The Great Unknowns In Household Cleaners

I was happy to read "Cleaning House? Shelve the Fancy Sprays for Kitchen Basics" in the Aug. 24 Sunday Source. However, it is extremely important to explain why homemade cleaners are safer than the leading brands.

There are more than 85,000 chemicals on the U.S. market, and less than 10 percent have been tested for their potential consequences to human health. In addition, certain chemicals commonly found in household cleaning products have been linked to asthma and reproductive harm such as birth defects and fertility problems.

Strong, consistent government regulation is urgently needed for chemicals in household cleaning products. Cleaning product companies must be required to fully disclose all ingredients directly on the product label. Even more important, they must be required to prove that a chemical is safe before it can be included in a product and sold on the market.

Consumers have a right to know what chemicals they are being exposed to, and cleaning product companies and the federal government have a responsibility to provide such vital information.

DORI GILELS

Executive Director

Women's Voices for the Earth

Missoula, Mont.