Warning: this is gonna make you really mad. At least I hope so.
Taking a break from studying for comps, I decided to Google:
Is Simple Green safe for washing dishes?
I had run out of dish soap (I use the natural stuff, the
stuff you get in the Organics section of Fred Meyers), and I thought: why not
make a simple solution of baking soda, water, and Simple Green?
I did, and it was fantastic. With my limited supply of
funny-colored water, I have to say my dishes never looked cleaner. The solution was much thinner than dish soap,
however, so I ran out after a week or so. No problem: I have a gallon of Simple
Green under the sink. It will be months until I run out!
I bought this jug of Simple Green from our local Home Depot
about a year ago, and I’ve been using it in an old spray bottle to clean my countertops, walls,
etc. It does an amazing job of removing grease. Some time ago, I’d heard that
SG is not all that great for the environment.
But I kind of pushed that aside and went on with my life.
The other day, looking at the late afternoon sun
winking on a perfectly sparkly water glass sitting in my dish drainer, I felt a
wave of X-Files skepticism: This stuff was cleaning my dishes really well,
AND kind to the environment? Too good to be true.
I googled “Simple Green MSDS”, and downloaded it (you know,
the Material Safety Data Sheets: the comprehensive label for any chemical
product listing its reactivity, flammability, and of course its ingredients).
Simple Green is a mixture of 78% water, and 5% each of the
following:
2‐butoxyethanol
Ethoxylated
Alcohol
Tetrapotassium
Pyrophosphate
Sodium Citrate
It also has 1%
or less each of “fragrance” and “colorant”
OK, so what is this first one, this 2-butoxyethanol?
It’s a type of
synthetic chemical known as an organic compound. Organic because it’s made with
carbon, not because it’s harmless to the environment. It’s composed of 6 parts
carbon 14 parts hydrogen and 2 parts oxygen (and when I say MADE, I mean this
molecule does not occur in nature, it was made in a lab). It’s mainly used as a
solvent in a variety of industrial applications because it’s great for removing
oily substances. Ironically, it’s used in fracking as well as in oil spill
cleanups:
(Hey Bernie, I got an order for 50,000 gallons for the Alberta Tar Sands, and another 50,000 for Prince William Sound--Hooters tonight, my treat)
It’s made from
butanol, itself a very toxic 4-carbon alcohol that's widely used in a bunch of commercial applications (Hey Joe, the Simple Green people just gave us another order for 500,000 gallons of butanol--Hooters tonight, my treat)
The molecule is
a sturdy-looking little thing, but don't let that fool you. If you made a 2-butoxyethanol using balloons, it
would look like a dachshund with many bumps along its back and sides (the C-H
bonds) and a big head made out of oxygen and hydrogen (the reactive part).
Once this stuff
hits the air, it forms a bunch of different peroxides (molecules with reactive
oxygen - oxygen bonds), many of which are very flammable if not downright
toxic.
But, it
degrades in a few hours into presumably harmless compounds. Thus, the Simple Green people are allowed to label it “biodegradable.”
Furthermore, it
takes a relatively high amount to kill lab animals. This is known as the LD-50
test. LD stands for “lethal dose,” 50 refers to 50% of the test population. They basically give the animals enough of the
stuff until 50% of them die. We do this in the US for every chemical substance
used in industrial, medical, commercial, and home purposes (exceptions are
products that specify not tested on animals). For rats and rabbits,
that comes out to 5g of 2-butoxyethanol per kg of body weight (5g is about a
shot glass). Since your average laboratory rat weighs about half a kilo, that's about 1% of its body weight; presumably it would act pretty quick and painless. For a rabbit (2-6 kg) a bit slower. And probably squirmier.
Thus, the Simple Green people are allowed to label it "non-toxic.”
Thus, the Simple Green people are allowed to label it "non-toxic.”
In other
tests it wreaks biological havoc. If it doesn't kill them, it effects
their neurological systems, causing loss of equilibrium and
coordination. It causes skeletal defects in their litters, it reduces their red
blood cell counts, and causes lesions in their livers, spleens, and bone marrow.
And it causes cancerous tumors in the forestomachs of rodents.
It enters the
body via inhalation or absorption through the skin (all those times I washed my
dishes bare handed, OMG!!), and once there, it breaks down into
substances called metabolites that clog up our biological filters, including my favorite filter, the liver. Concentrations of these metabolites are toxic.
Should I skip
my glass of wine tonight?
I am sure I’ve
poured at least a shot glass of concentrated Simple Green into my dish soap
bottle, and added water to make a nice, foamy detergent for my dishes, counter
tops, and dish cloths, which I’ve rinsed liberally in the stuff, over and over
and over.
Needless to
say, I never made it to the other ingredients.
I threw away the bottle of “dish soap” and the tainted sponge, wrote in
big black magic marker on the jug of Simple Green “DO NOT USE, CONTAINS CARCINOGENS” capped it tightly
and stuck it in the farthest corner of my cabinet where it sits from now on, lurking
like an evil green time bomb.
How THE FUCK were we
supposed to know, especially if they slap a label on that says “Simple Green is a safer alternative to toxic
cleaners, bleaches, and solvents”
One website
says that OSHA does not regulate this product as carcinogenic to humans because
humans lack forestomachs.
Another website
says the US EPA classifies the chemical as a Group C, Possible Human
Carcinogen.
New Jersey by
the way. They’re not taking any chances. They’ve got pages and pages for you to
read.
----
I consider
myself pretty savvy—I research lots of things (it’s kind of my default mode as
a student)—but I’m really angry. This company has deliberately deceived
millions of unsuspecting people by saying their product is safe, simple, and
green.
You have to ask
yourself: why do they put this horrible chemical in their product?
Simple: Green.
It costs very
little green to manufacture, it cleans really well, and it makes them lots of
green.
Lots.
Look around at
your friends and family. Count how many have/have had
cancer. Are you really surprised cancer
is so common? Don’t argue with me it’s because modern medicine allows
humans to live longer and diseases of old age like cancer are a natural consequence of longevity. Bullshit. Cancer is getting children, teens, adults, the
elderly, men, women, black, white, fat, skinny, athletic, sedentary, rich, poor, you name
it. Like it or not, we eat, sleep,
breathe and absorb these manmade poisons day in and day out. These and hundreds
more.
OK, I admit this is not a very scientific thing to say. I'm reacting more as a human being than as a scientist. But...I lost my mom and my aunt to cancer. I was told I have to be very careful because of my family history. Yes, Blah, Blah Blah....
OK, I admit this is not a very scientific thing to say. I'm reacting more as a human being than as a scientist. But...I lost my mom and my aunt to cancer. I was told I have to be very careful because of my family history. Yes, Blah, Blah Blah....
And, I’m fucking
sick of it. Yes, I drive a car. I fly in planes. I live and participate in a
fossil-fueled world. But can’t I at least have a say in what I decide to use in
my home?
Physicians for Social Responsibility says cancer is the SECOND leading cause of death in the
US. And—news flash--it’s largely
preventable. 75 to 80% of cancers diagnosed in this country are believed to be from
exposure to carcinogens in the environment.
Where's that (sparkly, sparkly) glass of wine. Sorry liver.
