The Dirty TruthHow Toxic Cleaning Products Are Putting Canadians At RiskDid you know that popular cleaning products are adding to indoor air pollution in Canadian homes? In a first-of-its-kind study, Environmental Defence tested the impact of cleaning products on indoor air quality. In all 14 studied households, levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) went up during cleaning. VOCs are a group of chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems like asthma and can impact fetal development. The problem: Lack of clear labelling rules means that consumers don’t know what’s in the cleaning products they buy. At the same time, promised federal regulations for VOC concentration limits in consumer products have been delayed for undisclosed reasons. We need government and industry to clean up their act and make cleaning products safer. The federal government is dragging its feet on promised regulations that will limit the VOC content in consumer products. This is yet another sign that our federal chemical regulatory system is broken. Demand an overhaul of how Canada deals with toxic chemicals:Keeping your home sparkling doesn’t have to come at the cost of worsened indoor air quality. Take a look at our handy guide for low-VOC cleaning.