How safe is commercial household disinfectants to be use at home?”
Clean freaks beware. A new study by a national environmental group links some chemicals found in everyday household disinfectants to asthma, hormone imbalances, and other health problems. The report by Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) — titled “Disinfectant Overkill: How Too Clean May Be Hazardous to Our Health” — cites more than 40 scientific studies that illustrate the health risks associated with chemicals found in kitchen cleaners, handy wipes, and other common cleaning products. “We don’t want to come out as group completely against disinfectants,” WVE’s staff scientist and report author Alexandra Scranton told ConsumerAffairs.com. “We want folks to have a different perspective and think before the using these (disinfectant) products and where they could use non-disinfectant cleaners. “Companies are working hard to convince consumers, and especially moms, that they need to regularly disinfect every surface in their homes
By far the most cost-effective home disinfectant is the commonly used chlorine bleach (a 5% solution of Sodium hypochlorite) which is effective against most common pathogens, including such difficult as organisms tuberculosis (mycobacterium tuberculosis), hepatitis B and C, fungi, and antibiotic-resistant strains of staphylococcus and enterococcus. It even has some disinfectant action against parasitic organisms [12]. Positives are that it kills the widest range of pathogens of any inexpensive disinfectant, is extremely powerful against viruses and bacteria at room temperature, is commonly available and inexpensive, and breaks down quickly into harmless components (primarily table salt and oxygen). Negatives are that it is caustic to the skin, lungs, and eyes (especially at higher concentrations); like many common disinfectants, it degrades in the presence of organic substances; it has a strong odor; it is not effective against Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium; and extreme caution m
