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Household cleaner chemicals become harmful to the environment when they wash down the drain. The “Caution,” “Warning,” and “Danger,” symbols on the containers are there for a reason: the manufacturer is legally required to alert you to the fact that the product is toxic.
This fall as you’re shopping for household cleaning supplies, look for “Read the Label First!” educational shelf-talker displays designed to guide you to making non-toxic, environmentally-friendly purchasing decisions on cleaning products. The displays help you make a more informed choice by letting you know what these chemicals are, how they affect you, and how they affect our environment. Did you know, for example, that alkylphenol
ethoxylates, or APEs, which are used as surfactants and degreasers in hundreds of household cleaning products, can cause cancer cells to proliferate and can disrupt the endocrine systems of fish, birds, and mammals when they degrade in water into highly toxic compounds? Or did you know that high concentrations of ammonia in Boulder Creek have caused the Boulder County government to recently undertake remedial action?
Look for the “Read the Label First!” campaign in several Boulder County retail stores. Read the Label First! is an effort of the Boulder County Health Department, Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE), and Eco-Cycle. Shelf-talkers and Eco-Cycle’s “Household Toxics: A Safe Environment Begins at Home” alternative cleaning recipes booklet can be found in these participating stores: 30th Street Market (Boulder); McGuckin Hardware (Boulder); Target (Boulder); Safeway (28th and Arapahoe, Boulder), King Soopers (all Boulder County stores), Budget Home Center (Longmont), Costco (Louisville), Sam’s Club (Louisville), Wal-Mart (Lafayette), and B & F Superfoods (Nederland). Let’s help make “clean” mean safe and clean for the environment too!
So get ready to break out the champagne and party hats! The new Recyclables Processing Center is set to become operational in July 2001, and Eco-Cycle will finally, after 25 years, be processing your recyclables inside a building.
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Chemicals in household cleaning products are among the most toxic compounds found in the home. In fact, the typical home today contains more chemicals than the chemical factories of 100 years ago. Although many products have a benign image and promote the ideal of a clean and germ-free counter, floor, or toilet, using these products can expose your family to toxins through inhalation, absorption through the skin, or through ingestion when food or beverages come in contact with a surface cleaned with a toxic product.