Comparative toxicity effects of cleaning products on fish, algae and crustacea

The hygiene process imposes a high usage of household cleaning products and personal care products, which after use reach the municipal and industrial wastewater of the sewerage networks and finally the surface waters. Depending on the physic, chemical and biological properties of the constituent substances, they could manifest various harmful effects on the aquatic organisms such as mortality, inhibition or stimulation of growth / development, and changes of the community structure linked to particular ecosystems and water quality degradation. The study objective was to highlighted the aquatic toxicity effects of some cleaning products on freshwater fish, green microalgae and planktonic crustaceans in order to correspond to EU ecolabel criteria. Three products based on anionic, non ionic and amphoteric surfactants were tested using OECD methodologies. The laboratory experiments showed non toxic acute effects on tested organisms. The acute toxicity concentrations (EC 50 / LC50) being more than 100 mg/l for each tested product. According to international norms for toxicity classification all the products were non harmful for aquatic live.