Household product hazards: improving consumer information
In order to better inform consumers about the health and environmental hazards of household products, ANSES is proposing to categorise these products in order to establish a labelling standard for them. This work is also aimed at encouraging manufacturers to improve the composition of their products.
The household products we use every day can contain substances that are potentially toxic to our health and the environment. The French National Environmental Health Plan (PNSE 4) aims to improve the legibility of product labelling, in order to better inform consumers. The information currently provided varies according to the type of product and the regulations for its use. It was against this backdrop that ANSES was approached by the Directorate General for Risk Prevention (DGPR), the French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), the Directorate General for Health (DGS) and the Directorate General for Labour (DGT). Consequently, the Agency developed and tested two different methods based on a scientific approach in order to propose a method for categorising household products according to their hazard to health and impact on the environment.
In line with this request, ANSES considered several types of products, including those for laundry care; the cleaning of surfaces, toilets, bathrooms, and dishes; and insecticides, repellents, rodenticides and air fresheners.
The proposed methods primarily rely on databases from recognised entities, notably the European Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) and the classification of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
A focus on substances of particular concern
The first method is based primarily on the hazards to health and environmental of all substances used in these products. The second is based on the classification of the products themselves, in accordance with the CLP regulation.
In both cases, the methods pay close attention to the presence of substances of particular concern. These are substances that have carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic, allergenic, respiratory or endocrine-disrupting effects on health or the environment, and more specifically for the environment, are classified as: persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT); persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT).
“Substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic are banned in household products above a certain concentration,” explains expert assessment coordinator Pauline Guillou. “It is therefore possible to find them in lower levels in these products”.
The mode of use and number of substances can increase product toxicity
In addition to these toxicological criteria, ANSES suggests taking into account other criteria linked to the product's mode of use and composition. For example, a product in spray form can expose consumers more extensively than a product in gel form. The presence of a large number of substances in a product also constitutes an additional risk, as it increases the likelihood of a “cocktail effect” due to interactions between substances and the accumulation of their toxic effects. This is also true when the product contains pre-mixed formulations, i.e. ready-made products whose composition is unknown to those responsible for marketing the final product. Finally, the presence of substances considered of limited interest, such as perfumes or colorants, can also increase the toxicity of certain products.
Based on these different criteria, each method proposes the calculation of scores to categorise products according to their level of danger. “In our proposed scoring system, the category with the lowest hazard level does not necessarily mean that there is no hazard at all”, explains Pauline Guillou. To ensure clear consumer information, each method proposes two distinct scores, one assessing the product's hazard to human health, the other evaluating its impact on the environment. And a good score in one area does not compensate for a poor score in the other.
Improving the composition of household products
As stated in the objectives of the PNSE4, the goal of this categorisation system is also to encourage manufacturers to improve the formulation of household products in order to reduce their toxicity. Several measures can be implemented: limiting or even eliminating substances deemed to be of greatest concern, reducing the number of substances in the product, or minimising the use of pre-mixed formulations.
The proposed methods require further refinement
ANSES tested the proposed methods on a sample of 72 products. It recommends a period of large-scale testing to improve the robustness and applicability of these methods. In addition to the work carried out by ANSES, questions remain regarding the products to be considered, label legibility and the coexistence of this system with other labelling formats.
Based on ANSES’s findings, it will be up to the ministries responsible for the request to adopt an approach for categorising products and choosing the type of labelling to be used.