Cleaning Product Databases Unveiled

People interested in knowing more about the ingredients in consumer cleaning products have access to two new online tools. The first is a database released by the American Cleaning Institute on Sept. 6 as part of the trade group’s Cleaning Product Ingredient Safety Initiative. The inventory contains more than 900 chemical ingredients used by ACI members in the manufacture of consumer cleaning products, which include hard-surface cleaners and laundry and dish care products. Each listing includes the unique ingredient name and Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number, if available. ACI next plans to identify publicly available hazard data in 2013 as part of its ingredient safety initiative. The second effort, released by the Environmental Working Group on Sept. 10, provides ingredient safety information on more than 2,000 household cleaners. In the database, EWG gives each cleaner a grade of A through F on the basis of the safety of the ingredients and the disclosure of contents. The 14-month effort by the group involved its staff reviewing each ingredient against 15 U.S. and international toxicity databases and scientific and medical literature.