Stinky Laundry: Toxic Detergent

Yesterday when I opened my back door I almost got knocked out by the most overwhelming detergent smell I've ever confronted! My very kind & lovable landlady hang dries her clothes on a line just like me, only she uses regular store bought detergent rather then a natural alternative. Not only does regular detergent out gas the most noxious smell even when used in small amounts, but this was like half the box had been dumped in for a one load of clothes. Just trying to walk past the eco savvy drying line of pretty colors was like swimming through a bottle of perfume designed to make you pass out.

What really worries me about products like this being sold to the public is that they are being sold without an ingredients list and under the false pretence that they are regulated and safe. These companies have no one watching over them, chemical additives in detergents and dryer sheets include hazardous substances that are known carcinogens as described by the EPA. The main problem is lack of government regulation on selling toxic chemical based products- and worse the lack of public education about what products we use in our daily lives. This lack of education is compounded by the "trust" consumers put into companies because of the marketing tactics used in advertising & the cheap prices. (Since my BFF is an important guy in an advertising firm, I have learned first hand many of their tactics to get the public to trust and therefore buy- it always will just be hype.)

Still think they wouldn't sell us "rainforest" scented detergent unless it was OK? Think again...check out how the EPA has set up the Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative (SDSI) in order to try and recognize and catalogue the detergents that are safest for you and the environment. "Safer surfactants are surfactants that break down quickly to non-polluting compounds and help protect aquatic life in both fresh and salt water. Nonylphenol ethoxylates, commonly referred to as NPEs, are an example of a surfactant class that does not meet the definition of a safer surfactant." What poisons aquatic life poisons all life, but since most brands won't list their ingredients you would never know you "clean" your clothes in poison.

Unsafe detergents not only literally stink causing asthma and allergy reactions, but they also are seeping into your skin - so you might not get a rash or blemishes but as the toxic load builds up these types of chems can later cause other chronic illnesses. Many fragrances are also known neurotoxins and I am convinced that the reason my landlady calls me lisa, laura, lindsey, lizza, and every 'L' name but Leslie when she sees me is because she lives in a foggy cloud of detergent & perfume poison that has chems known to funk out our critical thinking skills, fog our thoughts, and some are even engineered to trigger brain functions that make us want to buy things!

Clothes actually need very little if any soap to get them clean, the washer (machine, wonder wash or hands) do most of the real work. A washer repair man once told me you only need a few drops of soap and that "they only tell you that you need more so you'll buy more." Now that is as economical on price as you can get- a box of natural detergent could last you a long time! There are natural alternatives at most healthy groceries - but even a little baking soda or a drop a vinegar will get the job done. Smelling like an artificial flower is not smelling clean...
real clean smells like the sun!

Happy Washing! :)

To Read about specific ingredients of detergents and their effects GO HERE.

How Clean is Coal? Coal Ash Spill in Tennessee

The following is my personal observation of the recent pollution disaster that happened just around the bend from where I live.

This morning when I woke up I smelled something horrible, kind of like exhaust, raw gasoline, beer and burned poison... so strong I had to shut my windows to keep from gagging. When I tried to enjoy the sunny day outside I got nauseous, lethargic, and seizure prone. I decided to ask some local friends over email whether they could smell something terrible outside too, and I got mail back saying that everyone had "headaches" and it was probably connected to the TN Coal Ash disaster (with link). WTF? I looked it up and there it was... one of the grossest pollution stories I have ever heard since the Exxon Valdez spill.

"The spill at the utility’s Harriman Fossil Plant deluged more than 300 acres of rural Roane County, destroying three homes and damaging 42 other properties. In nearby Kingston, that raised fears of fouled water and air, while 13 families wait to see if their homes can be salvaged, said Carolyn Brewer, finance director for the city of 5,300. The sludge-like spill, a mixture of water and residue from burned coal, escaped from a 40-acre holding pond after a retaining wall burst last week."

What infuriates me besides the fact that the air outside is tainted like we are living inside a can of roach spray, is that "authorities" have already tried to dumb down the implications of such a disaster.

