
- According to the EPA, levels of pollutants in indoor air can be from two to more than 100 times higher than outdoors.
- Fifty percent of all illnesses are caused by or aggravated by polluted indoor air. (American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
- Approximately 15 percent of the American population suffers from chemical sensitivity. Researchers have traced this proliferation to synthetic chemicals in consumer products and furnishings. (National Academy of Sciences)
- Over 150 chemicals found in the average home have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities. (Consumer Product Safety Commission)
- The World Health Organization states that over a billion people do not have access to clean water for drinking and over two billion do not have access to clean water for sanitation. As predictions of population growth materialize, the threat to significant numbers of the earths population will only increase. A thoroughly orchestrated campaign to minimize water contamination and preserve clean water resources is necessary. (Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute)