The environmental cost of cleanliness.

The article aims to discuss the health and environmental risks associated with washing. It apprizes that soaps and shampoos are implicated in a variety of problems from allergic responses and endocrine disruption to immunosuppression. Personal care products and cleaning agents may contain myriad of irritants which can cause serious conditions such as atopic eczema and dermatitis. Among the contents of personal care products include sodium lauryl sulphate, lanolin, parabens, alcohol, triclosan and phthalates. Michael Cork, a consultant dermatologist at the Sheffield University in Sheffield, England, revealed that soap and detergent products when used break down the skin barrier allowing irritants and allergens to penetrate into the skin and set off an inflammatory response.