|
Living SpacesWhat Lurks in Your Laundry?
By Lisa
Turner
"Mountain fresh." "Spring rain."
"Ocean breeze." The names of laundry detergents and fabric
softeners sound gentle, safe, even comforting. But in spite of the
clean-and-natural terminology, mainstream laundry products actually
saturate your clothes in a wash of harsh, irritating, and possibly toxic
chemicals.
"What
are the short- and long-term health consequences of exposure to these
chemicals?" asks Jeffrey Hollander, author of Naturally Clean: The
Seventh Generation Guide to Safe and Healthy, Non-Toxic Cleaning (New
Society Publishers, 2005). "What happens inside our bodies when we
come into contact with multiple chemicals from multiple sources at the same
time? The fact is, we really don't know, since no government agency
requires research to determine the safety of household chemicals."
Conventional
laundry products contain a range of chemicals that irritate skin and eyes,
trigger allergic reactions and asthma, damage the environment, and may have
harmful long-term effects. Scientists suspect that some of these chemicals
cause cancer; others disrupt the endocrine system and interfere with the
reproductive health of both humans and wildlife. But most of these
chemicals haven't been tested for their long-term effects on humans. The
reason? Potentially harmful ingredients in laundry products enter the body
primarily via inhalation or skin contact, not ingestion.
"Chemicals
are generally tested for safety by feeding them to animals," says Theo
Colborn, PhD, a leading researcher on environmental toxins and coauthor of Our
Stolen Future (Penguin USA, 1997). "So the dermal and inhalation
effect of many chemicals has never been studied. Safety tests don't address
the way we're usually exposed to chemicals: not by drinking them, and not
in large quantities, but by touching them or inhaling the fumes in small
quantities, in repeated doses, and over a long period of time."
We also
come into contact with some of these harsh chemicals through residues left
in clothing, towels, sheets, and other washables. "Clothing is up
against your skin all day, you lie under your sheets all night, you rub
towels all over your body," says Karyn Siegel-Maier, author of The
Naturally Clean Home (Storey, 1999). "There's a lot of
exposure-and a lot of opportunity for irritation and harmful effects."
Dirty
laundry
Experts suspect many ingredients in laundry products of causing long-term
harm, as well as immediate and direct reactions, especially allergies and
skin, lung, and eye irritation. Here are some dirty cleaning products to
watch out for:
- Surfactants. These compounds, which
create bubbles and suds in laundry detergents, carry such potential
for harm that many European countries have banned them. The most
commonly used surfactants, alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs), classify
as endocrine disruptors. Scientists have linked endocrine disruptors
with many adverse health effects, including decreased sperm counts and
increased risk of testicular cancer. Especially dangerous to the
developing fetus, these substances also may affect the urogenital
tract and nervous system. What's more, experts suspect endocrine
disruptors of "programming" the function of the uterus in
the developing fetus, which can lead to infertility and cancer later
in life. Green alternative: Surfactants derived from corn, coconut,
and soy create gentle sudsing action and have much less impact on the
environment and human health.
- Chlorine. Found in laundry bleach
and some detergents, chlorine irritates the lungs, eyes, and mucous
membranes. We inhale chlorine when we use bleach in a washing machine
with hot water, because the vapor it forms is dispersed into the air
and then into our noses; we also inhale a certain amount just by
opening the bottle or box. Even at very low concentrations, bleach can
trigger respiratory disorders, asthma attacks, and even neurological
and behavioral effects. Green alternative: Hydrogen peroxide, which
breaks down into water and oxygen, or sodium percarbonate, made by
combining hydrogen peroxide with the nontoxic mineral sodium
carbonate, brighten your whites as effectively as chlorine.
- Fragrances. The chemicals that give
mainstream laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets
their fresh scent can irritate skin, cause allergic reactions, trigger
asthma, and harm the nervous system. Some ingredients used in
fragrances are also known carcinogens. What's more, studies link the
phthalates in some fragrances with malformations of the penis and
testes in male infants. Phthalates quickly build up in indoor air, and
exposure via inhalation can have serious health effects. Green
alternative: Natural essential oils and citrus oils add a fresh, light
scent to laundry, without irritating skin or causing harmful
reactions.
- Dryer sheets. Some of the chemicals that
saturate dryer sheets (chloroform, camphor, and ethyl acetate, for
instance) appear on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list and can cause
nervous system disorders. And because dryer sheets enter the scene
after the rinse cycle, the chemicals permeate clothing, sheets, and
towels, meaning we're exposed to them for long periods of time. Green
alternative: Wash-cycle natural fabric softeners contain
vegetable-based softeners and essential oils to make clothes soft and
naturally fragrant.
