Green Cleaning in Schools Benefits Children’s Health and Saves Money Rebecca Sutton, Ph. D, Environmental Working Group Deborah Moore, Green Schools Initiative Linda Lopez, Elk Grove Unified School District New findings about the toxic ingredients in cleaning supplies used in California classrooms and policy solutions to improve indoor air quality, health, and achievement.
21 school cleaners Conventional Certified Green
Formaldehyde Acetaldehyde 2 -Butoxyethanol Ethylene glycol Phenol Ethanolamine 457 air pollutants Limonene Benzene Chloroform Benzaldehyde Butyl alcohol Dibutyl phthalate Xylene Benzonitrile Octanal Toluene Methyl ketone
6 chemicals that cause asthma
11 known, probable or possible human carcinogens
200+ chemicals with no safety data
Green cleaning releases one-sixth the air pollution
General purpose cleaners
www. ewg. org/schoolcleaningsupp lies Rebecca Sutton, Ph. D. becky@ewg. org
Overview of the Challenge § The school’s challenge: vulnerable people in heavily used, densely occupied spaces § One-half of our schools have indoor environmental quality (IEQ) problems § Children are more vulnerable than adults to toxins § Absenteeism, lower productivity and test scores 10
Health Affects Learning and Productivity • Asthma is leading cause of school absenteeism from a chronic illness, ~1. 9 million missed school days in CA in 2005 • Loss of ~$40. 8 million to schools from asthma absences of 12 -17 year-olds • Lower academic achievement is associated with asthmatic students • Teachers, custodians have some of the highest rates of work-related asthma • 5 billion pounds cleaning chemicals used annually
Use Third-Party Certified Green Products Advertising and labels not always reliable Schools and agencies can rely on third party certifiers to evaluate products against specific standards and criteria Made by mainstream companies, comparable price, demonstrated performance General, all-purpose cleaners and other products widely available: § Concentrated cleaners with automated dispensing systems § Hand soaps (not antibacterial) § Paper products § chlorine-free, recycled § tissue & towels on large rolls
Green Cleaners Save $ u Reducing variety of products used Replacing 20 products with 1 Green Seal product saved $280, 000/year at Riverside Military Academy, Gainesville, GA u Reducing amount of chemicals used via best practices, dilution equipment Palm Beach schools saving $360, 000/yr u. Purchasing with procurement contracts Novato Unified switched with no additional cost; Waxie offers 45% discounts, US Communities, State of California
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New York Green Cleaning in Schools Law § State Education Law 409 -I and State Finance Law 163 -b (adopted in 2005, effective in 2006) § Requires Office of General Services to establish guidelines for “environmentally-sensitive” cleaning products for schools § All public and private elementary and secondary schools must buy environmentally sensitive cleaning and maintenance products § Green cleaning products offered on the NY state procurement contract: www. ogs. state. ny. us/bldgadmin/environmental/default. html
Illinois Green Cleaning Law • Public Act 095 -0084 (adopted in 2006, effective in 2008) • K-12 schools (public and private) required to establish a green cleaning policy and purchase only products that meet guidelines “when it is economically feasible” • Requires IL Green Government Coordinating Council to establish guidelines for “environmentally-sensitive cleaning products. ” • Successful pilot test in Chicago public schools found “green” cleaners comparable in cost See www. healthyschoolscampaign. org
AB 821 The Clean & Healthy Schools Act • Requires all schools to use “environmentally preferable” cleaners by 2011 -12, when “economically feasible” • Defines “environmentally preferable” as meeting third-party certification criteria • Allows schools to exhaust existing supplies • Encourages schools to use State Procurement contracts to get discounts. • If purchasing environmentally preferable cleaners is not economically feasible, the district will submit a letter to CDE and Board until it is feasible • CDE (or CDPH – by amendment) will post information on its website for schools to identify qualified products
What about H 1 N 1? According to the CDC: • School staff should routinely clean areas that students and staff touch often with the cleaners they typically use. The CDC does not believe any additional disinfection of environmental surfaces beyond recommended routine cleaning is required. http: //www. flu. gov/professional/schoolguidancepdf. pdf
Deborah Moore 510 -525 -1026 deborah@greenschools. net www. greenschools. net
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