Skip the Green Fuzzy Feeling

The New York Times reports today that many consumers are turning to “green” cleaning products. If people are willing to pay more for these products—that’s their choice. But the only thing they are like to get is a warm fuzzy feeling. There is no evidence that these so-called “green” are any healthier or better for the environment.

According to a University of California, Berkeley study produced in 2006, some household cleaners might, in theory, pose a health risks. But everything in life poses risks—including the so-called green products. William W. Nazaroff, Berkeley researchers to led the report, told the New York Times: “I haven’t seen any good evidence supporting the idea that something that is being sold as green is really good for the people who are using the products … There are good intentions but something of a disconnect between our hearts and our heads.”

I would rather think with my head. After all, people likely at greater risk from inadequate sanitation of their kitchen sinks, counter tops, and cutting boards where things like raw meat and raw eggs can leave dangerous residues—including e-coli and Salmonella bacteria and even tapeworms. I’ll skip the warm fuzzy feeling and instead reach for deadly—to pathogens—chemical disinfectants.