When it comes to natural cleaning products, I've been a fan for a while now. My theory: Why be forced to inhale a bunch of harsh chemicals when some good old fashioned elbow grease works just as well? Now, a new study is shedding light on the potential risk of conventional cleaning products, and it's not pretty ...
According to a new study published this week in the journal Environmental Health, regular use of some cleaning products including air fresheners and mold removers doubled the risk of developing breast cancer. (Yikes--I'm glad I switched to this healthier bathroom cleaner!)
While they don't name product names, the researchers believe that some of the ingredients found in common household cleaners and air fresheners may contain "endocrine disrupting chemicals" or "mammary gland carcinogens." (Oddly, mothballs, pesticides and insect repellents showed little effect on breast cancer risk, though researchers say more study is needed.)
The study isn't entirely without flaw, however, as the hundreds of women who were interviewed had to recall some of their cleaning product usage over the past decade from memory--never a good gauge for accuracy. And, as you can imagine, the cleaning product industry isn't happy with this news:
"Simply put, this research is rife with innuendo and speculation about the safety of cleaning products and their ingredients," said Richard Sedlak, the American Cleaning Industry's senior vice president of Technical and International Affairs, in a press release. "This is all based on the most cursory look at the scientific literature and the recollection of breast cancer survivors as to the products they used 15 to 20 years ago."
Still, I'm happy to continue to use greener cleaning products, both because they're good for the planet and because they don't make me sneeze, cough or have chest pains afterward. Plus, the possibility of lowering my breast cancer risk is icing on the cake.
Do you use natural cleaning products? What are your favorites?
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