In Canada, manufacturers and distributors of household cleaning
products are not required by law to list ingredients on their
labels.
If you are trying to find out what is in a specific product
you will have to do some investigative work.
Start with the basics. Make sure to read the
label first. Some companies voluntarily list ingredients on
their labels. (Keep in mind, though, that they might be incomplete.)
If there are explosive or poisonous symbols
on the label there is probably at least one chemical in the
product.
Follow the instructions. If the label warns
to use the product in a well-ventilated area there is likely
a chemical in the product.
Manufacturers or distributors in Canada are required by law
to provide more information about chemicals used in the workplace.
This information must be included in a Material Safety Data
Sheet (MSDS), which must be provided to the purchaser of the
product with at least the initial shipment of the chemical.
MSDSs must be obtained and maintained for every chemical
used in the workplace. Companies are required to keep MSDSs
that are received from the manufacturer. The MSDSs must be
accessible to all personnel during their work hours. MSDSs
are designed to assess the physical and health hazards of
a chemical or product.
Material Safety Data Sheets list more information about the
chemicals found in workplace products than on consumer product
labels. Some companies have taken the initiative and created
sheets for both workplace cleaning products and consumer cleaning
products.
Many MSDSs can be found on manufacturer’s Web sites.
If you are unable to find one online, some cleaning products
list a phone number on their label, which you can call directly
and request that an MSDS be sent to you by mail, e-mail or
fax.
Make sure the MSDS is the most up-to-date version. Generally,
MSDSs should not be more than a couple years old.
Keep in mind the law does not require companies to list
all the ingredients of a product on a Material Safety Data
Sheets. MSDSs are only required to list ingredients with acute
and chronic health hazards. Chemicals are tested for their
individual health effects. Few chemicals have ever been tested
for their combined health effects and few chemicals have ever
been tested for their health effects on women and children.
Here are some suggestions and links about where to find
Material Safety Data Sheets online:
- Do a quick search through your favourite search engine.
Key in, for example, “MSDS Lysol Disinfectant Spray”
- Go directly to the company Web site. Key in, for example,
“Reckitt Benckiser MSDS”
- Many institutions, environmental organizations and universities
have databases of MSDSs.
Here are two websites that have larges databases of MSDSs:
Keep in mind that a MSDSs is just a starting point in terms
of trying to figure out what chemicals are in your cleaning
products. They are written following specific guidelines
and list chemicals, which might mean nothing to you unless
you're a chemist. Here are a few links that can help you
begin to understand MSDS information:
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