Nearly everyone uses cleaning products. On average, more cleaning tasks are done by women than men, while the vast majority of professional household cleaners in California are Latina women. Yet, little is publicly known about what chemicals are in these products, and companies are not required to disclose all of this information. Several previous studies indicate that some products contain chemicals which may adversely affect people's health.
The Lifting Up Communities by Intervening with Research (LUCIR, which means "to shine", and "to show" in Spanish) study was designed to engage high school aged students in the CHAMACOS Youth Council in environmental health research, characterizing what chemicals are in popular household cleaning products in a lab at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and estimating exposures to chemicals that women may be inhaling while doing their normal cleaning work using a special air pump backpack. We then replaced these products with "green" products, and noted significant reductions in several carcinogens, chemicals that may increase your risk of cancer. Youth Council members are currently leading community education activities.
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Study at a Glance: |
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What We Did:
High school aged youth research assistants from the Salinas area worked with UC Berkeley scientists to design the LUCIR study. Youth did all the recruiting, interviewing, data collection, and community education. Together, we:
- Enrolled 50 Latina women
- Inventoried the cleaning products they regularly used in their homes
- Used air monitoring backpacks to measured the chemicals women were breathing while they cleaned their homes
- Gave them low-chemical, “green” cleaning products to use instead
- Measured chemicals in the air while they cleaned with the “green” products to see if we could reduce their exposures.
What We Found:
We found high levels of chemicals in the air when participants cleaned with their regular cleaning products. When participants switched to "green" cleaning products the levels of 17 suspected endocrine disruptors and carcinogens decreased significantly.
Exposure to Several Carcinogens Decreased When Participants Switched from Conventional to “Green” Cleaning Products
However, levels of some chemicals increased with the green products! Air concentrations of several natural fragrance chemicals increased, suggesting that even products labelled “natural” or "green" are not always completely safe if they have a strong scent. We recommend choosing unscented and green cleaning products or making your own low-chemical products at home.
Impact:
This study helps the public understand what chemicals are in the cleaning products they commonly use and approximate whether or not they should be concerned about potential health challenges related to their use. This information could directly inform the purchasing decisions people make, and outline best practices that may help reduce potential exposure.
Our study design and implementation was informed by a group of local Salinas youth researchers called a Youth Council, who learned about environmental health science, are refining study tools and procedures and will collect nearly all study data. Thus, while doing research, we also created educational and employment opportunities. We also put a strong emphasis on preparing our youth researchers for college. Findings were be co-analyzed with and communicated by the Youth Council.
News:
LUCIR Study youth researchers developed an informational Public Service Announcment series on harmful chemicals in cleaning products and simple and cost effective ways to reduce personal exposures. Stay tuned for the release! CERCH staff are working on writing a second scientific paper, focused on laboratory analysis of cleaning product samples.
The LUCIR study has recently been featured in the following:
- Union of Concerned Scientists. 7/26/21. Protecting our families' health, protecting our future
- Monterey County Now, 8/20/20. A study led by Salinas youth reveals the harmful effects of everyday cleaning products
- KION News: "Salinas teens lead research study on the effects of household cleaning products"