Hazardous chemicals are pervasive in household disinfectant products. Many ingredients have established associations with acute and chronic human health conditions as well as with environmental damage. Although these associations are suggested but not proven, they are of great concern. This article describes the application of the precautionary principle to the selection of an anti-microbial active ingredient for a botanical disinfectant when significant uncertainty exists around the hazard and risk of traditional disinfectant active ingredients. We show that application of the precautionary principle does not stifle innovation and facilitates a responsible approach to product development.
Conclusions
Toxics reduction efforts such as the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) in conjunction with increasing awareness about the impact of consumer products on human health and the environment have driven the greening of the cleaning products industry. Consumer concerns about these risks are now driving change in the marketplace at the same time that innovative regulatory strategies such as the Massachusetts TURA are evolving to develop safer and more sustainable products. It is these trends which support the use of a PP based model to account for the potential for harm from chemicals that may achieve widespread use. By factoring these uncertainties into the product development equation from the outset, the PP presents a more complete set of design parameters. Rather than stifle innovation, the example of thyme oil based disinfectants illustrates that the PP can actually drive innovation and result in safe and sustainable products and solutions.