EXAMINING COMMON CONSUMER PRODUCTS

To ensure safety of the consumers, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is reviewing
household cleaning products and cosmetic products sold in the market today whether they are harmful
or not. In line with this, DTI is requesting your company, given your company’s expertise in this area, to
examine common consumer products. Your task is to present your findings to the representatives of
DTI. You must also report to them how these consumer products be handled and kept safely.

Performance Task Objectives:

 Give common examples of cleaning materials for the house and for personal care
 Identify the active ingredient(s) of cleaning products used at home
 Give the use of the ingredients in cleaning agents
 Identify the major ingredients of commonly used cosmetics
 Explain the precautionary measures indicated in various cleaning products and cosmetics

TASK # 1:

Before you proceed to examining common consumer products, you must first be acquainted to
the basic terms such as active and inactive ingredients. You will encounter such terms throughout your
activity!

What you are required to do in your 1 st task is to enumerate the similarities and differences of
the two terms, active and inactive ingredients. To help you illustrate your responses, you must use a
Venn Diagram as shown below. Do you know how the Venn Diagrams works?

Active Inactive
Ingredients Ingredients

Guide Questions:

1. What are active and inactive ingredients?

2. How are active and inactive ingredients different from each other?
3. Why must we be familiar with these terms?

HOUSEHOLD CLEANING PRODUCTS

Have you tried cleaning your bathroom? your sink? your clothes? your floor? I’m pretty sure
you’re not just using water to clean them. I’m certain you are using cleaning products to remove the
dirt!

Despite the benefits of these cleaning products, they may be causing you harm. In this section,
you must examine your household cleaning products!
TASK # 2:

One of the types of household cleaning products is General Purpose Cleaners. Your task here is
to describe general purpose cleaners, give their uses, then identify their active and inactive ingredients.
To guide you in this
task, you must fill in the
table Active Inactive and answer the
Description Uses
Ingredients Ingredients guide questions
below.

Guide Questions:

1. What are general purpose cleaners?

2. How are they used?
3. What active and inactive ingredients compose them?
4. What household products you consider as general purpose cleaners?

TASK # 3

Another type of household cleaning product is bathroom cleaners. In this task, you must
describe what bathroom cleaners are, how they are used and what active and inactive ingredients they
are composed of. To help you achieve this task, you are required to fill out the table below. You must
answer the questions below.

Active Inactive
Description Uses
Ingredients Ingredients

Guide Questions:

1. What are general purpose cleaners?

2. How are they used?
3. What active and inactive ingredients compose them?
4. What are examples of bathroom cleaners?

FOR TASKS #S 4, 5 AND 6

You follow the procedures stated in tasks # 2 or # 3. The types of household cleaning products
you are to discuss in tasks 4, 5 and 6 are special surface cleaners, stain and deposit removers and
disinfectants and sanitizers respectively.
TASK # 7

This task requires you to inspect the cleaning agents (or cleaning products) you use at home. In
a given house location, you are to count the number of cleaning agents you got. Then, you pick ONE (1)
brand of a cleaning agent and you identify its active ingredient(s), hazardous component(s) and effects
of hazardous component(s) to humans. You are given four locations at home which are the kitchen,
bathroom/toilet, laundry and bedroom. Happy inspecting!

Number of Effects of
Brand of
Household Active Hazardous Hazardous
Location Representative
Cleaning Ingredient(s) Components Component(s)
Cleaning Agent
Agents to Humans

Kitchen

Bathroom/Toilet

Laundry

Bedroom

PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT

TASK # 8

Yahoo! You made it this far! Now you’re done with household cleaning products, you may now
proceed to personal care products (e.g. lotions, deodorant, etc.). Have you tried using any of these? Do
you know that these products can possibly harm you? That’s why it is important that you examine the
personal care products you use.

Your task is to enumerate at least 5 personal care products that are commonly used. You must
also identify the use and ingredients of each product.

Personal Care Products Uses Ingredients

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
TASK # 9

From the products you mentioned in task # 8, you must identify

the ingredients that are classified as allergens, irritants,
developmental/reproductive toxins, carcinogenic and neurotoxins. You
must also answer the guide questions below.

Guide Questions:

1. What are allergens, irritants, developmental/reproductive toxins, carcinogenic and

neurotoxins?
2. If, in your findings, you figured out there are ingredients that can possibly harm you,
should you stop using these products? Why or why not?

TASK # 10:

Now you’re done examining both household cleaning agents and personal care products. You
must now cite ways on how to safely handle and keep these consumer products using the web diagram
below. You can list as many ways as possible.