Here’s a small list of some of the more troublesome ingredients in common laundry detergent:
- Water
- Phosphates
- Nonylphenol polyethoxylate (a surfactant that breaks down into an estrogen mimic)1
- Chlorine Bleach
- Lye
- Ammonia
- Phenols
- Fillers
- Other toxic chemicals
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1995745This is not even a complete list. Manufacturers of laundry detergent and other products are not required to list every ingredient on the label. An ingredient listed as “fragrance” can actually refer to several hundred chemicals, many of which are hazardous.
3 The chemicals used in fragrances have been known to irritate skin, trigger asthma attacks and a host of other complications. The act of simply purchasing laundry detergent could be putting your entire family at risk! And it isn’t just the washing machine. Investigators have discovered over 29 unique volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in dryer vent emissions, some of which are known human carcinogens.
Doing the laundry should not be a health risk, yet the harmful characteristics of some of the ingredients present in laundry detergents include; toxicity that “may cause cancer or other adverse health effects in humans,” toxicity that may lead to “developmental and reproductive effects,” ingredients that may cause “severe irritation or burns to living tissue,” toxicity to aquatic wildlife (after the chemicals have washed down the drain and polluted natural water sources), and metalized colorants that present environmental concerns. It is this alarming lack of transparency in the marketplace that has resulted in the US Environmental Protection Agency offering Safer Choice options to help build awareness and encourage people to ditch the chemicals that are toxic to humans.