Confusing Detergent Labels

By: Janelle Elizabeth

27 September 2010 - Is it necessary to have college degree in chemistry to understand the ingredients listed on the side of laundry detergent? Take a look and you'll agree that sadly, this seems to be the case with many regular laundry products.

Chemicals and other ingredients are written so that many consumers will not or cannot take the time to fully understand what is being used to clean their dirty clothes. This could be a major factor in how we influence the future of our world, and our family.

Benzene is found in many everyday laundry detergents. It may also be listed as benzol, benzole, annulene, benzeen, phenyl hydride, or coal naphtha. Benzene is a mixture of coal and petroleum. Because it is potentially harmful to humans, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has labelled benzene a 'carcinogen'.

Hard to pronounce let alone understand ingredients like diethanolamines, also known as diethanolamine, triethanolamine and monoethanolamine, show the complexity of laundry detergent ingredients. This group of man-made surfactants is compounds used to neutralize acids. This is done to make them less irritating.

Diathanolamines are neither beneficial to the environment nor to humans. They biodegrade at a slow pace. Additionally, they react with natural nitrogen oxides and sodium nitrite pollutants in the atmosphere. Here, they from nitrosamines that are again, carcinogenic.

When we pay particular attention to some of the chemicals listed in laundry detergents, a household product, it can be a staggering wake-up call. For instance, ammonia, which was once such a commonly used chemical in households everywhere has taken on a new meaning. Ammonia is actually an irritant. It can affect negatively the skin, eyes and respiratory passages. Exposure to ammonia can real itself in these ways: burning sensation in the yes, nose and throat, lung pain, headaches, nausea, coughing and rapid breathing.