Every day it seems we learn more about the risks posed by chemical ingredients in the products we use to wash our dishes, launder our clothes, and clean our homes.

From the lung irritants found in some surface cleaners, to the hormone-disrupting qualities of the alkylphenol ethoxylates in some detergents, disinfectants, stain removers, and floor cleaners, the news can be troubling.

Which is why it is so important to require cleaning product manufacturers to tell the public what chemicals are in their products. Consumers should have the information required under an important right-to-know law: a full list of ingredients and disclosure of their impacts to health. Armed with this information, people can make safe choices about what products to bring into their homes.

But some household cleaner manufacturers are fighting hard to keep this information out of consumers' hands.

Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Church and Dwight, and Reckitt-Benckiser are refusing to follow a law requiring them to disclose the chemical ingredients in their products and the health risks they pose.

We need your help to get them to come clean.

Take action today!

P.S. If you take action, you'll see that our campaign is already having an effect. Reckitt-Benckiser, makers of Lysol, is replying to our messages by saying they plan to participate in an industry-backed voluntary disclosure campaign. But under this plan, the public still won't get the full picture about chemicals in cleaners and their health risks. The letter fails to explain why, in the 30-plus years this law has been on the books, Reckitt-Benckiser has failed to file a single report with New York State. What are they hiding?

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

We live in the information age. Consumers are demanding -- and have a right -- to make informed choices about the products they bring into their homes.

That's why it's so important for your company to follow New York state's right-to-know law. This law requires your company, as a household cleaner manufacturer selling products in New York, to file a semi-annual report with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. That report must list the chemicals contained in each cleaning product and describe any research your company has done on these chemicals' health and environmental effects.

Following the law is not just the right choice, it's the smart one.

As I'm sure you are already aware, your competitor SC Johnson has begun disclosing the chemical ingredients in its products through a website (http://www.whatsinsidescjohnson.com) and has announced plans to list ingredients on product label.

Savvy consumers are taking notice. It's time to follow this law and give people the tools they need to protect themselves and their families.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
May 01, 2009