COMPARATIVE STUDY OF
THE TOXICITY OF
HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS
Joseph Drey, Ryan Lensing, Ruby Hotchkiss, Adam Goodman, Sarah Johnson
JANUARY 26, 2015
APES
Period 5
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ABSTRACT
This study was done to determine the comparative toxicities of common household
chemicals. The chemicals tested include, Ammonium Chloride, Ammonia Hydroxide, Isopropyl
Alcohol, and Phosphoric Acid. These chemicals, common to almost every home owner in the
world, are dangerous to humans. Our goal was to find out how dangerous these chemicals actually
are, and to explore how we should deal with them. To test these chemicals, we conducted 4
different lab experiments using Daphnia as a test organism. We conducted an MTC experiment, an
LC50 test, and converted our results to compare the different properties of the chemicals, their
comparative effects on fish, and finally, their comparative effect on humans. The data supported
the hypothesis that Ammonia Hydroxide was the most toxic and potentially lethal, followed by
Ammonium Chloride, Phosphoric Acid, and Isopropyl Alcohol.
INTRODUCTION
In almost every home there is a cabinet or cupboard full of various cleaning supplies.
Unfortunately, many of the chemicals that many people use daily are toxic, and these chemicals
could have harmful effects if they are not used correctly or if the person is over exposed to the
harmful chemical. This study compares the toxicity of the active ingredients inside common
household cleaners. Ammonium Chloride (Re-Juv-Nal), Ammonia Hydroxide (Parson’s Ammonia
All-Purpose Cleaner), Isopropyl Alcohol (K-Mart Fare Quality Rubbing Alcohol), and Phosphoric
Acid (Krud Kutter) were all tested to determine their respective toxicities, and in turn, their harmful
effects on humans.
We conducted an LC50 test with Daphnia Magna “Daphnia” as our test organism. Daphnia
are planktonic crustaceans. They are characterized by their leaf-like legs that they use to propel
themselves. They have a life span of around 2 months2. Daphnia are an effective test organism to
use for this type of testing because they are highly sensitive to toxic substances, have short
generation times, and multiply very quickly. They are also easy to store in small spaces, and they
acclimate well in a laboratory setting10. In our test, we exposed Daphnia to the four chemicals that
we tested, and we observed and analyzed the results. The Daphnia were used as indicators of the
harm done by our four chemicals.
The first chemical we tested was Ammonium Chloride, the active ingredient in Re-Juv-Nal.
Ammonium Chloride makes up about 5% of the mass of this cleaner. Ammonium Chloride is
classified as a level 3 health hazard and is classified as a level 1 fire hazard. It is important to keep
this chemical away from eyes and clothes. It is also harmful when inhaled8.
Our second test chemical was Phosphoric Acid, the active ingredient in Krud Kutter.
Phosphoric Acid makes up 25% of the mass of this cleaner. Phosphoric Acid is classified as
corrosive and is a level 3 health hazard. This chemical is dangerous if it comes into contact with
skin or eyes and is harmful if inhaled or swallowed4.
The third chemical we tested was Ammonia Hydroxide, which is the active ingredient in
Parson’s Ammonia All-Purpose Cleaner (Lemon). Ammonia Hydroxide makes up 3% of the mass
of the product. It has a health hazard rating of 3 and it has a flammability rating of 1. These ratings
mean that this chemical is a serious health hazard, and is a slight fire hazard. Coming in to physical
contact with Ammonia Hydroxide could cause irritation of the nose and throat, coughing and
sneezing. If exposed for longer periods, it may cause burns to skin, eyes, the esophagus, and
stomach9.
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The final chemical we tested was Isopropyl Alcohol the active ingredient in K-Mart’s Fare
Quality Rubbing Alcohol. Isopropyl Alcohol made up 70% of the mass of the solution. Isopropyl
Alcohol has a health hazard rating of 1, which means that it is a slight health risk. It also has a
flammability rating of 2, which means that is a moderate fire hazard. If exposed to contact with
eyes, Isopropyl Alcohol could cause severe eye irritation, and if it is inhaled, it could cause alcohol
intoxication7.
Based on this information, my hypothesis was that Ammonia Hydroxide was the most toxic
chemical studied and that Isopropyl Alcohol was the least toxic of the four chemicals studied.
