Leslie Jones makes a contribution to an important topic: constant improvement in the safety and effectiveness of tools used in the cleaning profession.
Some other factors need to be considered, however, to put things in perspective:
* Enzymes are complex proteins that are biological catalysts. (Proteins are made from amino acids. A protein is like a chain and the amino acids are the links in that chain.) A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in that reaction. Sort of a recycling program!
* Living organisms are extremely reliant on hundreds of enzymes found in every nook and cranny of every cell.
* While enzymes can cause allergic responses, these responses are hardly confined to enzymes. Many substances found in common materials around the house are potential allergens. Such substances include: certain foods, cat dander, latex, pine sap, dust mites, etc.
* Enzymes are safely used in hundreds of consumer and industrial products every day. Meat tenderizer, laundry presoaks, toothpaste, baby food, dietary supplements used for lactose intolerance, one’s own saliva and the human digestive system all use enzymes.
* When using enzymes, as with any other tool, there is such a thing as proper and improper use. We typically avoid misting any type of cleaning product into the air . We also avoid allowing cleaning products to dry on surfaces before rinsing them away.
* Some enzymes are indeed temperamental relative to temperature and pH. Obviously these parameters are under the control of a professional cleaner. Indeed the surfaces and cleaning processes themselves often require tight control.
* If you check statistics on causes of death in infants, there is little evidence to support enzymes as a contributing factor. Even within the context of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the causes are usually related to accidental suffocation, low birth weight and congenital defects.
