Environmental risk assessment of cleaning product ingredients

An Environmental Risk Assessment of a cleaning product is appropriately made by examining the formulation on an ingredient-by-ingredient basis. The examination is an iterative process that entails: 1) estimating the concentration below which each ingredient has no environmental effect, and the concentration in the environment predicted to result from the desired use of each ingredient in the product; 2) comparing these two concentrations; and 3) deciding on the basis of this comparison whether the desired use of each ingredient is clearly acceptable or clearly hazardous, or whether more testing is required in order to make such a determination. The use of an ingredient is judged environmentally acceptable if the environmental concentration of the ingredient due to all sources is lower than the no effect level determined on the basis of an appropriately comprehensive environmental effects data base. The same approach can be used to assess minor components present in cleaning product ingredients, and compounds formed by the biological metabolism or by the chemical transformation of an ingredient as a result of product use or disposal. Broadly endorsed by the scientific community, this approach finds use in the cleaning products industry for evaluating ingredients and by government for regulating chemicals. Emphasis is placed on the application of this approach to the use and disposal of cleaning product ingredients which can enter the aquatic environment, since most cleaning products are used in water solutions that are disposed into wastewater treatment systems.