Testing of Detergents, Cleaning and Laundry Products

Detergents are the main constituents of home care and industrial & institutional cleaning products. They consist of one or more surfactants with cleansing properties in dilute solution. Some examples are laundry or dishwasher detergents and surface care products.

In order to ensure a high degree of protection of the environment and human health there are a number of different legislatives and obligations around the world:

In the European Union REGULATION (EC) No 648/2004 regulates the free movement of detergents and surfactants in the internal market and ensures the environmental and human health protection. One of several updates, REGULATION (EU) No 259/2012, specifies limitations on the content of phosphates and other phosphorus compounds in consumer laundry detergents and dishwasher detergents.

The „Wasch- und Reinigungsmittelgesetz“ (WRMG) implements and compliments this regulation specifically for Germany.

Furthermore, the EU Ecolabel is a voluntary label based on mandatory criteria for product groups such as dishwasher detergents, laundry detergents, hard surface cleaning products, etc. The intention is to help consumers make a better choice by purchasing more environmentally-friendly products.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safer Choice Program is aiming to reduce risk to people and the environment by providing Master Criteria for Safer Ingredients (Version 2.1, September 2012). CleanGredients is a database designed to help manufacturers find safer chemical alternatives that meet the criteria of the Safer Choice Program.

LAUS could support you with ecotoxicological / environmental fate and human health data to comply with the above-mentioned regulatory frameworks:

Biodegradability testing

EN ISO 14593 1999	CO2 headspace test	OECD 310
Directive 67/548/EEC Annex V.C.4-C	Carbon dioxide (CO2) Evolution Modified Sturm Test	OECD 301B
Directive 67/548/EEC Annex V.C.4-E	Closed Bottle	OECD 301D
Directive 67/548/EEC Annex V.C.4-D	Manometric Respirometry	OECD 301F
Directive 67/548/EEC Annex V.C.4-A	Dissolved Organic Carbon DOC Die-Away	OECD 301A

Aquatic Environment

OECD 201	Freshwater Algae and Cyanobacteria, Growth Inhibition Test
OECD 202	Daphnia sp. Acute Immobilisation Test
OECD 203	Fish, Acute Toxicity Test (Danio rerio)

Labelling and human health

OECD 431	Skin Corrosion: "In Vitro Skin Corrosion: Reconstructed Human Epidermis Test Method"
OECD 435	Skin Corrosion: "In Vitro Membrane Barrier Test Method for Skin Corrosion" (Corrositex)
OECD 439	Skin Irritation: "In Vitro Skin Irritation: Reconstructed Human Epidermis Test Method"
OECD 437	Serious Eye Damage: "Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability Test Method for Identifying i) Chemicals Inducing Serious Eye Damage and ii) Chemicals Not Requiring Classification for Eye Irritation or Serious Eye Damage" (BCOP)
OECD 492	Eye Irritation: EpiOcularTM Irritation
OECD 442C	In Chemico Skin Sensitisation: Direct Peptide Reactivity Assay (DPRA)
OECD 442D	LuSens - In Vitro Skin Sensitisation: ARE-Nrf2 Luciferase Test Method in accordance to the OECD 442D
OECD 442E	h-CLAT (human Cell Line Activation Test)

Mutagenicity/Genotoxicity

OECD 471	Bacterial Reverse Mutation Test – AMES Test
OECD 473	In Vitro Mammalian Chromosome Aberration Test
OECD 476	Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase Test: HPRT Test

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