WASHINGTON, DC – Despite recent alarm from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) assures consumers that the household cleaning products they use and depend upon are safe, when used according to the directions on the label. The products that EWG have unfairly targeted are extensively tested for safety and are in compliance with strict federal and state regulations and laws.
“Safety is foremost in the minds of our member companies before a consumer product is brought to market,” said Chris Cathcart, CSPA President and CEO. “The products they produce must undergo a significant amount of research and development to assure safety and consumer confidence.”
CSPA member companies developed, along with other industry partners, the Consumer Product Ingredient Communication Initiative for four consumer product categories—air care products, automotive care products, cleaning products, and polishes and floor maintenance products. Members voluntarily participate to increase the sharing and disclosure of information so that consumers are fully aware of ingredients in products they use in and around their homes and institutions.
“Over the past several years, CSPA has made significant efforts to try to create a balance between transparency and protecting confidential business information,” Cathcart said.
Further, the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) enforces specific guidelines to determine potential risks regarding the formulation and packaging of consumer products, which are administered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Through the FHSA regulations, the point of purchase label informs consumers about the potential hazards, product ingredients contributing to those hazards, appropriate handling and storage, applicable first aid information, and how to minimize risks to children. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates antimicrobials through the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. EPA requires scientific analysis to show that products can be used without causing unreasonable adverse effects to human health or the environment as well as tests to ensure efficacy of public health products.
Consumers recognize that the products made by our members provide numerous benefits. Among their many benefits, cleaning products are essential in our daily lives by providing important public health benefits to consumers beyond the obvious aesthetic benefits, by keeping our surroundings clean, protected and free of germs; and by helping to extend the life of our personal possessions. Antimicrobial products are important to public health and safety, and are effective and critical to hygiene. Antimicrobials are used to prevent the spread of infectious organisms such as viruses and bacteria that can cause illness and disease in hospitals, restaurants, schools and homes.
