From Lysol to Liquid-Plumr to steel-wool scrubbing pads, The Daily Beast ranks the most dangerous products that might be lurking under your sink.
De-toxification has become a growing trend. Whether detoxing your body with juice fasts, eschewing BPAs, or choosing only organic products—from beauty supplies to food and clothing—more people than ever are concerned about what's going into our homes and bodies. Despite the renewed attention, plenty of toxins remain in products we use every day, especially common household cleaning products, which can have dire health effects.
To compile a list of the most toxic cleaning products, we turned to the experts at Good Guide, a leading authority on consumer-product assessment based on health, green-consciousness, and social responsibility. Each product was ranked based on its health rating, but ties were broken according to its overall score that also includes scores for societal and environmental impact.
The health score is presented in whole numbers on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 be the least toxic.
Maker: The Clorox Company
Potentially harmful ingredient: Sodium hydroxide (low level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing respiratory, skin, and sense-organ toxicity
Maker: Armored Auto Group
Potentially harmful ingredient: Coconut diethanolamide (medium level of concern), sodium nitrate (medium level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing cancer, immunotoxicity, developmental toxicity, cardiovascular or blood toxicity
Maker: Reckitt Benckiser
Potentially harmful ingredient: 2-propanol (below threshold level for concern), propylene glycol monomethyl ether (medium level of concern), propylene glycol (medium level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, and gastrointestinal or liver toxicity
Maker: Reckitt Benckiser
Potentially harmful ingredient: Oxalic acid (medium level of concern), ethyl alcohol (medium level of concern), sodium hydroxide (low level of concern), glyoxal (low level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, cancer, developmental toxicity, immunotoxicity
Maker: Reckitt Benckiser
Potentially harmful ingredient: Oxalic acid (medium level of concern), ethyl alcohol (medium level of concern), sodium hydroxide (low level of concern), n-alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides (low level of concern), glyoxal (low level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, asthma, cancer, developmental toxicity
Maker: Amway
Potentially harmful ingredient: Propylene glycol monomethyl ether (medium level of concern), triethanolamine (medium level of concern), sodium lauryl sulfate (below threshold level for concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing reproductive toxicity, gastrointestinal or liver toxicity, immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity
Maker: Amway
Potentially harmful ingredient: Propylene glycol (medium level of concern), coconut diethanolamide (medium level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing respiratory toxicity, immunotoxicity, cancer
Maker: Reckitt Benckiser
Potentially harmful ingredient: Ethyl alcohol (medium level of concern), carbon dioxide (medium level of concern), triethanolamine (medium level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing cancer, developmental toxicity, reproductive toxicity, respiratory toxicity
Maker: Amway
Potentially harmful ingredient: Coconut diethanolamide (medium level of concern), ethyl alcohol (medium level of concern), triethanolamine (medium level of concern), sodium laureth sulfate (low level of concern), methylisothiazolinone (low level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing skin irritation, cancer, immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, skin or sense-organ toxicity
Maker: Amway
Potentially harmful ingredient: Ethyl alcohol (medium level of concern), triethanolamine (medium level of concern), propylene glycol monomethyl ether (medium level of concern), sodium laureth sulfate (low level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing reproductive toxicity, liver toxicity, cancer, developmental toxicity, immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity
Maker: The Clorox Company
Potentially harmful ingredient: Sulfuric acid (high level of concern), sodium hydroxide (low level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing respiratory toxicity, skin or sense organ toxicity
Maker: Reckitt Benckiser
Potentially harmful ingredient: Acrylic acid (high level of concern), butylated hydroxytoluene (medium level of concern), methacrylic acid (low level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity
Maker: Reckitt Benckiser
Potentially harmful ingredient: Acrylic acid (high level of concern), methacrylic acid (low level of concern), magnesium (ii) nitrate (low level of concern), methylisothiazolinone (low level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, cardiovascular or blood toxicity, skin or sense organ toxicity
Maker: Willert Home Products
Potentially harmful ingredient: Para-dichlorobenzene (high level of concern)
Associated dangers: Authoritatively recognized to cause cancer, suspected of causing developmental toxicity
Maker: Rite Aid Corporation
Potentially harmful ingredient: Bromine (high level of concern)
Associated dangers: Suspected of causing endocrine-disrupting effects, gastrointestinal or liver toxicity
Maker: Bissell
Potentially harmful ingredient: Ethylene oxide (high level of concern)
Associated dangers: Authoritatively recognized to cause cancer, authoritatively classified as neurotoxic to humans
Maker: Bissell
Potentially harmful ingredient: Ethylene oxide (high level of concern), propylene glycol (medium level of concern)
Associated dangers: Authoritatively recognized to cause cancer, authoritatively classified as neurotoxic to humans, suspected of causing immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity
