Are you aware of the consequences of the daily use of detergents and chemical products on yourself and the environment? They are highly polluting both for our health and for that of our planet, a multilateral and exponential pollution. Yes, because we all clean our homes, every day in every part of the world, to make our homes welcoming and clean and what if I told you that by doing this you are polluting more than a car? Do you think it's impossible? Let's find out together!
The chemical products that are usually used for maintenance, cleaning of homes and environments, to name a few, detergents, soaps, perfumes, pesticides, anti-mould, varnishes, paints etc..., have particularly devastating residues, resulting from massive use, immoderate and unconscious, the consequences of which have equally harsh repercussions on the overall quality of life. A situation that has devastating repercussions (now well known).
Chemicals containing compounds refined from petroleum, such as household cleaners, pesticides, paints and perfumes, now compete with motor vehicle emissions as the largest source of urban air pollution, according to a surprising study by NOAA-AUSTIN, TEXAS -(McDonald, BC et al. Science 359, 760-764 - 2018).
This map of the United States shows the route taken by the NOAA CSL Mobile Laboratory from Boulder to New York City with a 3D representation of population density. Pie charts show the fractions of human-caused VOC emissions that can be attributed to VCPs and vehicular traffic for Boulder, Colorado, and New York City.
The main cause is mainly attributable to the composition of common chemical-based products designed for cleaning, specific types of hydrocarbons which, once dispersed in limited environments such as homes and offices, release fine dust and other volatile compounds that we inevitably breathe.
According to what was reported in Nature Scientific reports journal, (http://Scientific reports journal - scientific reports) VOCs - volatile organic compounds contribute to the formation of ozone and fine airborne particulate matter, which contribute to creating smog, which is notoriously linked to health problems from asthma to heart disease. Smog derived from traffic is condemned, as are industrial production and cigarette smoking as causes of atmospheric poisoning, but little is said about indoor pollution, air pollution derived from the air that escapes from homes; Contrary to popular belief, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) (https://www.epa.gov/) estimates that 72% of exposure to chemical pollutants occurs indoors.
But if, over the years, more and more circular economy and recycling projects involve the well-known sector, the consequences of domestic pollution are still underestimated, both passive, i.e. linked to the involuntary assimilation of toxic volatile substances present in the home , both the active one, connected to the consumption of polluting disposable products - for example for household cleaning - significant levels of volatile organic compounds that escape from homes come from domestic and commercial products.
Basically, in domestic air there is a cocktail of chemical substances so dangerous that, in the long run, they cause enormous damage to those who breathe them. Invisible and imperceptible substances that preside over the four walls and that "in the long run" make them an increasingly concrete and alarming danger... this alone should make us think.
An important factor that plays a key role in relation to water pollution is the composition, i.e. the ingredients that make up the formulations of chemical cleaning products. Products that are not biodegradable, on the contrary surfactant and foaming agents that poison the aquatic environment, substances that once dispersed in rivers and seas are responsible for eutrophication (https//www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/eutrofication)
of water, a process by which the aquatic environment becomes hostile to life, causes a substantial decrease in oxygen, a process that puts plants and animals at risk.
Another aspect to consider is the aquifers, once we have finished cleaning, rinse the rags, do the laundry or empty the mop buckets into the sink or toilet, that water loaded with undissolved chemicals ends up in the aquifers aquifers, these substances penetrate the clayey layers of the soil over time, compromising their quality and their correct future use. Aquifers from which we often draw to irrigate the fields from which fruit and vegetables arrive and then end up on our tables.
The environmental impact of the products we find on the shelves is exponential, just think that the synthetic substances derived from the petrochemical sector have a significant impact on the environment both during the extraction phase and when they are dispersed in the water. However, let's focus only on urban water pollution, which concerns polluted water resulting from urban waste which is not always subjected to purification treatments. The new megacities and the continuous growth of urbanization are a very important factor in the water contamination of aquifers.
Everything we throw down the drain inevitably ends up being lost in the aquifers. We don't think about it but chemical products are produced through petroleum derivatives: chemical surfactants, and various petrolatums, hidden on the label behind acronyms or numerical codes, but the substance is the same: oil, which goes straight into the sea from our drains!
First because by choosing to buy this or another product for cleaning or purchasing a product for a single specific use, I am choosing to pollute, as producing an excessive number of cleaning products means consuming and wasting more. In fact, the choice to purchase a product already determines an unconscious number of consequences; a conscious choice is instead the starting point for true eco-sustainability of actions.
During because by cleaning the house with chemical agents whether liquid, solid or spray I choose to pollute the air and water of my house and consequently also the common air and water, I choose to pollute myself and my family, choosing to breathe and accumulate toxicity within the walls of the house, also contributing to raising levels of urban air pollution.
Afterwards, that large number of empty bottles must then be disposed of properly to be recycled without being dispersed into the environment and, alas, we know well that this does not always happen in the correct way.
Many, too many products for specific applications that all answer a single question: cleaning a surface, cleaning an environment and making it as healthy as possible.