OVERVIEW OF GREEN CLEANING IN SCHOOLS
Green Schools Initiative, September 2008
Schools, Cleaners and Children’s Environmental Health
Cleaning products used in schools contain an array of hazardous chemicals, including carcinogens, reproductive toxins, neurotoxins, and chemicals that cause asthma, and they contribute to poor indoor air quality and smog formation. These cleaning chemicals are also routinely washed down the drain where they find their way into drinking water, lakes and streams, adversely affecting plant and animal life, threatening public health and adding to pollution. The cleaning industry consumes six billion pounds of chemicals annually, including non-renewable resources such as petroleum.
Today there are hundreds of less-toxic cleaning products available on the market that are cost-effective and perform well. One-fifth of Americans spends their day in one of our 120,000 schools. Children spend 90 percent of their day indoors in a school and are more vulnerable to chemical exposures. There is no reason for children – or teachers, custodians or school staff – to be unnecessarily exposed to these chemicals at school. The states of New York and Illinois have already passed laws requiring schools to use environmentally-sensitive cleaners, and more states have bills pending. Many school districts across the country are voluntarily making the switch.
Health and Environmental Effects of Cleaners
Industrial and institutional cleaners have numerous hazardous ingredients:
· 30% of cleaners used in schools are known to cause human health or environmental problems.
· Chemicals of concern found in cleaners: phthalates, glycol ethers, ethanolamines, quaternary ammonium compounds, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, benzene, and many, many more.
· 12% of work-related asthma can be linked to cleaning product exposure (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, May 2003). Teachers and custodians have much higher incidence of asthma compared to the general workforce (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
· Six out of every one hundred janitors in Santa Clara County, California experience chemical-related injuries such as serious burns to the eyes or skin. Santa Clara County spends about $750,000 per year on medical expenses and lost job time for these chemical-related injuries (Center for New American Dream). Washington State reports similar experiences with janitorial injuries (US EPA 2007)
· Animal studies indicate chemicals in cleaners can cause birth defects, cancer, and reproductive harm (Women’s Voices for the Earth).
· Indoor air pollution can be up to 100 times higher than outdoor levels after some cleaning activities, especially regarding VOCs. VOC levels after cleaning can exceed safety levels established for industrial settings (California Air Resources Board, April 2006).
· In California, nearly one million children have asthma. Asthma is the main cause of hospitalization for children under 15 and is the primary cause of school absenteeism from a chronic illness. Cleaners used in schools are associated with triggering asthma in children. (California Breathing)
Benefits of Green Cleaners
Thankfully, there are now hundreds of less toxic commercial and institutional cleaning products available on the market that have been independently certified to exclude carcinogens, reproductive toxins and other hazardous chemicals. Many school districts are finding that they can save money by switching to green cleaners that are concentrated so they use less, can reduce absenteeism, and can improve staff and student health:
· Switching to green cleaners can significantly improve indoor air quality, reducing cleaning-related health problems and absenteeism and increasing performance of students and staff alike. The city of Santa Monica, California, for example, eliminated 3,200 pounds of hazardous materials by replacing traditional cleaning products with safer alternatives. (Center for New American Dream)
· Lockport Township High School, in Lockport, Ill., reported a 3 percent increase in the average daily attendance after the first year of implementing an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Management plan that included green cleaning practices of switching to Green Seal certified products, using disinfecting wipes, and changing to vacuums equipped with HEPA filters. (Healthy Schools Campaign)
· Large institutional purchasers, including cities like Santa Monica, states like Massachusetts, and school districts like Chicago’s public schools, have conducted independent laboratory tests concluding that all of the safer products bought by the groups work as well or better than traditional cleaners. Additionally, products certified by Green Seal and Environmental Choice, U.S. and Canadian standard-setting and eco-labeling organizations, are required to pass stringent performance standards in addition to strict environmental and human health criteria. (Center for New American Dream)
Cost-Effectiveness of Green Cleaners
Green cleaning programs that include the use of less-toxic, concentrated cleaning products can simplify the cleaning process, can perform well, and can save schools money. Hundreds of school districts across the country have successfully been making the switch to green cleaners without hardship. There are numerous testimonials of the cost-effectiveness, and we include a sampling here:
