Posts Tagged ‘buffering agents’

Toxic Laundry Detergent

December 18th, 2009

Toxic dangers in your Laundry detergent:

We have all been educated to take great pride in ensuring our clothes are always clean and fresh, but did you know that the same detergents you use to get these results can be hazardous to you, your family, your pets and the environment?

How you ask? Well this is because most commercial laundry detergents are filled with potentially toxic chemicals.

When you buy a laundry detergent the information on the list of ingredients can be a little vague and some are not even included. It makes you wonder what are these products and what harm can they actually cause to you and your loved ones????
You may see on these labels names such as brightening agents, buffering agents, stabilizer, fragrance etc, But what are they?

Take for instance Optical brighteners these are chemicals used in order to make our fabrics appear cleaner, whiter and brighter lessening the natural yellowing of fabrics over time. They do this by converting UV light wavelengths into invisible light creating an optical illusion. A bit like magic tricking the eye into believing that your clothes are sparkling white. It does not necessarily make them any cleaner.

The dangers are that they do not biodegrade. They can cause allergic reactions when they come in contact with our skin. They are also toxic to fish when washed into our environment and can cause bacterial mutations. Some of these harmful chemicals can stay in our bodies in areas like our kidneys and liver.

Most of us wash clothes a few times a week, so that means we are being constantly exposed to these toxins that stick to our clothes and are then rubbed onto our skin. What you need to ask yourself is “Is the risk of using these products worth the wellbeing of you and your family?”