- Optical brighteners. Chemicals that brighten or
whiten fabrics coat the surface of fabrics with fluorescent particles
that act like mirrors and reflect visible light. Many come from benzene,
a highly toxic compound and carcinogen that harms wildlife and the
environment and can cause allergic reactions when it comes into
contact with the skin. Green alternative: Natural enzyme cultures
remove stains safely and effectively, and hydrogen peroxide brightens
clothes without harmful chlorine.
While
natural laundry products cost a bit more than conventional brands, they're
well worth it. And they're not as pricey as you might think. For example,
if you do one load of laundry a day, and you're currently using
conventional detergent, bleach, stain remover and dryer sheets, you're
probably spending about $15 a month on laundry products. In most cases,
switching to natural laundry detergent, fabric softener, bleach and stain
remover will add a little more than $10 to your monthly budget.
The best
advice for a healthy washer and dryer? Toss out the toxic surfactants,
chlorine, perfume, and brighteners and stick to the natural stuff. When you
do your next load of laundry, it may be the first time your clothes,
sheets, and towels will ever truly be clean.
Pantry
Solutions
If you want to really know what's in your laundry products, try making them
at home with common household ingredients. Wash clothes with 1 cup of
baking soda instead of detergents; 1/2 cup of vinegar added to the rinse
cycle softens fabrics and helps remove any detergent residues from laundry.
And a few drops of lavender or citrus oil added to the wash cycle gently
scents and freshens clothes. (But take note: They can also stain white fabrics.)
Our
Picks
Think natural laundry products can't pack a stain-fighting punch? We found
cause to believe otherwise after testing several eco-friendly selections.
Here are some that really knocked our socks off.
Laundry
detergents
Bi-O-Kleen Laundry Liquid with coconut-based surfactants
and water conditioners, linear ethoxilate from coconut, grapefruit seed
extract, orange peel extract and anti-redeposit agents from corn. (www.bi-o-kleen.com)
Citra-Suds Powder with natural citrus extracts,
vegetable-based surfactants, sodium percarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium
silicate, carboxymethylcellulose and natural enzymes. (http://citra-solv.com)
Eco-Products Boulder Laundry Detergent with
vegetable-derived soaps and citrus degreaser. (www.ecoproducts.com)
Ecover Delicate Wash with vegetable oil surfactants, vegetable oil
based soap, salt and citric acid. (www.ecover.com/us/en)
Mountain Green Liquid Laundry Detergent with vegetable-based
surfactants and natural citrus fragrance. (www.mtngreen.com)
Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent with naturally
derived cleaning agents (corn and coconut-based surfactants and glycerin),
enzymes, natural water softener, borax (alkalinity builder for enhanced
performance), citrus oil, and other natural ingredients. (www.seventhgeneration.com)
Stain
removers
Bi-O-Kleen Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator with natural enzyme
cultures, food grade lime extract and vegetable based surfactants. (www.bi-o-kleen.com)
Citra-Spot Enzymatic Stain & Odor Remover with natural
enzymes, natural bacterial cultures, biodegradable surfactant and
d-limonene. (http://citra-solv.com)
Ecover Stain Remover with vegetable based soap, sugar-based
surfactants, glycerin, and natural acids derived from sugar. (www.ecover.com/us/en)
Fabric
softeners
Eco-Products Natural Fabric Softener with canola and soy
derivatives and a natural wildflower fragrance. (www.ecoproducts.com)
Ecover Fabric Softener with vegetable oil surfactants, salt, and
natural fragrances. (www.ecover.com/us/en)
Mountain Green Liquid Fabric Softener with vegetable based
softeners and lavender essential oil. (www.mtngreen.com)
Natural Choices Safe 'N Soft Fabric Softener with vegetable based
surfactants. (www.oxyboost.com/index.html)
Seventh Generation Natural Fabric Softener with soy and lavender
oil. (www.seventhgeneration.com)
Chlorine-free
bleach
Bi-O-Kleen Oxygen Bleach Plus with percarbonate oxygen bleach,
natural clays, and vegetable fiber chelators. (www.bi-o-kleen.com)
Ecover Non-Chlorine Bleach with hydrogen peroxide and
water. (www.ecover.com/us/en)
Natural Choices Oxy-Boost Oxygen Bleach with sodium percarbonate
and sodium carbonate. (www.oxyboost.com/index.html)
|