We have altogether grown accustomed with sanitizing our homes, workplaces, and bodies aimed at vanquishing every last germ that crosses our paths. You can find these products displayed on the shelves in groceries, supermarkets, hardware stores and variety stores. In Trinidad and Tobago, little is being propagated regarding the harmful effects of cleaning chemicals. While using these products may sound like a good plan at first glance—after all, we are of the view that all germs are determined to make us unwell. However, before we reach for another bottle of sweet smelling cleaner for residential or commercial use, we should ask several important questions.
In Norway for example, scientists recently released a ground-breaking 20-year study consisting of more than 6,000 participants that revealed a clear link between toxic cleaning products use on a daily basis and the risk of developing lung diseases. The more often these cleaners are used, researchers discovered, the more serious the effects to the lungs of those using them.
Persons who worked as professional cleaners often suffered the most, incurring as much lung damage as would be expected in someone smoking 20 cigarettes every day, the study revealed.
Many of the strong chemical ingredients in today’s cleaning products were put there specifically for their antimicrobial properties. Some of these harmful ingredients, such as parabens, ammonia, chlorine bleach, QUATS, Triclosan, and triclocarban, are absorbed through the skin in varying degrees—and once inside your body, they may upset your delicate microbial balance. But the manufacturers do not say that on the bottles nor do they give this information in their advertisements. Harmful chemicals in window cleaners, oven cleaners, disinfectants, hand-soaps, toilet bowl cleaners, and deodorizers have harmful effects on the human body and can, particularly if mixed, severely affect the lungs and ability for a person to breathe.
It is no secret and the records are there to prove it that chemicals such as Triclosan and triclocarban have turn up in human blood, mucus, and even breast milk—and they’re so prevalent that it’s estimated the odds are about 40% that they are in our body, too. The fact that these dangerous ingredients get into breast milk is particularly disturbing: one study found that the gut microbiomes of both nursing moms and babies were affected by Triclosan exposure, driving home how important it is to protect our guts by being mindful not only of what goes into our mouths, but also what we interact with in our environment.
Experts continue to reveal and organizations such as IJCSA continue to postulate the importance of green cleaning and the effects toxic chemicals on the environment. It is no mystery that toxic cleaning chemicals can easily find their way into soil, air, and water, and animal studies highlight the damaging potential for our planet’s wildlife. Zebrafish fed a diet infused with Triclosan experienced a dramatic alteration of their microbiomes after only four days. And when female rats were exposed to Triclosan during pregnancy and while nursing, both moms and pups developed gut dysbiosis.
Conclusively, there are sufficient evidence to support the claims that occupational diseases are linked to the uses of many of these cleaning products sitting on the shelves in our stores. Whether it is North America, Europe, South and Central America or in the Caribbean, the harmful effects are the same. Thankfully, the earth is taking steps to preserve itself by raising up conscious and environmentally friendly partners to join the army of green cleaning soldiers which can be found lodged in the database of the International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association (IJCSA). The uses of green chemicals have little or no harmful effects on the human body and nature as a whole when compared with the effects of hazardous chemicals. The list of conscious and ready-to-go green cleaning companies can be found here: https://www.ijcsa.org/Green-Cleaning-Services
