It was some sixty years ago that synthetic chemicals were first being discovered and manufactured. No one knew the range of the devastation many of them would eventually create. With our health and well-being, our environment and with our society at large.

Before now, consumers like you and I had no reason to question manufacturers' use of these new-found wonders of science. After all, many of the companies themselves had no idea of what was taking place--just below the surface. As the industry grew and wider range of chemicals became available, manufacturers began to see dollar signs. Soap bubbles guilded with gold, so to speak.

Not that there's anything wrong with wanting to make a profit. All civil societies are built around the trade of goods and services. And fashioned around the laws of our respective lands. But the manufacture of many goods in the U.S. and globally has out-paced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) ability to monitor ingredients and weed out hazardous chemicals.

Naming Corporate Names

Colgate-Palmolive (C-P):

C-P's specific Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Ajax Pine Forest All Purpose Cleaner:

13. DISPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS

Any disposal practice must be in compliance with local, state, and federal laws and regulations (contact local or state environmental agency for specific rules). Do not dump into sewers, any body of water or onto the ground.

15. REGULATORY INFORMATION

CLEAN WATER ACT: Contains sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate which is a Section 311 material.

New Jersey Right to Know Hazardous Substance List: This product contains the following components subject to reporting requirements: Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate

Pennsylvania Hazardous Substance List:
This product contains the following components subject to reporting requirements: Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate

Massachusetts Substance List:
This product contains the following components subject to reporting requirements: Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate

Canada: Workplace Hazardous materials Information System (WHMIS)-listed material. This product contains the following components subject to reporting requirements: Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate

What Does It All Mean?

What Colgate-Palmolive is stating in that last sentence of Section 13 above in effect is that there is no way to dispose of their product. They instruct "Do not dump into sewers," meaning you can neither flush it nor pour it down the drain.

Both your toilet and your sink drains obviously are directly connected to your sewer lines. "Do not dump into ... any body of water or onto the ground." That effectively eliminates any outside disposal, and inside disposal has been previously eliminated by C-P.

So, how do you dispose of this C-P product? According to their own MSDS, you can't dispose of it.

Section 15 of C-P's Ajax MSDS gives three U.S. states and Canada as state and federal governments that have issued warnings. That's because, one of the ingredients, Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, poses a serious health risk. One or more animal studies show sense organ effects at very low doses.

This potentially toxic synthetic chemical is also used in most commercially- produced cosmetics.

Resources

I highly recommend going with "green" with your bathroom cleaning products. Here's a very good starting place:

BioGreen Majic - An excellent resource for 100% carcinogen-free and 100% biodegradable cleaning solutions. Scientists and researchers have proved that the many synthetic chemicals used in so many cleaning products' ingredients pose very serious health and environmental problems.

Green Goods - "Green Goods is committed to 100% U.S.A. toxin-free organic and natural products sourced and produced locally to the highest quality standards. Green products made from renewable resources having minimal impact on our environment. We dedicate our efforts to a healthier environment. "

Read moreby clicking on the links in the navigation bar to the left.