According to a study published in a special issue of the magazine 60 millions de consommateurs published this Thursday, December 9, a third of household products that we find in our supermarkets contain a significant amount of potentially harmful substances. The magazine edited by the National Consumer Institute (INC) carried out the study in analyzing the composition of 119 cleaning products from 52 different brands purchased in April and July 2021. The study authors relied on labels, ingredient lists published by manufacturers on their website, and safety data sheets, which indicate the concentration of the substances.
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Each product has been classified according to a “Ménag’Score” on a scale from A to E. This scale distinguishes “products to be used without reservation” from “strongly discouraged products, too many problematic substances”. In total, 39 household products obtain a score between D or E and are therefore strongly discouraged because they contain a large quantity of substances very harmful to health or the environment. According to the study, some products are even carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic for reproduction or suspected of being endocrine disruptors.
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Disinfectant wipes, assessed to be very harmful to health
The magazine calls on consumers to be particularly vigilant about disinfectant wipes for WCs and multisurfaces, 75% of which obtain a D or E score.
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Disinfectant sprays and deodorants are also considered potentially very harmful by the magazine, 50% of the products analyzed obtain a score varying between D and E.
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“These products are not necessarily going to pose a problem for everyone, people with allergies for example will be more sensitive to them”, specifies Sophie Coisne, editor-in-chief of this special issue of 60 million consumers. “You really have to look at the composition. and not to trust the indications on the packages of the type “eliminates 99% of bacteria or natural products”, she explains.
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