Mystery under kitchen sink: What's in those floor cleaners?
NEW YORK -- It's the mystery under the kitchen sink.
What's in floor cleaner? What's stain remover made of? And what effects -- if any -- might they have on human health or the environment?
Environmental advocates want to know. They asked a court Wednesday to use a 1971 New York state law to force manufacturers to reveal exactly what makes up such household staples as Ajax, Ivory soap and Tide.
The cleaning-products industry notes it recently ramped up voluntary efforts to disclose product ingredients. The Soap and Detergent Association, a trade group, says the activists' legal case is unwarranted, and fears about health risks are off-base.
Groups including the American Lung Association and the Sierra Club want the public to know more. They hope the New York case will help fuel nationwide reform.
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