healthy clean buildings

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          "GREEN CLEANING" PRODUCTS

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          Featuring THE "GREEN SEAL" CERTIFICATION CONTROVERSY !

Especially for E.H.N. Members & Other Interested Parties : 
"Fragrance Free" Awareness Program

ARE YOU AND
YOUR CHILDREN SAFE?


DANGER: TOXIC TOXIC WASTE DUMP BEWARE: TOXIC FUMES!!

IS YOUR WORKPLACE, SCHOOL, OR HOME
A TOXIC CHEMICAL WASTE DUMP?

The Average American Uses about 25 Gallons
of "TOXIC" , "HAZARDOUS" Chemical Products
per year in their Home...
A Major Portion Of These Can Be Found
In Household Cleaning Products.
(Source: Prosperity Without Pollution,
by Joel S. Hirschorn and Kirsten V. Oldenburg, 1991).

Nationwide, more than 32 million pounds of household cleaning products  are poured down the drain each day. Many of these products contain toxic substances that are NOT processed adequately by sewage treatment plants or septic systems. Careless or improper use and disposal of these products may threaten individual health or lead to accidental poisoning. Long term or cumulative environmental consequences may also occur like contamination of surface and ground water. ( Spring 2002 Edition of CCA Newsletter Partners :"CLEANING WITHOUT TOXIC CHEMICALS"--http://www.dhr.state.md.us/cca/pdfs/spr02b.pdf )
According to the MAY 2002 issue of the cleaning trade magazine--
"CM Cleaning & Maintenance Management magazine"--
( National Trade Publications, Latham, New York, 12110 ),
an article entitled, 
"GREEN Cleaning Gets A Federal Push",
clearly states on page 51 :
 "...Cleaning Chemicals Are The Most Frequent Type Of Chemicals
Involved In Poisonings
Reported To 'Poison Control Centers'
In The United States.".

"In 1999, 92% Of All Poisonings Occurred In The Home.
Cleaning Products Are Involved In 11% Of Poisoning Exposure
In Children Under 6 Years Of Age."
( Source: City of Boulder-Office of Environmental Affairs )


DID YOU KNOW ?

  • THAT OF THE 17,OOO CHEMICALS THAT APPEAR IN COMMON HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS,
    ONLY 30% HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY TESTED FOR THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON OUR HEALTH .


  • THE FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ( E.P.A. ) HAS FOUND THAT
    AIRBORNE CHEMICAL LEVELS IN HOMES WERE AS MUCH AS
    SEVENTY ( 70 ) TIMES HIGHER INSIDE THAN OUTSIDE .


  • THE FEDERAL FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION ( F.D.A. ) CANNOT REQUIRE COMPANIES TO DO
    SAFETY TESTING ON THEIR PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS BEFORE THEY ARE SOLD TO THE PUBLIC .


  • MEDICAL DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS HAVE STUDIED, ANALYZED, EVALUATED, AND CONCLUDED
    THAT THERE IS A DEFINITIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN OUR HEALTH AND
    THE USE OF EVERYDAY COMMON HOUSEHOLD CLEANING CHEMICALS .


    • Source : "Neighborhood Network's"  2002 Environmental Resource Directory for Home and Business


    ...AND THERE'S MORE !
    ( About The Hazards Of Household Cleaning Products )

  • INDOOR AIR IS OFTEN TWO TO FIVE TIMES MORE CONTAMINATED THAN OUTDOOR AIR .

  • CHILDHOOD ASTHMA HAS NEARLY DOUBLED IN THE LAST 20 YEARS (American Lung Assoc.)...
    And Some Cleaners May Be Triggers To Asthma Attacks.

  • 70,000 SYNTHENTIC CHEMICALS ARE IN PRODUCTION TODAY.
    MANY ARE SUSPECTED TO CAUSE CANCER OR OTHER HEALTH EFFECTS,...
    BUT ONLY 600 HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY TESTED.

    ( SOURCE : City of Boulder-Office of Environmental Affairs
    http://www.ci.boulder.co.us/environmentalaffairs/healthyhome )

  • ENVIRONMENTAL DISCOMFORTS AND ILLNESSES are increasing at alarming rates
  • 15-25% OF OUR POPULATION HAS SOME TYPE OF BREATHING PROBLEMS such as hay fever or asthma, and are adversely affected by strong odors included in perfume, aftershave, hair spray and body lotions
  • 9 OUT OF 10 BREATHS are likely drawn indoors
  • THERE WAS A 38% INCREASE IN PRESCRIPTIONS FOR AIRWAY MEDICATIONS from 1985 to 1990
  • THERE ARE APPROX. 4,000 INDIVIDUAL FRAGRANCE COMPOUNDS – several hundred may be used in creating a single scent
  • 17-22% OF PEOPLE SUFFER FROM FRAGRANCE-RELATED MIGRAINE HEADACHES
  • ADVERSE REACTIONS FROM SCENTED PRODUCTS result in sick time, lost productivity, increased insurance costs and hostility from employers and employees who do not understand the health threats of fragrances. Chemically sensitive individuals cannot simply avoid fragrances...they share air in which they have no control other.

