Enviros Seek Disclosure of Household Cleaning Product Ingredients

Environmental groups are using a New York law to seek disclosure of the unlisted ingredients in major household cleaning products. The AP reports:

"Exactly what's in floor cleaner? What's stain remover made of? And what effects, if any, might they have on human health or the environment?"

"Environmental advocates want to know, and they asked a court Thursday to use a 1971 New York state law to force such manufacturers and Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive to reveal just what makes up such household staples as Ajax, Ivory soap and Tide."

"The cleanser industry — which recently ramped up voluntary efforts to unveil product ingredients — says that the legal case is unwarranted, and that fears about health risks are misinformed."

"But groups including the American Lung Association and the Sierra Club want the public to know more."

• "Activists Want Makers To Come Clean on Cleansers," Associated Press, February 4, 2010, by Jennifer Peltz.
• "Lawsuit Seeks to Force Disclosure of Cleaning Product Ingredients," Green Inc. (New York Times), February 26, 2009, by Julie Scelfo.
• "Environmental and Health Groups Face Off Against Household Cleaner Giants in Court," beSpacific, February 8, 2010, by Sabrina I. Pacifici.