· In 2003-2004, the Chicago Public Schools tested a green cleaning program. The price of Green Seal certified products was found to be cost-competitive with traditional products. In addition, the study found that not only were green cleaning products readily available, they also performed as well if not better than the conventional products. (Healthy Schools Campaign)
· The city of Santa Monica, California documented a five percent price savings after its switch to green cleaners3. (Center for New American Dream)
· Other public purchasers including the U.S. Department of Interior (including several National Parks), the Chicago Public School System, the City of Seattle, Washington, the states of Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, Sarasota County, Florida and Alameda County, California have all reported that safer cleaners are cost competitive after adopting policies requiring the use of green cleaners. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005)
· Nick Cutri of the Canandaigua, NY School District said after he had switched that he saved a significant amount of money. Sandra Moulton of the Wolfeboro, NH High School saved enough money after switching to buy 2 new autoscrubbers. (INFORM)
· A three-month green cleaning pilot program at Grassy Waters Elementary School and Jeaga Middle School in the Palm Beach County School District in Florida proved that green cleaning saves money. The district saved $512.86 at one of the schools during the 3-month pilot. In June 2008, green cleaning will be required in all of the district’s 180 schools, multiplying the savings districtwide. (Palm Beach Post)
· Replacing 20 different cleaning products with a single Green Seal certified product has produced a $280,000 annual savings at the Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia, using Green Seal certified cleaners to keep the 270 dorm rooms, and 100 bathrooms clean.
· In California, the Fairfield-Suisun, Martinez, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz City School Districts have started using environmentally sensitive cleaning products and practices with great success. Pilot tests have been initiated in Oakland Unified School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, and others. Numerous private schools are already using green cleaners, including Head Royce School, Lick Wilmerding High School, Prospect Sierra School and many, many others.
· School districts can often purchase green cleaning products through their state’s procurement contract, which can offer major discounts on products through their bulk purchasing agreements. Such procurement contracts, as well as buying cooperatives and the bidding process, can offer cost savings to schools.
Stephen Ashkin, President of The Ashkin Group, LLC, is a 27-year industry veteran and considered to be the “father of Green Cleaning.” He received the 2006 Children’s Environmental Health Excellence Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency for his work on green cleaning. He has introduced green cleaning programs in more than 1,000 buildings in the U.S. and Europe, and counts school districts, government agencies, and private businesses among his clients. Mr. Ashkin says, “In my experience, green cleaning programs more than pay for themselves. Benefits result from cost savings from simplified chemical and product purchases, reduced workplace injuries and sick leave, higher worker retention, and improved student attendance and academic performance.”
Starting a Green Cleaning Program
There are many resources available to help you start a green cleaning program at your school and safeguard the health of children and workers. Don’t reinvent the wheel!
Cleaning for Healthy Schools provides a Training Toolkit and other step-by-step information on how to do site walk-throughs, how to work with your school committee, and how to identify certified green cleaning products. www.cleaningforhealthyschools.org
Environmental Choice is Canada’s environmental product certification program, issuing standards for over 300 product categories (such as flooring, paint, cleaners, office furniture and other products that may emit formaldehyde, VOCs and other indoor air pollutants). www.environmentalchoice.com
Green Seal is a U.S. nonprofit organization that sets standards for products (such as less-toxic janitorial cleaners, floor strippers, and paints) and certifies products that meet those standards. Find certified products, standards, and Choose Green Reports at www.greenseal.org
INFORM is a nonprofit environmental research organization based in New York City. If offers free technical resources and fact sheets on its Cleaning for Health webpage, which links to its 2002 report on this subject as well as a Green Cleaning Tool Kit, designed for schools and other institutional facilities: www.informinc.org/project_cleaning_health.php
Janitorial Product Pollution Prevention Project (JP4) offers fact sheets, advice, a database of health risks of common cleaning product ingredients, and other resources designed to help custodial workers avoid or safely handle high-hazard cleaning chemicals and identify less-toxic replacements. The fact sheets are available in English and Spanish. www.wrppn.org/Janitorial/jp4.cfm
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