    ( SOURCE : www.gloriagilbere.com/Non-ToxicLiving.htm - Gloria Gilbere, N.D., D.A.Hom., Ph.D.)




    CLEAN GOES "GREEN" 

    "It's a dirty business, but companies need to start using safer cleaning products", Activists say

    by Ric Kahn, Globe Staff | September 30, 2007

    Her daughter's eyes were pink and puffy. The child's nose was scratchy and runny. Nancy Figueroa of Jamaica Plain did everything she could to make her daughter well: She bought one medicine after another; did more wash than a 24-hour laundromat; gave to charity her daughter's stuffed animals that might be carrying dust, including the little monkey that young Katherine clung to for comfort.

    Still the allergies raged.

    Katherine missed so many days early on in elementary school she had to repeat a grade and say goodbye to childhood friends, her mother says.

    But once she left that school, Figueroa says, the problem disappeared. It wasn't until about a year ago, after Figueroa went to work as a health advocate for the Committee for Boston Public Housing, that she surmised the allergy trigger might have been right under her daughter's dripping nose.

    In an effort to keep her former schoolhouse clean, Figueroa believes, custodians may have inadvertently been discharging contaminants into the air when they scrubbed.

    "I didn't link it," says Figueroa, 42. "You always think that school is a safe place."

    Now, the Boston public schools are transforming themselves into greener houses of learning. Earlier this month, the superintendent unfurled an ecological manifesto, reiterating the switchover in 135 buildings, completed last year, to what officials believe are safer alternatives for day-in day-out cleaning.

    "Boston public schools will provide and use more environmentally friendly effective cleaning products, which will greatly help those with asthma and allergies," Superintendent Carol Johnson declared. When it comes to cleaning green, schools aren't the city's only eco-friendly outposts. It's as if environmental activists Laurie David and Sheryl Crow came to Boston and started painting parts of the town green: from community rooms in Roxbury to kitchen counters in JP.

    "People spend about 90 percent of their time indoors," says Tolle Graham, a health and safety organizer for the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, which has been at the center of many local green-clean initiatives.

    Though not as sexy as fighting acid rain, global warming, or the desecration of rain forests, the environmental movement is turning its attention to indoor pollution, warning of dangers that may lurk in cleaning products used on living room furniture, in toilet bowls, and on desktops.

    "This is largely invisible to our eyes," says Janet Domenitz, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group. "They aren't obvious, like a toxic spill where the river has turned a different color and the banks are foaming with pollution."

    Yet advocates cite studies that allege possible links, from exposure on the job or at home, between some cleaning-product ingredients and fertility problems, birth defects, asthma, allergies, and other ailments.

    Figueroa, who has asthma herself, has spread her green knowledge to her apartment at the Boston Housing Authority's South Street development, and to others. She no longer reaches for her inhaler when cleaning, she says, after subbing green materials for stronger chemicals that made her nauseated as she struggled for air. Throughout BHA developments, she's part of a healthy-homes team that teaches residents to do things like mix one cup of white vinegar with two gallons of water to clean floors and keep at bay the roaches and rodents that also provoke asthma, while authority workers use green inhibitors to ward off asthma-grating mold.

    Mainstream manufacturers say their cleaning products on the industrial and household side are safe, and that they worry that less effective alternatives could allow formidable bacteria such as E. coli to gain the upper hand. Further, they take umbrage at being blamed for those studies' findings, questioning whether the results of the testing are due to exposure to cleaning products or to the dangerous gunk the cleaners are trying to eliminate. "There are scare tactics being used to . . . demonize traditional cleaning products, but there's nothing to demonize," says Bill Lafield, vice president of communications for the Consumer Specialty Products Association, which represents major cleaning-product companies that the group says invests millions on safety measures. "In the cleaning-product industry, people want to do the right thing environmentally."

    Still, citing past issues, from lead in gasoline to global warming, enviro-advocates predict that on green cleaning, too, they will soon go from being portrayed as shrill naysayers to shrewd prognosticators. "It's as old as the hills," says Domenitz. "The activists raise a red flag early on . . . and get marginalized." "I'm sick of waiting," Domenitz continues, noting a high price for standing still, not only for coughers but coffers as well - millions, she says, in lost productivity, missed school days, and medical treatment.

