Issue 2, 2024

Does green mean clean? Volatile organic emissions from regular versus green cleaning products

Abstract

Cleaning products emit a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including some which are hazardous or can undergo chemical transformations to generate harmful secondary pollutants. In recent years, “green” cleaners have become increasingly popular, with an implicit assumption that these are better for our health and/or the environment. However, there is no strong evidence to suggest that they are better for indoor air quality compared to regular products. In this study, the VOC composition of 10 regular and 13 green cleaners was examined by headspace analysis. Monoterpenes were the most prevalent VOCs, with average total monoterpene concentrations of 8.6 and 25.0 mg L−1 for regular and green cleaners, respectively. Speciated monoterpene emissions were applied to a detailed chemical model to investigate the indoor air chemistry following a typical cleaning event. Green cleaners generally emitted more monoterpenes than regular cleaners, resulting in larger increases in harmful secondary pollutant concentrations following use, such as formaldehyde (up to 7%) and PAN species (up to 6%). However, emissions of the most reactive monoterpenes (α-terpinene, terpinolene and α-phellandrene), were observed more frequently from regular cleaners, resulting in a disproportionately large impact on the concentrations of radical species and secondary pollutants that were formed after cleaning occurred.

Graphical abstract: Does green mean clean? Volatile organic emissions from regular versus green cleaning products

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 okt 2023
Accepted
10 jan 2024
First published
23 jan 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2024,26, 436-450

Does green mean clean? Volatile organic emissions from regular versus green cleaning products

E. Harding-Smith, D. R. Shaw, M. Shaw, T. J. Dillon and N. Carslaw, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2024, 26, 436 DOI: 10.1039/D3EM00439B

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