Eco-friendly products not so friendly

Many common household products marked as "green" contain dangerous chemicals that could harm human health and the environment, a study has found.

In a test of 37 air fresheners, cleaning products, laundry products and personal care products, including baby shampoo, the University of Melbourne found 156 volatile compounds, 42 of which are classified as toxic or hazardous under US law.

Almost none of the compounds were disclosed on the label or on the material safety data sheet, said study author Dr Anne Steinemann, of the school of engineering.

"The public lacks full and accurate information on the ingredients in these products," she said.

Dr Steinemann said Australian law did not require makers of household products to list all their ingredients.

Cosmetics and personal care product must list all ingredients.

However, the ingredients of a "fragrance" do not need to be disclosed in any product. A fragrance can be a mixture of several dozen to several hundred chemicals.

Dr Steinemann said the seven "green" products tested contained similar volatile compounds to those in the regular products.

The names of the products tested have not been released, but she said they were commonly used in the home, schools, hospitals, workplaces and hotels.

The most common chemicals in fragrances were terpenes, such as limonene and alpha-pinene.

Further research on the potential health risks of the chemical was required, she said.