WARNING: IS SPRING CLEANING A TIME OF RENEWAL OR DANGER?

In one of the most memorable song and dance numbers from the classic Lerner and Lowe musical, Camelot, the chorus offers these memorable Alan Jay Lerner lyrics:


Whence this fragrance wafting through the air?
What sweet feelings does its scent transmute?
Whence this perfume floating everywhere?
Don't you know it's that dear forbidden fruit?


While Lerner was obviously addressing the time of year when romance and gaiety spring forward, often without restraint, he could just have easily been addressing our often obsessive and lustful drive in Springtime to clean our homes and apartments, a desire that could be filled both with our passionate desire for renewal through cleanliness and, at the same time, filled with "forbidden fruit", risks and dangers, especially to our most vulnerable children.

Could that colorful stash of cleaning supplies under your kitchen sink, in your broom closets and around the washer and dryer contain toxic compounds that might significantly affect your health and the environment? Unfortunately, for many common household cleaning products, the answer is too often “yes.”


Research conducted by the Environmental Working Group into more than 2,000 common cleaning products lays bare the troubling consequences of the lack of federal oversight over the ingredients in cleaning supplies. Manufacturers can use nearly any substance they want, even those known to pose health or environmental hazards. And they can hide information about virtually all those ingredients from the eyes of consumers. The result is an unregulated industry and hundreds of potentially harmful cleaning products on store shelves. The results of not knowing what exactly is in the common cleaning materials we use on a daily basis can be disastrous, again especially for our children.   According to a National Safety Council analysis over 10,000 soap- and detergent-related injuries occurred in U.S. children 4 years old and under in 2021.


The label on a typical cleaning product is a mix of marketing hype and instructions for use. What’s missing is a list of what’s inside. Cleaning products, unlike foods, beverages, cosmetics and other personal care products, are not required by federal law to carry a list of ingredients. This means that manufacturers have no reason to avoid risky chemicals that happen to clean well – even if they can trigger asthma attacks or skin rashes or are linked to cancer. Without full disclosure, consumers lack key information they need to select cleaning products made with safer ingredients.


Finding cleaning and other products that are safer for you, your family, and the environment should be easy — that's why the Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA, developed the Safer Choice label. Products with the Safer Choice label help consumers and commercial buyers identify products with safer chemical ingredients, without sacrificing quality or performance.

About 1,900 products currently qualify to carry the Safer Choice label. Safer Choice-certified products are available for use in homes and in facilities like schools, hotels, offices, and sports venues.

Safer Choice Label                                                                                     


What does the Safer Choice label mean?


Participation in the Safer Choice program is voluntary. Companies who make products carrying the Safer Choice label have invested heavily in research and reformulation to ensure that their products meet the Safer Choice Standard. These companies are leaders in safer products and sustainability.


Products have to pass the EPA's stringent criteria in order to earn the Safer Choice label. The Safer Choice program reviews more than just product ingredients. The EPA also looks at product performance, pH, packaging and more to ensure that products with the label are safer for you and your family. Once a product meets the Safer Choice Standard, EPA conducts annual audits to ensure their standards continue to be met.


Every ingredient is reviewed: Before a product can carry the Safer Choice label, EPA reviews all chemical ingredients, regardless of their percentage in the product. Every ingredient must meet strict safety criteria for both human health and the environment, including carcinogenicity, reproductive/developmental toxicity, toxicity to aquatic life, and persistence in the environment. This means that Safer Choice-labeled products are safer for:


➤You, your family, and pets; 


➤Workers' health; and


➤Fish and the environment.


As the Warnings Doctor, my recommendation is as clear as the glasses and windows you hope to produce during your Spring cleaning adventures:  Just as Dorothy "followed the yellow brick road" in the Wizard of Oz, so should you follow the EPA's Safer Choice Label for a spring cleaning filled with a  "fragrance wafting through the air" minus the "forbidden fruit" and dangers emanating from unsafe cleaning products. 

Please feel free to share this issue of the Goldhaber Warnings Report with any interested friends or colleagues who may wish to subscribe to this newsletter or enroll in any of my NACLE courses on warnings.

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A PREVENTABLE CRISIS: THE U.S. MEASLES SURGE AND THE COST OF ANTI-SCIENCE LEADERSHIP

By Ann K. • July 13, 2026
A Grim Milestone for American Public Health We are facing a public health emergency that was entirely preventable. According to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States has recorded 2,170 confirmed measles cases in 2026—and we are only halfway through the year. This staggering figure nearly matches the 2,289 cases recorded across the entirety of 2025, representing a measles crisis on a scale this country has not seen in over three decades. Measles was declared officially eliminated from the United States in 2000, thanks to robust and widespread uptake of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. Today, that monumental achievement is on the verge of being permanently erased.