Here is the conflict between a big corporation cover up and reality:
"...in just one year, the plant’s byproducts included 45,000 pounds of arsenic, 49,000 pounds of lead, 1.4 million pounds of barium, 91,000 pounds of chromium and 140,000 pounds of manganese. Those metals can cause cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, among other health problems. And the holding pond, at the Kingston Fossil Plant, a T.V.A. plant 40 miles west of Knoxville, contained many decades’ worth of these deposits...
*
For days, authority officials have maintained that the sludge released in the spill is not toxic..."
(VIA NY Times)

And then there's this...
"The authority has been using backhoes and heavy equipment to clean up the ash and is building weirs, or underwater dams, to try to keep it from traveling downstream. Officials do not have an estimate of the cost of the cleanup or how long it will take, said a spokeswoman, Catherine Mackey...
*
Mr. Smith also criticized the agency for increasing the flow of the Tennessee River to keep the ash from approaching the drinking water intake for Kingston, a town a half-mile up from the confluence of the Clinch and the Tennessee. “They’re actually moving the stuff further downstream, in order to protect the drinking supply at Kingston,” he said. "
(VIA NY Times)

They are moving kind of slow on water testing too...
"Samples taken at the site of the spill in Harriman, 35 miles southwest of Knoxville, “slightly exceed” the standards for some metals, according to a statement from the Tennessee Valley Authority, owner of the coal power plant where the Dec. 22 accident occurred. Results from well-water and air tests won’t be known until later this week, the utility said....
*
A test for heavy metals in water, soil or sediment should take two to eight hours, said Peter Schulert, the chief executive of the Environmental Science Corporation, an environmental laboratory near Nashville. “There’s no reason why you couldn’t have the results within a day,” Mr. Schulert said.... "
(And that fact is making people mad, rightfully so!)
“They think that the public is stupid, that they can’t put two and two together,” said Sandy Gupton, a registered nurse who hired an independent firm to test the spring water on her family’s 300-acre farm, now sullied by sludge from the spill. “It took five days for the T.V.A. to respond to us.”

They (whoever this "authority" is) tries to make it sound like it's not such a big deal, if you happen to come in contact with this sludge bi-product then just give your hands a little wash. NO advice on what to do when you are breathing it, since there's no brilliant soapy water solution.
"Authorities are testing air quality in the area and “currently evaluating the potential for health effects,” the agencies said in the TVA’s statement. Anyone who touches soil, sediments or water affected by the spill should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water and wash clothes separately from other items, according to the statement. "
(VIA Bloomberg)

So do we all get government distributed respirators too, so that we might be able to breathe safely without getting sick? Big corporations are big babies (ego centric to a fault) - they can never admit when they have done something wrong, they give heartless apologies and keep counting their dollars while all of us sit here breathing polluted air and people's homes, land and water are destroyed. They worry over being sued when they should be sued for any damage they may try to weasel their way out of covering. But really, how can you compensate fully for someone's sludged home and health?

Eco Peeve Friday: Perfume

Did you know that conventionally made perfume is totally a toxic soup of chems that contain compounds hazardous enough to be on the EPA's bad list for over 20 years? I don't need a scientist to tell me that perfume is unhealthy though, one whiff of that perty lady in front of me in line at the post office and I am about to gag. I have tried holding my breath but the moment of horror comes when I finally need to breathe again and have to take a HUGE inhale of the smell I was trying to avoid. Ahh! Maybe it's just me but I prefer a little B.O. wafting around the room over the artificial flowery smell that makes me feel like I've be locked in grandmaw's closet. I seriously wondered how so many people can even stand to wear perfume till I learned about certain toxic fragrance ingredients doing paralysis tricks on your smell-ability - aka, people wear a shit ton of perfume cause they can no longer smell it, and keep lathering on more. Maybe this explains why old people wear the strongest smelling fragrances since year after year of perfume abuse has deadened their nose... (but this certainly doesn't explain why teenage boys slobber on too much Cologne to no avail!) I doubt I am the only one who feels attacked by other people's artificial smells- can't we all just go stylin' perfume free and heart our personal aroma?!!

For those of you who enjoy scientific hypochondriac gross chemical lists, here's one based on a study done by the EPA on fragrance products:

