Blog
March 4, 2010
Cleaning products : Green and hazardous?
On February 25, Radio-Canada’s Pascale Turbide reported a story on green yet harmful cleaning products.
Savons Prolav manufactures green household cleaning products. We believe it is important that we clarify the issue with some facts.
For starters, the alleged hazards presented in the report revolved solely around one family of enzymes: protease. Bio-Vert all purpose, glass and bathroom cleaners are protease-free.
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze, or speed up the rate of, chemical reactions. Enzymes work in very low concentrations, which means that when found in cleaning products, they are generally in small quantities. They are used in cleaning products because they facilitate certain cleaning actions. For example, some enzymes help eliminate greasy stains while others more effectively remove sugar-based stains. This is why manufacturers that add enzymes to their cleaning products use different families of enzymes depending on the cleaning action they are targeting. It is therefore inaccurate to attribute the same characteristics to all enzyme-based cleaning products.
Not all cleaning products on the market – dishwashing, all purpose, household – contain enzymes, and enzymes do not necessarily make a product green. Many standard cleaning products use enzymes, while numerous green products do not. We should avoid generalizing when it comes to cleaning products that include enzymes, whether they claim to be green or otherwise.
Also, contrary to what was reported, green consumer products, like Bio-Vert household cleaning products, are subject to the same regulations that apply to conventional products, such as the Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations (2001) contained in the Hazardous Products Act.
These Health Canada regulations define how chemical products intended for consumers must be classified, labelled and packaged. The classification criteria are predicated on a scientific assessment of the hazards a product poses during use. Toxicity, corrosiveness, health hazards are all issues covered by the regulations for the express purpose of protecting consumers.
In addition, Health Canada conducts audits to make sure the regulations are being complied with, and Savons Prolav was just recently audited in December 2009, and no non-compliances were found.
All three Bio-Vert product lines are EcoLogo certified. EcoLogo is the only environmental certification officially recognized by the Canadian Government. This certification assures consumers that the product they are buying complies with a set of environmental and health criteria.
Bio-Vert website
Savons Prolav is a responsible company that continually strives to provide consumers with the information they need to understand the impact of the products they buy and use, and to communicate this information transparently. Our website www.bio-vert.com is filled with information designed to enlighten consumers on environmental and health related issues.
Book about household products
In closing, we’d like to mention the recent publication of 175 questions and answers on household cleaning products, a book written by Savons Prolav’s senior chemist and head of research and development, precisely intended to help consumers make informed environmental and healthy choices. The book was released March 9.