Methods
In this study we determined the serial dilution for each of the chemicals: Ammonia Hydroxide,
Isopropyl Alcohol, Ammonium Chloride, and Phosphoric Acid. We first found the mass of 20mL of
our cleaners using a scale. We then found the percent of our active ingredient within the solution on
the MSDS sheets of the products. Using multiplication, we found the total mass of each of the active
ingredients. We then divided our results by 20mL to find the g/mL of our 100% solutions. By finding
the mass of our four chemicals, we were better able to find the concentrations of the active ingredient
that were used in the LC50 test.
We then converted our initial dilutions from g/mL to ppm and µg/L. To do this, we used
dimensional analysis to find g/mL, which we multiplied by 1000 to find g/mL comparison, and then
multiplied by 1000 again to find mg/L, or ppm. We then multiplied this number by 1000 again to
calculate µg/L.
Next, we conducted our MTC experiment to find the maximum tolerable concentration of
Daphnia, or the highest tolerable concentration of each chemical that will cause no major health
effects to our study organisms. First, we set up rows of 10 test tubes for each of the four chemicals.
Then, we added each of the cleaning supplies/chemicals. In the first test tube, we put 20ml of each
cleaning supply/chemical, followed by 18mL of the cleaning supply/chemical in the next, 16mL in
the third, and so on down to 0mL. Next, we added water in the same way, but in reverse order, until
each test tube had 20mL of fluid in some combination of the cleaning supply/chemical and water.
We then placed 6 Daphnia into each test tube. After placing all 6 in a test tube, a timer was set for
one minute. After one minute, the significant health effects and mortality of the Daphnia in each of
the test tubes was observed and recorded. Using the µg/L of each of the concentrations in the test
tubes, we were able to find the Daphnia’s maximum tolerable concentration for each of the chemicals
(see table 1).
We then used this data to compare toxicology across species. Using our Daphnia MTC results,
we can estimate the effects of the cleaners on common game fish in the State of Iowa. We used an
EPA program to calculate the MTC for 4 common fish in the area1. (See table 2).
We also used the mortality results from our lab experiment to conduct an LC50 test. An LC50
test finds the concentration where 50 % of the population dies. We noted the concentration for each
of the chemicals after each of the Daphnia were in the test tubes with the chemical for 1 minute.
Finally, we converted our LC50 to LD50, or the Dose that is lethal to 50% of the population.
LD50 is expressed in mg/kg of body mass. To calculate this percentage, we first had to determine
the mass of the Daphnia that were given the dose. An adult Daphnia is 15µg, and we had 6 Daphnia
per dose. The total mass of the Daphnia per test tube was 90µg. We then converted our LC50 values
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from above from µg/L to mg/mL, and then from mg/mL to mg/µg using the conversion factor
(20ml=90µg). Finally, we converted our result to mg/kg, which is the LD50 for the Daphnia.
DATA
Ammonium
Chloride
Ammonia
Hydroxide
Isopropyl
Alcohol
Phosphoric
Acid
LD50 (mg/kg )*
Toxicity
MTC (µg/L)
10633.67
Slightly Toxic
1.914x107
2455.00
7.365x106
49910.97
Moderately
Toxic
Non-Toxic
21600.00
Non-Toxic
8.02x107
1.257x108
Table 16: This table shows the LD50, the level of toxicity, and the MTC for all of the chemicals tested in this experiment.
*Assuming a safety factor of 10000. This safety factor was assumed to amplify results of the study.
Fish
Daphnia
Bluegill
Common Carp
Channel Catfish
Rainbow Trout
MTC (µg/L)
7,356,000
468,174.61
298,086.84
18,596.17
431,000.62
Table 21: This table shows the MTC values for common fish in Iowa as determined off of the MTC for Daphnia.
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Ammonia Hydroxide LC50 Daphnia Magna
100
90
Mortality
80
y = 3E-06x4 - 0.0004x3 - 0.0131x2 + 2.939x + 16.667
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Concentration (% Chemical / Water+Chemical)
Figure 1: This graph shows the dose-response curve (Blue) for Ammonia Hydroxide in Daphnia Magna. Note the
tolerance level is a 10, and the curve is very exponential.
