Natural Cleaning Products Arise Later on the Healthy Lifestyles Learning Curve

From the staid American Lung Assn. to the feisty New England Toxics Action Center, public interest groups are warning that Americans expose themselves and the environment to dangerous chemicals when they do laundry, scrub toilets, wash dishes and perform other cleaning chores with conventional products. Especially at risk for health impacts, according to these groups, are children and people with asthma or chemical sensitivities. But for the vast majority of American consumers, concern about toxic exposure from cleaning products is about as visible as the butoxyethanol in their all-purpose spray cleaners.

According to industry executives and antitoxic activists, media attention to the issue has been sporadic and limited to local and alternative outlets. Also, advocacy groups tend to focus on higher priority issues like regulation of pesticides and air emissions from power plants. Furthermore, consumer loyalty to existing cleaner brands is very strong, and manufacturers...