If you look at the back of cleaning products you commonly use, you'll likely see a long list of chemicals. Windex alone is made up of more than 7 chemicals including, but certainly not limited to, various dyes, ammonia, and many perfumes. With all the chemicals being used and little to no regulation across the industry, how can we be sure that the chemicals we surround ourselves with are actually safe? The average person doesn't know the dangers of surfactants and neither do the lawmakers tasked with regulating them. Instead of asking your local politician for advice, look in the mirror. Start protecting yourself and the environment by taking responsibility and learn about the chemicals you constantly surround yourself with. Then, after you and the people around you become educated, we can put in place reasonable and informed regulations and restrictions. Chemicals, especially those intended for cleaning, are so common that we no longer notice them in our daily lives. We have come to prefer the artificial smell of cleaning products to no or slightly unpleasant odor. You could probably look around now and find several examples of products chock-full of unknown chemicals. In our short-term, quick-fix society, it's natural that we find ourselves routinely using these products with little to no thought. That's why it's critical to learn more about these products and their dangerous and volatile contents. It is entirely possible that you could ingest these deadly compounds every day. Chemicals used in functions such as embalming have become routine (National Cancer Institute). Everything from the smell of your new car to your favorite detergent… half paper… honest companies or politicians that you think should be doing the right thing. The only way to stop this epidemic of blind chemical use in our homes is to educate ourselves and stop it at the source. Works Cited • Conis, Elena. “Clean safely?” Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles] April 28, 2008:. Press.• Dutt Chaturvedi, Amiy and KL Tiwari. “Effect of household detergents (surfactants) degraded through aquatic fungi.” Recent Research in Science and Technology 5.5 (2013): 12-16. Academic research completed. Network. September 12, 2013.• "8 Household Cleaners to Avoid." Vita Gaiam. Gaiam and Web. 13 September 2013.• "Formaldehyde and cancer risk". cancer.gov. National Cancer Institute, n.d. Web.September 11, 2013. • “How Toxic Are Household Cleaning Products?” Organic consumers. OrganicConsumers Association, nd Web. 13 September. 2013.