Do you know what’s in the cleaning products under your sink? Chances are — you have no idea. Try as I might to make better choices, I certainly don’t.
From offices to restaurants and even our homes, cleaning products are used in just about every part of our lives. But unlike food, cosmetics, and drugs, manufacturers are not required to disclose ingredients in all those products. Without any laws requiring ingredient disclosure, consumers are left in the dark when it comes to purchasing cleaning products they believe to be safe for their families, or their employees.
That’s why CLCV is supporting the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act — because we all have the right to know what’s in our cleaning products.
You can bet that lobbyists for large chemical companies will want to keep their ingredients a secret. If no one knows how hazardous their products might be, they can continue to use the cheapest ingredients instead of safer alternatives.
And while they’re looking out for their bottom line, we need to be looking out for the health of our families.
When I’m looking for laundry detergent (which happens more often than you might think), I’m faced with a million choices: extra soft, color-saving, spot remover, oxygen-activated — but while manufacturers spend all their energy trying to sell me on why their product is better, without ingredient disclosure I’ll never know which product is safer.
But the health impacts are even worse for the professionals who use these cleaning products every day. It’s more than laundry detergent and window cleaner, it’s daily exposure to unknown — potentially dangerous — chemicals. Whether you spend your day surrounded by household cleaners or not, everyone deserves to work free from exposure to unknown dangers, and to know what steps are needed to protect themselves.
We can make our homes and workplaces a safer place for all of us. But that starts with passing this important legislation. Add your name today and urge your Assembly member to act:
