Many Household Cleaning Products, Including ‘Green’ Items, Emit Hazardous Chemicals Linked to Cancer: Study

Researchers detected 530 volatile organic compounds in all of the products tested, including eco-friendly “green” products with and without fragrances.

A person shops near a display of cleaning products in a Target store in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 13, 2023. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Researchers from the United States have found that many household cleaning products, including those marketed as supposedly eco-friendly and “green,” could be harmful to humans.

A peer-reviewed study, titled “Volatile organic compounds emitted by conventional and ‘green’ cleaning products in the U.S. market,” was published in the journal Chemosphere on Sept. 13.