DISCUSSION
After collecting all of the data about the active ingredients in a select amount of household
cleaners, we can compare their toxicity. Firstly, Table 1 shows the comparative LD50s, toxicities,
and MTC values. The LD50 values show how much of a dose of the chemical 50 percent of
Daphnia will survive in. An LD50 measures either Dermal (Skin contact), or Oral (swallowed)
toxins. These tests can be compared among animals and humans6. The data in this table shows that
Ammonia Hydroxide is the most toxic because it required the smallest LD50 dose. The second
most lethal chemical is Ammonium Chloride, followed by Phosphoric Acid, and finally Isopropyl
Alcohol. LD50 values can thus be used to determine the level of toxicity that is on the packaging of
chemicals. Ammonia Hydroxide is moderately toxic, Ammonium Chloride is slightly toxic, and
both Isopropyl alcohol, and phosphoric acid are non-toxic. Finally, the MTC is the Maximum
Tolerable Concentration for Daphnia. The order of MTCs makes sense because it would logically
be in the same order as the toxicities, and it is consistent with their LD50s.
Another reason it is reasonable to conclude that Ammonia Hydroxide is the most
lethal/toxic to Daphnia of the four chemical tested is from other tests done on the chemical. The
Minnesota Department of Agriculture found, “Even at extremely low concentrations aquatic life will
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be harmed by ammonia” 3, 5. Also, Ammonia is highly toxic to freshwater invertebrates like Daphnia
Magna3. It is a huge problem for environmentalists to keep ammonia out of all water systems3.
The MD50 was used with the EPA’s Web ICE Toxicity Modeling software. Our results of
the software are shown in Table 2. The table shows that the most sensitive fish of the common
game fish in Iowa is the Channel Catfish, which is only able to tolerate a dose of 18,596.17µg/L.
The least sensitive fish is the Bluegill, and it is able to tolerate a dose of 468,174.61µg/L. This
analysis means that in Iowa, the Channel Catfish would be an indicator species, meaning that its
death could signify the presence of a chemical that could potentially start killing off other life in the
area if not taken care of. It also shows that many of these fish are really sensitive, even to small
doses of these chemicals, and if Iowans want to continue to have game fish in their streams, lakes,
and rivers, they need to prevent spills of chemicals from occurring. When spills do happen, people
need to get help cleaning them up before the whole body of water is contaminated or destroyed.
Figure 1 shows the LC50 dose-response curve for Daphnia Magna with the chemical
Ammonia Hydroxide. The dose response curve in Figure 1 increases unevenly and is an example of
a non-linear dose-response curve. The Daphnia also have a threshold level of 10% because no
deaths occur until 10 percent.
The results of this experiment yield many important conclusions. First, Ammonia
Hydroxide, found in Parson’s Cleaner is the most dangerous/toxic chemical that we tested. Luckily,
it is also the most diluted of all of the active ingredients tested. One can also conclude that
Isopropyl Alcohol is the least toxic, but has the largest percentage of concentration in its cleaning
supply of the products tested. The data also shows that Ammonium Chloride was the second most
toxic, followed by Phosphoric Acid as the third most toxic chemical.
To minimize the harmful effects of these chemicals, it is also important to look at the LD50
as it compares to humans. For example, it would only take 216.77 g of Ammonium Hydroxide to
kill 50% of men in the world. It’s a little alarming that Ammonium Hydroxide is in everyday
cleaners. It is also important to limit routes of exposure when using these cleaners. For example,
try to limit breathing in of fumes of the cleansers, and do not eat, drink, or smell them. Also, one
should not touch the substance and then his/her eyes or skin.
Our experiment was limited for a couple of reasons. First, our test was only conducted once
and as a result, we could not calculate statistical “P” values for each of the tests we ran. Calculating
a “P” value would have allowed for us to classify our data as significant or not, and we can then rule
out anything that was due to chance. Also, our experiment was limited by the fact we only tested
the acute effects of the individual chemicals. In our world, we are constantly exposed to chemicals.
Our experiment is not able to show the effects of chemicals, which generally appear harmless in
acute studies, may actually have after long-term exposure to the chemical. Also, we were not able to
show if any of these chemicals have synergistic effects if they are exposed to an organism at the
same time as another chemical.
For further research, we could test other sorts of common household products, and
determine the effect that they have on Daphnia. We could also do testing on chronic effects of such
chemicals. This would have to be a very extensive research project because we would have to wait
for the chemicals to be exposed to our subjects for long enough, but it would be very interesting to
see if we are currently poisoning ourselves with a slow-ticking time bomb. With this information we
might be able to stop exposure before a tipping point occurs. We could have also tested if the route
of exposure to Daphnia made any difference in the survivorship of the species. Finally, we could
have tested additional test organisms to see if the results were consistent with those found in
Daphnia.
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Works Cited
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