is Simple Green…green?
People ask me all the time about Simple Green and whether it is really green (aka safe). I think most are really confused because of the name: hey what can be wrong with something that is simple and green!
I was able to find a little information on at least one ingredient in Simple Green:
“A key ingredient of Simple Green is butyl cellosolve, a substance considered toxic by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. In lab tests, the liquid has destroyed red blood cells and caused minor birth defects in animals. When absorbed through the skin or inhaled, it has caused irritation around the eyes and noses of humans and headaches.”
Not only those great things but there are also reports that it may also lead to “reproductive problems, such as testicular damage, reduced fertility, death of embryos and birth defects.”
So far looks like Simple Bummer.
I have emailed Simple Green and requested a ingredients list(nothing yet). I will give them credit-they have a materials safety data sheet that you can down load (and they butyl cellosolve listed), but other than that i could not find anything else as far as ingredients.
has anyone heard anything else??
When the whole green movement started and education on what chemicals really are and how safe products are (or aren’t) started becoming aware to the public, I wondered about Simple Green myself since I used it in my home for years now. They got back to me within 24 hours with an explanation.
“Thank you for your inquiry. I would like to preface this with a little bit of history of our Simple Green All-Purpose cleaner (http://www.simplegreen.com/about_us_history.php). Simple Green was first created as an alternative to the hazardous ingredients used in the industrial workplace. The product was called “Simple” due to the simple formula and “Green” since it had a green color – the name has remained with us ever since. The mission was to provide a safer product which would be non-toxic, non-hazardous and biodegradable, the only standards for an environmentally safe product at that time.
At that time, to ensure workers safety, a variety of testing was required to ensure the safety of our product. I’d be more than happy to supply you with the test documents if you would so like. The testing did validate that the product was non-toxic, biodegradable and practically non-toxic to aquatic environments (the highest you can score as only pure water is considered non-toxic to aquatic environments). The formula has not changed since then and so no further testing regarding toxicity was ever conducted except for this one time.
Simple Green is still extensively used in the industrial workplace. You’ll have to believe me that while you use our product around your house, that same formula is being used anywhere from degreasing engine parts and oil lines, cleaning up oil spills and bioremediation of soil, to cleaning up laboratory equipment and oxygen equipment.
Today the definition of “green” is a bit different from 1979 (although it is still not truly defined) and now extends to naturally/organically sourced ingredients. Our formula as a whole has been proven to be non-toxic, non-mutagenic, non-sensitizing, not a neurotoxin nor a reproductive toxin, and biodegradable, but it is compiled of synthetic ingredients. Just as there are naturally derived hazardous chemicals (almond essential oils, snake venom, anthrax and poison ivy) there can be non-hazardous (Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner) and even beneficial synthetically derived chemicals (insulin).”
As for EGBE, which is obviously a major concern, I don’t know much about the linked website (www.thegoodhuman.com) which seems like it has great intentions, but isn’t a 100% defendable source to quote. I was linked to an actualy 1999 EPA analysis on EGBE (http://www.epa.gov/IRIS/toxreviews/0500-tr.pdf) who’s conclusion is
“…Because of the known reproductive toxicity (i.e., toxicity to male testes and sperm) of two other glycol ethers, ethylene glycol methyl ether (EGME; 2-methoxyethanol) and ethylene glycol ethyl ether (EGEE; 2-ethoxyethanol), the reproductive toxicity of EGBE has been studied in a variety of well-conducted oral (Nagano et al., 1979, 1984; Grant et al., 1985; Foster et al., 1987; Heindel et al., 1990; Exon, 1991; NTP, 1993) and inhalation (Dodd et al., 1983; Doe, 1984; Nachreiner, 1994; NTP, 1998) studies using rats, mice, and rabbits. In addition, several developmental studies have addressed EGBE’s toxicity from conception to sexual maturity, including toxicity to the embryo and fetus, following oral (Wier et al., 1987; Sleet et al., 1989), inhalation (Nelson et al., 1984; Tyl et al., 1984) and dermal (Hardin et al., 1984) exposures to rats, mice, and rabbits. In many instances, LOAELs and NOAELs were reported for both parental and developmental effects, therefore the developmental studies can also be used to assess systemic toxicity as well as developmental toxicity.
EGBE did not cause adverse effects in any reproductive organ, including testes, in any study. In a two-generation reproductive toxicity study, fertility was reduced in mice only at very high, maternally toxic doses (> 1000 mg/kg). Maternal toxicity related to the hematologic effects of EGBE and relatively minor developmental effects have been reported in developmental studies. No teratogenic toxicities were noted in any of the studies. It can be concluded from these studies that EGBE is not significantly toxic to the reproductive organs (male or female) of parents, nor to the developing fetuses of laboratory animals.”
I’d even requested and received a copy of their test data (only conducted once). My conclusion is that Simple Green is not “green” in the sense of naturally derived. It’s probably not the 100% safest product out there. However, I feel relieved and safe using this product around my home, child and pets. I also feel a lot more educated on what chemicals and toxicity really are, as well as all the misinformation that’s out on the internet. There’s a whole lot more we need to learn to really understand ingredients and how they effect us.
Simple Green has proven to me that it’s non-toxic and biodegradable. Best of all, it actually works! My DH uses it to clean engine parts and I can use it on my stove top.
Comment by Kiara Serra — June 9, 2008 @ 9:27 am
i was emailed an ingredients list this weekend, they seem pretty on it! i am curious though about all of their other products-i didn’t know that they had expanded their line so much (and some items are looking like they have some unnatural dyes).
if anyone wants a copy of the ingredients, let me know and i can hook it up and you can have a look for yourself.
thanks for the response!
Comment by admin — June 9, 2008 @ 10:48 pm