    Though it may seem like it, the thrust toward green clean hasn't come out of the blue. It represents an offshoot of the green building trend and an emergent alliance between labor leaders and environmentalists fighting so workers won't suck in dangerous fumes. It's an effort to reduce childhood asthma, which the Boston Urban Asthma Coalition calls the number one chronic condition treated in the city's public schools.

    It's also a nexus between personal health and planetary well-being, as those cleaning products suspected of causing bodily harm might also endanger bodies of water after being flushed down the drain - another charge the industry disputes.

    Enviro-advocates say that with gaps in government oversight and a lack of full-disclosure labeling requirements for all household cleaners, they won't disappear like stains zapped from a dining room table. In fact, they say they want more: passage of proposed legislation on Beacon Hill requiring that green products be used statewide to clean specific sites frequented by the public, from schools to hospitals.

    Some who've used the alternative products - from professionals ordering them in industrial size to homemakers buying eco-friendly-marked items at the supermarket - say the green goods are just as effective as the mainstream brands in cost and cleaning. Cleaning-product manufacturers oppose such a law, as does the Massachusetts Hospital Association, which is skeptical that green cleaners are up to the task of knocking out insidious germs. As Karen Nelson, the association's senior vice president of clinical affairs, says, "You don't want your operating room to be 99 percent clean."

    Janice Homer is a 47-year-old registered nurse in a Boston hospital who says she developed asthma by inhaling harsh cleaning chemicals at a previous hospital at which she she worked. Homer is part of an illness-fighting corps that is getting sick itself at high rates. Among the occupations tracked for work-related asthma by the state Department of Public Health from 1993 to 2006, nurses ranked first, accounting for 13.3 percent of confirmed cases. After working for more than 15 years at that hospital south of Boston, Homer says, she started feeling ill there in 2000. Her chest tightened and lungs inflamed and sinuses swelled, she says, whenever she passed a sink being cleaned or a floor being buffed. Once, she says, she had to administer oxygen to herself when she couldn't breathe and her skin turned blue. After she shifted to a Boston hospital, she says, she no longer was exposed to conventional buffing and spraying. Her asthma, she says, went away.

    "There are alternatives," says Homer, who is active on the Massachusetts Nurses Association health and safety committee and supports the pending green clean legislation. "My example could happen to anybody."

    If Homer's confrontation with cleaning chemicals was dire, Victor Euceda's was more subtle. When the 36-year-old custodian spritzed the windows at the Roxbury housing development he cares for, he sometimes felt a tickle in his throat, or a cough slowly rise from his chest. But the brunt of the effect was in his head. He'd think, "Right now, I don't feel anything" bothering him physically. Later on, though, he fretted that he might suffer breathing problems. What would happen to his wife and kids if he was out of work? "We couldn't get enough money to live," Euceda said to himself.

    His concerns were not farfetched. A study published in the "Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine" that looked at worker data from Massachusetts and three other states found that exposure to cleaning products was associated with 12 percent of total asthma cases across all jobs surveyed.

    When the nonprofit community development corporation Urban Edge last year converted to green cleaning at the complex Euceda maintains, and at more than a dozen of its other housing sites in the city, Euceda felt a sense of relief wash over him. " I'm just cleaning," the Honduran native says now. "I forget about myself."

    Some of that green side effect fell on Tasha Williams, too. She lives at the new Amory Residences that Euceda keeps up. Before the environmental alteration there, Williams says she could tell when Euceda had just done her hallway. Her teenage son, Christopher, who has asthma, would bound up the stairs like he'd just run for miles: wheezing, coughing, heaving. Her daughter Lorraine, now 8, would start her nonstop allergy sneezing.Her own asthma would kick in, her lungs clamping closed. She was dubious that the green products would really clean. But that skepticism, she says, soon dissolved. Now, she says, her family's breathing easier all around. "It's better for my kids," says Williams, 38, who's gone uber-eco inside her home, as well. In the last year or so, she figures she's saved $100 from the change to green cleaning, from fewer doctor visits to lower pharmacy co-payments. For her family, Williams says, that kind of green has had other restorative benefits, like extra trips to the movies and more Friday night pizzas.



    Sunday, March 28, 2004

    "Toxic America"
    'Tracking the hazardous chemicals that seep stealthily into our bodies'

    by Alexandra Rome
    Co-director of the Sustainable Futures Group at Commonweal,
    a nonprofit health and environmental research institute, until 2000.
    She lives in Mill Valley.