"1. ACETONE (in: cologne, dishwashing liquid and detergent, nail enamel remover)
On EPA, RCRA, CERCLA Hazardous Waste lists. "Inhalation can cause dryness of the mouth and throat; dizziness, nausea, incoordination, slurred speech, drowsiness, and, in severe exposures, coma." "Acts primarily as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant."
2. BENZALDEHYDE (in: perfume, cologne, hairspray, laundry bleach, deodorants, detergent, vaseline lotion, shaving cream, shampoo, bar soap, dishwasher detergent)
Narcotic. Sensitizer. "Local anesthetic, CNS depressant"... "irritation to the mouth, throat, eyes, skin, lungs, and GI tract, causing nausea and abdominal pain." "May cause kidney damage." "Do not use with contact lenses."
3. BENZYL ACETATE (in: perfume, cologne, shampoo, fabric softener, stickup air freshener, dishwashing liquid and detergent, soap, hairspray, bleach, after shave, deodorants)
Carcinogenic (linked to pancreatic cancer); "From vapors: irritating to eyes and respiratory passages, exciting cough." "In mice: hyperanemia of the lungs." "Can be absorbed through the skin causing systemic effects." "Do not flush to sewer."
4. BENZYL ALCOHOL (in: perfume, cologne, soap, shampoo, nail enamel remover, air freshener, laundry bleach and detergent, vaseline lotion, deodorants, fabric softener)
"irritating to the upper respiratory tract" ..."headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, CNS depression, and death in severe cases due to respiratory failure."
5. CAMPHOR (in: perfume, shaving cream, nail enamel, fabric softener, dishwasher detergent, nail color, stickup air freshener)
"local irritant and CNS stimulant" ..."readily absorbed through body tissues" ..."irritation of eyes, nose and throat" ..."dizziness, confusion, nausea, twitching muscles and convulsions" "Avoid inhalation of vapors."
6. ETHANOL (in: perfume, hairspray, shampoo, fabric softener, dishwashing liquid and detergent, laundry detergent, shaving cream, soap, vaseline lotion, air fresheners, nail color and remover, paint and varnish remover)
On EPA Hazardous Waste list; symptoms: "...fatigue; irritating to eyes and upper respiratory tract even in low concentrations..." "Inhalation of ethanol vapors can have effects similar to those characteristic of ingestion. These include an initial stimulatory effect followed by drowsiness, impaired vision, ataxia, stupor..." Causes CNS disorder.
7. ETHYL ACETATE (in: after shave, cologne, perfume, shampoo, nail color, nail enamel remover, fabric softener, dishwashing liquid)
Narcotic. On EPA Hazardous Waste list; "...irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract" ..."may cause headache and narcosis (stupor)" ..."defatting effect on skin and may cause drying and cracking" ..."may cause anemia with leukocytosis and damage to liver and kidneys" "Wash thoroughly after handling."
8. LIMONENE (in: perfume, cologne, disinfectant spray, bar soap, shaving cream, deodorants, nail color and remover, fabric softener, dishwashing liquid, air fresheners, after shave, bleach, paint and varnish remover)
Carcinogenic. "Prevent its contact with skin or eyes because it is an irritant and sensitizer." "Always wash thoroughly after using this material and before eating, drinking, ...applying cosmetics. Do not inhale limonene vapor."
9. LINALOOL (in: perfume, cologne, bar soap, shampoo, hand lotion, nail enamel remover, hairspray, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, vaseline lotion, air fresheners, bleach powder, fabric softener, shaving cream, after shave, solid deodorant)
Narcotic. ..."respiratory disturbances" ... "Attracts bees." "In animal tests: ataxic gait, reduced spontaneous motor activity and depression ... development of respiratory disturbances leading to death." ..."depressed frog-heart activity." Causes CNS disorder.
10. METHYLENE CHLORIDE (in: shampoo, cologne, paint and varnish remover)
Banned by the FDA in 1988! No enforcement possible due to trade secret laws protecting chemical fragrance industry. On EPA, RCRA, CERCLA Hazardous Waste lists. "Carcinogenic" ..."Absorbed, stored in body fat, it metabolizes to carbon monoxide, reducing oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood." "Headache, giddiness, stupor, irritability, fatigue, tingling in the limbs." Causes CNS disorder.
11. a-PINENE (in: bar and liquid soap, cologne, perfume, shaving cream, deodorants, dishwashing liquid, air freshener)
Sensitizer (damaging to the immune system).
12. g-TERPINENE (in: cologne, perfume, soap, shaving cream, deodorant, air freshener)
"Causes asthma and CNS disorders."
13. a-TERPINEOL (in: perfume, cologne, laundry detergent, bleach powder, laundry bleach, fabric softener, stickup air freshener, vaseline lotion, cologne, soap, hairspray, after shave, roll-on deodorant)
..."highly irritating to mucous membranes"... "Aspiration into the lungs can produce pneumonitis or even fatal edema." Can also cause "excitement, ataxia (loss of muscular coordination), hypothermia, CNS and respiratory depression, and headache." "Prevent repeated or prolonged skin contact."
NOTE: Unable to secure MSDS for the following chemicals: 1,8-CINEOLE; b-CITRONELLOL; b-MYRCENE; NEROL; OCIMENE; b-PHENETHYL ALCOHOL; a-TERPINOLENE"

Compiled by Julia Kendall (1935 - 1997); distributed by Environmental Health Network(used by permission)
Reference: Lance Wallace, Environmental Protection Agency; Phone: (703) 648-4287
Excerpts from "Health Hazard Information"
Symptoms of exposure are taken from industry-generated Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)