Cleaning Products Manufacturing Industry

Industry Description

In ancient times, soap (whose largest market remains bar soap for personal bathing)
was made in huge outdoor kettles by boiling animal fats, oils, and lye or caustic soda.
The resulting alkaline hydrolysis reaction was called saponification – literally “soap
making”. And though popularly identified with soaps and house-hold cleaners, the
cleaning products industry today has grown to a technologically sophisticated and
diverse array of products formulated from a vast range of chemicals. The key
chemical(s) contained in each cleaner
determine any number of possible cleaning processes..

What are cleaning products?

Cleaning products are complex formulated mixtures of ingredients that reduce or

eliminate stains and dirt on various surfaces and materials. In addition to the base,
additives can include fillers, builders, processing aids, gelling agents, fabric softeners,
colors, fragrances, stabilizers, and enzymes – to mention a few. The final product
comes in various forms such as liquids, powders, waxes, aerosol and non-aerosol
sprays, and gels.

Cleaners are grouped under the following categories:

• Polishes
• Deodorizers
• Spot cleaners
• Disinfectants
• Degreasers
• Rinses
• Detergents and soaps

How do cleaners work?

In very simple terms, chemicals in the cleaners combine to create an environment to

which dirt is either attracted or repelled and therefore separates from the surface of
the object being cleaned. Detergents and soaps, the most easily recognized members
of this industry, are wetting agents that make the water “wetter” so that it can
penetrate dirt. Because some stains do not dissolve well in water, some cleaning
processes use organic solvents that either dissolve or evaporate the oils and greases
– effectively removing them. These solvents are usually synthetic and there are
potentially hundreds of examples. Disinfectants with anti-bacterial agents are
formulated to introduce certain chemicals into the cells of bacteria to destroy them or
stop their growth. Waxes and polishes, which are solid at room temperature, protect
surfaces from stains by repelling water from the coated surface.

Defining the Exposure

Potential Environmental Exposures:

As mentioned, the production of cleaning products requires the use of many toxic
agents and chemicals that are potential environmental hazards – making the list of
contaminants for this industry quite large.

Consider how some of the processes themselves can potentially put a

cleaning products manufacturer at risk for exposure –

Alkyl benzene sulfonates result from many types of detergent production and do not
biodegrade, meaning they do not break down chemically from bacterial action but
remain in their original chemical state. This is especially serious because while they
may not degrade, they do dissolve easily and therefore are a hazard to soil and
groundwater and the presence of benzene is a danger to any living organism it
touches.

“Builders” or sequestering agents are often added to a detergent to increase its ability
to suspend dirt. Phosphates are the most effective builders; however, they typically
pass unchanged through wastewater treatment plants and these chemicals spur
overgrowth of algae (called “eutrophication”), choking streams and rivers, a
significant environmental problem.

Bleaches are added to cleaners to lighten, brighten, disinfect and remove stains. They
include sodium hypochlorite or sodium perborate and sodium percarbonate. Here,
significant risk comes from incompatible chemical storage, improper/inadequate air
processing equipment, and improper labeling.

Ammonia cleaning products are made of volatile alkali that leave no residue as they
dry and therefore are often used for cleaning glass and certain other polished
surfaces. They are manufactured through a process that uses steam and natural gas
or hot coke to produce hydrogen and steam, which is forced through incandescent
coke to produce nitrogen. After various refinements, these gases are subjected to
high temperatures and pressures. Clear hazards are posed from corrosion of storage
tanks, improper or inadequate air processing equipment, flammable substances,
incompatible chemical storage, inadequate ventilation and/or safety equipment.

Many of the organic solvents pose such significant hazards to health and the
environment that their use is stringently regulated and misuse is severely penalized.
However, widespread exposure continues to come from spills during handling,
improper labeling, incompatible chemical storage, inadequate training programs,
inadequate ventilation, improper safety equipment, and inadequate air processing
equipment.

Defining the Need for Environmental Insurance

The need for cleaning products has been with us for countless generations in
increasing degrees of complexity and technical sophistication. However, the
awareness of the potential hazards of those complex chemical mixes had not been
fully appreciated until relatively recently. Before the enactment in 1976 of the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), storage, transport and disposal of
toxic or hazardous materials were not nationally legislated. There was no centralized,
managed process with sufficient muscle to address issues of environmental pollution
and potential hazards. As a result of the ingredients, the process, and lack of
stringent risk management guidelines in the past – this industry’s risk for
environmental exposure is high.

Here’s why –

• The finished cleaning product is a highly complex mix of chemicals that

contains many environmental contaminants. Additionally, many of the
additives are toxic or contain some other hazardous attribute.
• Environmental exposures within this industry are often created by simple lack
of awareness of the consequences of inadequate risk management planning,
spill control, improper storage, and handling and transporting the types of
volatile chemicals involved in the manufacturing process.
• As manufacturing facilities changed hands or new plants were built on old or
abandoned sites, the environmental hazards were either sold undisclosed or
unwittingly bought.
• Too frequently housing, public-use land or schools were built on or adjacent
to a hazardous site and the underlying environmental hazard was not
identified until too late.
 What does Environmental Insurance Offer?

Environmental risk assessment and management for the cleaning products industry
are strategic business tools for assisting this industry segment in meeting its
environmental regulatory obligations. This industry, by the nature of what it produces
and how it produces its products and distributes them, is at risk for multiple
environmental exposures. Through the use of environmental insurance products and
solid risk management practices, cleaning products manufacturers can be assured
that they are taking the necessary steps to preserve their bottom line and the
environment.

Last updated 09/14/2004

Insurance underwritten by member companies of American International Group, Inc. The description herein is
summary only. It does not include all term, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the
actual policies for complete details of coverage and exclusions. Coverage may not be available in all states. Issuance
of coverage is subject to underwriting review and approval. Non-insurance products may be provided through
independent third parties.
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