A load of greenwashing: Some 'eco' household products are more toxic and less degradable

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-09-08 17:01

International

Credit: Greenwash Guerillas https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotdmike/albums/72157606204130375

'Green' laundry detergents, all-purpose cleaners, insecticides, and toothpaste can be more toxic and less degradable than their conventional counterparts, according to US scientists. They tested six green products - an all‐purpose cleaner, a dish detergent, a mouthwash, an insecticide, a laundry detergent, and a dishwasher gel - and compared them with two conventional products from each category. They tested toxicology by exposing freshwater organisms to the products, namely daphnids and grass shrimps, and the products were also tested to see how quickly they degraded and how toxic the degraded products were. For daphnids, half the green products (mouthwash, laundry detergent, and dishwasher gel ) were more toxic than conventional products, and just two green products (dish detergent and dishwasher gel) became less toxic on degrading (33.3%), compared with 87.5% of the conventional products. For grass shrimp, only one green product (insecticide) was less toxic than conventional products, and green laundry detergent was more toxic than either conventional product. Following degradation, none of the green product formulations became less toxic, while 44.4% of the conventional products did.

Media release

From: Wiley

Are “green” household consumer products less toxic than traditional products?

To reduce the environmental impacts related to the manufacturing and disposal of household consumer products (HCPs)—such as laundry detergents, all-purpose cleaners, insecticides, and toothpaste—several companies are marketing “green” product formulations. New research published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry demonstrates that green HCPs are not necessarily less toxic or more degradable than their conventional counterparts, however.

Analyses revealed that compared with conventional formulations, some formulations of green products were less toxic, some were similar, and some were even more toxic. These findings applied for tests run both before and after degradation of the products.

“Although the study itself is rooted in aquatic toxicology, it has broader implications in fields related to marketing, consumer behavior, and economics,” said corresponding author Austin Gray, PhD, of Virginia Tech.

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Journal/
conference: Environmental Toxicology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University, USA

Funder: Funding for this project was provided through a Faculty Research Grant from The Citadel Foundation to J. Weinstein.

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