WARNING LABELS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA: PROTECTING YOUR CHILDREN IN THE DIGITAL AGE

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • June 15, 2026
For decades, Americans have relied on warning labels to alert consumers to hidden dangers. Cigarette packages warn of cancer. Alcohol labels caution pregnant women. Medications disclose side effects. Yet one of the most powerful and potentially addictive products used by millions of children every day carries virtually no warning at all: social media. In 2024, as I wrote in the September, 2024 issue of this newsletter, then-U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require cigarette-style warning labels on social media platforms, arguing that parents and children deserve to know that excessive use has been linked to anxiety, depression, body image problems, sleep disruption, and other mental health concerns. He stated that social media had become an important contributor to the youth mental health crisis and that warning labels could help increase awareness among families. Unfortunately, that proposal has stalled under the new administration. The opportunity to provide parents with basic health information appears to have been abandoned just as evidence of social media's harmful effects continues to mount.

WARNING: USING AI FOR MEDICAL DIAGNOSES MAY BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • April 30, 2026
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the landscape of healthcare, particularly in the realm of medical diagnosis. From analyzing medical images to predicting disease risk, AI-driven tools are increasingly being integrated into clinical workflows. While the potential benefits are substantial—improved accuracy, faster diagnoses, and expanded access to care—there are also meaningful risks that warrant careful scrutiny. Understanding both sides is essential for clinicians, policymakers, and patients alike.

LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES: A GROWING FIRE RISK IN OUR HOMES

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • March 31, 2026
Lithium-ion batteries power much of modern life. From smartphones and laptops to e-bikes, power tools, and even home energy storage systems, these compact and efficient batteries are everywhere. But as their use has expanded, so too has a serious and often underestimated danger: the risk of fire. Lithium-ion battery fires are not like typical household fires. They burn hotter, spread faster, and can reignite even after appearing to be extinguished. These fires are caused by a process known as “thermal runaway,” where damage, overheating, or internal defects trigger a chain reaction inside the battery. Once this process begins, it can release flammable gases, cause explosions, and produce intense flames that are difficult to control.

WARNING: THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EPA IS DISMANTLING REGULATIONS PROTECTING US FROM PFAS, PUTTING OUR LIVES AT RISK

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • February 27, 2026
1. Weakening National Drinking Water Standards  In April 2024, the EPA finalized the first federally enforceable National Primary Drinking Water Rule (NPDWR) for six PFAS, including PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX), PFBS, and mixtures of these chemicals. These rules established maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) and required monitoring and treatment timelines for public water systems. Under Trump's EPA, this landmark public health rule is being undone :

THE SILENT WINTER THREAT: CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING DURING STORMS AND POWER OUTAGES

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • January 27, 2026
Winter in the Northern Hemisphere brings cold weather, snow, and often severe storms. These conditions can lead to power outages that last hours or even days. When electricity is lost and temperatures plummet, many households turn to alternative heating methods or portable power generators. While these actions are understandable, they can expose families to a perilous and often invisible threat: carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning . 

HOLIDAY FOOD SAFETY: PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY FROM SALMONELLA & LISTERIA THIS THANKSGIVING

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • November 24, 2025
As Thanksgiving approaches, kitchens across the country are about to come alive with the sounds and smells of holiday cooking. While this season brings family, gratitude, and plenty of delicious food, it also comes with a serious and often overlooked risk: foodborne illness. In the U.S., Salmonella and Listeria remain two of the most dangerous and persistent causes of food poisoning—especially during the holidays, when increased food preparation, crowded refrigerators, and large holiday meals create ideal conditions for bacterial growth.Whether you’re hosting your first Thanksgiving dinner or you’re a seasoned holiday chef, brushing up on a few key food safety practices can help you keep your loved ones healthy and your celebration memorable for all the right reasons.

ARE WAYMOS SAFER THAN HUMANS DRIVING A CAR?

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • October 30, 2025
The race to develop autonomous vehicles (AVs) has reached a pivotal moment. Alphabet-owned Waymo, widely regarded as the frontrunner in the field, has rolled out fully driverless taxis in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, with plans to expand to additional cities. But as more Waymo vehicles hit public roads without human drivers, the question looms large: Are they truly safer than the people they’re replacing behind the wheel?

TACKLING SAFETY: FOOTBALL, CTE, AND WHAT ACTUALLY MAKES THE GAME SAFER

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • October 13, 2025
We are now in the middle of another football season, and the question, as asked every year: Is this sport safe enough for our high school, college, and professional athletes to play? Football has always been a violent sport of collision, glory, and growing concern. Over the last decade, research tying repetitive head impacts to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has shaken parents, players, and the game’s governing bodies. The central realities are straightforward but sobering: repeated head impacts — both diagnosed concussions and the many “sub-concussive” blows players take — are linked to later-life brain pathology; helmets and add-ons can lower impact forces, but no helmet or cover has been shown to prevent CTE; and rule and culture changes that reduce the number and severity of head impacts are where the biggest gains lie.

CHAOS AT THE CDC: A THREAT TO AMERICA’S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • September 10, 2025
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has long been viewed as the nation’s front-line defense against disease outbreaks, health emergencies, and public health threats. But today, the agency faces internal turmoil, political interference, and organizational confusion that experts warn could have dangerous consequences for the U.S. healthcare system—and for ordinary Americans.
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