Dubai: Enzyme-based cleaning products — that are newly introduced to the local market — could be a safer solution for UAE households, according to a specialist.
It comes as regular household disinfectants are found to contain several poisonous chemicals that are proven to have adverse health risks.
A 2003 study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention, found that exposure to ‘phthalates’, known as endocrine or hormone disrupters, and found in many household cleaning products, reduced male sperm count.
Phthalates also irritate skin, cause watery eyes, throat conditions and sneezing. The continual usage of cleaning products containing such substances has even been linked to cancer.
The chemical perchloroethylene, also known as ‘PERC’, and found in many cleaning products, has also been classified as a ‘possible carcinogen’ by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US.
And Triclosan, found in dishwashing detergents and hand soaps marked ‘anti-bacterial’, has been found to cause the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, making more people resistant to antibiotics, as well as being a possible carcinogen. The chemical is also under investigation by the EPA to find out if it too leads to hormone or endocrine disruption.
Seethesh Rajan, Founder and CEO of Cubez Enzyme Cleaners, said enzyme-based cleaning products were the answer to such health fears.
Such products, that are new to the UAE market, use enzymes from natural ingredients with good bacteria from plants and fruit skin, which then multiply to break down dirt without the use of toxins.
Enzymes are biological compounds found in everything from saliva to cellular process in the body, which help speed up chemical reactions.
“Certain enzyme-based bacteria such as amylase along with other sustainable ingredients and the purest form of water are added to make the enzyme-based products, which have a PH of seven,” he said.
Using food hitting the floor as an example, he added that once it hits the ground, it becomes organic matter known as dirt, which comprises of fats, protein, minerals and carbohydrates, this becomes food for microorganisms found everywhere in our home.
“When you use a regular disinfectant, it wipes 98 per cent of all microorganisms and leaves behind two per cent. The two per cent are unable to fight the 100 new microorganisms brought in by a visitor, which then increases a volatile air quality in your home,” he added.
What an enzyme-based cleaning product does, is become food for the microorganism, and therefore multiplies the beneficial microorganism so that they are able to fight the new visitors coming in while maintaining a healthy air quality and keeping immunity high.
Rajan pointed out that such products are free of toxic chemicals and therefore do not cause health problems and skin irritation, and are not dangerous if consumed by a toddler or a pet by accident, making it a safer choice for your family.
