Researchers at the Silent Spring Institute and University of California, Berkeley, have said that people underestimate how they come into contact with toxic ingredients in products, used at home and at work, that could harm their health.
The findings could be used to help governments strengthen chemical regulations and guide manufacturers in making safer products, they said.
Many common products like shampoos, body lotions, cleaners, mothballs and paint removers contain toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are chemicals that escape as gases, accumulate in indoor air and cause a variety of health problems including cancer.
Companies are often not required to disclose what is in their products which makes it difficult to know what people might be exposed to and the potential health effects.
“This study is the first to reveal the extent to which toxic VOCs are used in everyday products of all types that could lead to serious health problems,” lead...