What's Hiding In Your Laundry

Conventional laundry products contain a range of chemicals that irritate skin and eyes, trigger allergic reactions and asthma, damage the environment, and may have harmful long-term effects. Scientists suspect that some of these chemicals cause cancer; others disrupt the endocrine system and interfere with the reproductive health of both humans and wildlife. But most of these chemicals never been tested for their long-term effects on humans. They are tested for safety by feeding them to animals, So the dermal and inhalation effect of many chemicals has never been studied.

Ingredients in laundry products cause long-term harm, as well as immediate and direct reactions, especially allergies and skin, lung, and eye irritation.

Here are some of the chemicals and the degree of their toxicity :

Surfactants are referred to as wetting agents and foamers. Short for surface-active agent. Surfactants are one of the major components of cleaning products, they do the basic work of breaking up stains and keeping the dirt in the water solution to prevent re-deposition of the dirt onto the surface from which it has just been removed. Surfactants from synthetic origin are known as petro-chemicals and are derived from petroleum. These compounds, which create bubbles and suds in laundry detergents, carry such potential for harm that many European countries have banned them. The most commonly used surfactants, alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs) has many adverse health effects, including decreased sperm counts and increased risk of testicular cancer. Especially dangerous to the developing fetus, these substances also may affect the nervous system.

Chlorine is a powerful oxidant found in laundry bleach and some detergents it is especially harmful to organisms living in water and in soil. Chlorine is toxic to mucous membranes because it dissolves them, causing the chlorine gas to end up in the blood vessels. Chlorine gas is highly corrosive when it contacts moist tissues such as the eyes, skin, and upper respiratory tract. We inhale chlorine when we use bleach in a washing machine with hot water, because the vapor it forms is dispersed into the air and then into our noses; we also inhale a certain amount just by opening the bottle or box. Bleach can trigger respiratory disorders, asthma attacks and is among carcinogens.

Fragrances. The chemicals that give laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets their fresh scent can irritate skin, allergic reactions, trigger asthma, and harm the nervous system. Some ingredients used in fragrances are also known carcinogens. What's more, studies link the phthalates in some fragrances with malformations of the penis and testes in male infants. Phthalates quickly build up in indoor air, inhalation can have serious health effects.

Dryer sheets are gauze-like tissues about the size of a Kleenex, put into clothes dryers to eliminate static cling, soften clothes and add artificial fragrance. They are coated with positively charged substances that rub off on the clothes in the dryer in the presence of heat. Because Dryer sheets enter the scene after the rinse cycle, they are designed to stay on clothing for a long period of time and slowly release their chemicals throughout the day, which leads to prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals. Some of the chemicals that saturate dryer sheets (chloroform, camphor, and ethyl acetate, for instance) appear on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list and can cause nervous system disorders.

Optical brighteners. The detergents that promise to make the laundry "whiter than white" usually contain optical brighteners, acting as phosphors that convert some ultraviolet radiation to blue light and optically offset the yellowing of the material. Chemicals that brighten or whiten fabrics coat the surface of fabrics with fluorescent particles that act like mirrors and reflect visible light. Many are made from benzene, a highly toxic compound and carcinogen that endanger wildlife and the environment and can cause allergic reactions when it comes into contact with the skin.

We also come into contact with some of these harsh chemicals through residues left in clothing, towels, sheets, and other washables. Typical laundry detergents can contain up to 50% zeolites which act as an abrasive to work stains out of clothing. Zeolites also damage the fibers in clothing, causing them to break down much faster. Detergents never fully rinse from clothing after a wash cycle and continue to build up and can cause fabric to lose brightness, become mat and deteriorate.

If you do one load of laundry a day, and you're currently using conventional detergent, bleach, stain remover and dryer sheets, you're probably spending about $25-$45 a month on laundry products.

The best advice for a healthy wash? Toss out the toxic surfactants, chlorine, perfume, and brighteners . When you do your next load of laundry, it may be the first time your clothes, sheets, and towels will ever truly be clean and fluffy.

Think doing laundry without harsh chemicals impossible? Here is something that will really knock your socks off.

http://www.CleanPureLaundry.com
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