Summary and conclusions

Kortlægning af kemiske stoffer i rengøringsmidler til ovn, komfur og keramiske plader

DHI – Institute for Water & Environment (DHI) and the Danish Toxicology Centre (DTC) carried out a survey of products for cleaning of ovens, cookers and ceramic cooktops and for stainless steel care available in retail shops. From May to July 2005, 21 products were bought in retail shops, and their ingredients were identified on the basis of their listings of ingredients and their safety data sheets.

In the categories oven cleaners and ceramic cooktop cleaners, 14 products were selected for chemical analysis. All 14 products were analysed for contents of organic solvents, while four of the products were further analysed for contents of PFOS (perfluoroctanyl sulfonate) compounds.

Four substances, viz. the solvents: N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, petroleum distillates, white spirit and dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, were singled out for a detailed assessment of the potential health and environmental effects associated with the use of the products. No contents were found in any of the four products analysed for PFOS compounds.

The use of cleaning products for ovens, cookers and ceramic cooktops was assessed not to cause any critical impact on neither the user’s health nor the environment. However, the health assessments showed that some of the products contained solvents (white spirit) in concentrations, which may be critical for health and environment. These products may cause a health risk if used in confined rooms with poor ventilation. They may also cause a risk for undesirable environmental effects in a limited immediate zone around waste water discharges in areas characterised by a low water flow.

Besides, the environmental and health risk was assessed to be low for products containing high concentrations of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (oven cleaner), dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (oven cleaner) and petroleum distillates (ceramic cooktop cleaner).

It is recommended to use common cleaning products such as hand dishwashing detergents and soft soap instead of special cleaning products for cleaning of ovens and cookers etc. Partly the special cleaning products for ovens and cookers are typically more expensive than common cleaning products, partly the ingredients are generally more aggressive. Finally, it is generally recommended to minimise the number and use of different cleanings products used in private households. The use of the products should be limited as much as possible, and as a precaution during use, good ventilation should be provided and gloves should be used.