Consumers buying products marked "green" or "natural" may think they are doing the right thing for the environment, but scientists have discovered a link between many common ingredients and risks to human health.
Professor Anne Steinemann from Melbourne University's department of engineering tested 37 everyday cleaning products, including air fresheners, laundry powders, and skin care products, all of which included "volatile organic compounds" in their ingredients.
These VOCs are not disclosed on the packaging and tests have revealed the products included a combined 156 different VOCs, of which 42 are classified as being toxic or hazardous under US laws.
Professor Steinemann said a product labelled "green" or "natural" contained many of the same carcinogenic ingredients as products without those labels.
One such ingredient - terpenes, which are found in fragranced products - react with ozone in the air to create other pollutants including formaldehyde and ultrafine particles. The former is a naturally-occurring organic compound that has been linked to cancer.
The federal government's Product Safety Australia states that formaldehyde is safe in low-level doses but exposure to high levels can cause irritation, breathing difficulties and allergies.
In Australia and the US, ingredients used to create fragrances are not required to be listed individually. Instead, the chemical mixture is simply labelled "fragrance".
Professor Steinemann said consumers who think they are buying a more natural product are potentially being misled or at the very least, buying untested products.
"The public lacks full and accurate information on the ingredients in these products. Our indoor air environments are essentially unregulated and unmonitored."
Professor Steinemann's findings were recently published in the Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health journal. She said consumers should have the right to know exactly what is in the products they purchase.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, more than 28 million tons of formaldehyde solution was consumed worldwide in 2006.
In 2013, a Choice investigation into household cleaning product labelling revealed consumers must directly contact product manufacturers to contain a safety data sheet on ingredients.
