By Deirdre Imus
Now that spring has arrived, it’s time to freshen up our homes for the warmer days ahead. For many of us, this means washing windows, clearing out clutter, and deep cleaning surfaces high and low.
All of this activity, however, can be unhealthy, especially for children. Conventional cleaning products often list only “active” ingredients on the label, omitting other potentially harmful “inactive” ingredients. Traditional cleaners can be a cocktail of synthetic chemicals – including artificial fragrances - that have not been adequately tested for safety on human health. We now know that small, everyday exposures may have cumulative health affects. The Environmental Working Group’s Body Burden Study documents the toxic legacy of these everyday exposures absorbed by our bodies (
http://www.ewg.org).
The good news is cleaning house doesn’t have to mean sacrificing our health. There are many safe, non-toxic products now available. The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® has developed a product line free of carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, and endocrine disruptors (definitions below). And all products work as well or better than conventional brands. Used in hospitals, airports, government buildings, schools and businesses, the institutional line can take on any cleaning challenge. As a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), all profits from the sale of the Greening the Cleaning® institutional products go into research for cancer and other health related issues concerning children.
Additionally, the All Purpose Cleaner and Glass Cleaner are available for home use at retail stores nationwide, with Laundry Detergent and Hand Dish Soap coming soon. 100% of all after tax profits from the sale of retail products go to The Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer in Ribera, New Mexico. For more on Greening the Cleaning®, visit
www.imusenvironmentalhealth.org.
Glossary
Carcinogen– Any substance that can cause or contribute to the
production of cancer.*
Mutagen – An agent that causes a permanent genetic change in a cell other than that which occurs during normal growth. Mutagenicity is the capacity of a chemical or physical agent to cause such permanent changes. *
Teratogen – A substance capable of causing birth defects. *
Endocrine disruptors/hormone mimics – Environmental exposure to some anthropogenic chemicals, also known as endocrine disruptors or hormone mimics, may result in the disruption of endocrine systems in human and wildlife populations.
* Source: U.S Environmental Protection Agency, Terminology Reference System (http://www.epa.gov/trs/)