    "...There are more than 75,000 chemicals licensed for commercial use; more than 2,000 new synthetic chemicals are registered every year; the Environmental Protection Agency has tallied close to 10,000 chemical ingredients in cosmetics, food and consumer products. The 210 we were tested for are just a few of the industrial chemicals in our world. We can surmise that the actual number of manufactured chemicals in our bodies is far greater than our results show. Very few of these chemicals were in our environment, or our bodies, just 75 years ago.

    In 1998, U.S. industries reported manufacturing 6.5 trillion pounds of 9, 000 different chemicals, and in 2000, major American companies -- not even counting the smaller ones -- dumped 7.1 billion pounds of 650 different industrial chemicals into our air and water...we can seldom link specific health problems to specific exposures; the science is not yet available for that. But the prevalence of many illnesses and diseases -- including cancers, birth and reproductive system defects, asthma, nervous system disorders such as autism and attention deficit disorder -- is on the rise, and environmental factors may play a significant role in these increases. More than 50 of the chemicals I tested positive for are known to have harmful effects on the immune and cardiac systems.

    Unfortunately, way too little is known about the vast majority of chemicals we have unleashed into our environment and bodies. There is no information available on the chemical uses or health effects of more than one- third of the chemicals for which the nine body burden study participants tested positive in a review of eight standard industry or government references used by the EPA. The chemical industry continues to claim that low- dose exposure to hundreds of chemicals simultaneously is safe. Yet, for most of the chemicals found in us, there are almost no studies done on such exposures, much less on related questions about how they may interact with each other in our bodies, how the timing of exposure may affect us, or how genetic vulnerability plays into the mix. It is not acceptable for any of us to be participants, without a choice, in this chemical soup about which we have so little knowledge.

    The main reason so little is known is this: Companies are under no legal or regulatory obligation to understand how their products might harm human health, except in the case of certain ingredients in drugs or food or used as pesticides. That is also unacceptable. We must have more reliable scientific information about these chemicals...."

    FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO :
    TOXIC AMERICA by Vicki Haddock
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/28/INGPU5PFTS1.DTL

    TOXIC AMERICA by Alexandra Rome
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/28/ING2J5QG7R1.DTL


    TRENDS IN CHILDREN'S HEALTH
    by John Wargo, Ph.D., Professor, Yale University and Linda Evenson Wargo, M.E.S.

    Excerpted from The State of Children's Health and Environment 2002: Solutions For Parents
    and Policymakers, Children's Health Environmental Coalition

    Consider the following trends in children’s health :
  • Nearly 5 million U.S. children suffer from asthma, and rates have increased rapidly over the past several decades.
  • Childhood cancer rates have increased gradually and with consistency for many forms of the disease, while increasing most rapidly for leukemia (ALL) and cancers of the central nervous system (brain tumors).
  • Birth defects continue to be the primary cause of infant mortality. Nearly 1 of every 28 babies is born with a birth defect.
  • Nearly 17% of children less than 18 years in age have been diagnosed with at least one developmental disorder.
  • Between 3-5% of children in the U.S. have Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the incidence may be on the rise. Visits to office-based physicians for pediatric ADHD-related concerns increased by 90% between 1989 and 1996.The use of stimulants such as Ritalin to treat ADHD in children rose 14% during this same period.
  • The nervous systems of more than one million children are irreversibly damaged from exposure to lead, primarily from exposure to deteriorating paints.

    • HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS POSE A
    SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO THE
    HEALTH AND SAFETY OF FAMILIES,
    PARTICULARLY TO CHILDREN .
    CONSIDER THESE FACTS :

  • Within 26 seconds after exposure to chemicals such as cleaning products , traces of these chemicals can be found
          in every organ in the body.
  • About one percent of the nation’s trash is made up of household hazardous waste. That small percentage equals
          3.36 million tons, an average of 60-100 pounds per household at any given time.
  • More than 1.4 million Americans exposed to household chemicals were referred to poison control centers in 2001.
  • 824,000 of these exposure victims were children under the age of 6.
  • Household chemicals cause frequent fires in dumpsters and trash collection trucks, and injuries to trash workers.
          A New York sanitation worker was killed in 1998 when a hazardous liquid in household trash sprayed his face and clothes.


    • ( SOURCE : http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/education/articles-detail.asp?Main_ID=649 )

    According to a study published in New Scientist in 1999, in homes where aerosol sprays and air fresheners were used frequently, mothers experienced 25 percent more headaches and were 19 percent more likely to suffer from depression, and infants under six months of age had 30 percent more ear infections and 22 percent higher incidence of diarrhea.

    ( SOURCE : http://www.grist.org/advice/possessions/2003/03/18/possessions-cleaning/ )

    Recent medical and scientific studies suggest that chronic exposure to low levels of synthetic chemicals and "toxins" found in indoor air pollution may be linked to numerous health concerns, including but not limited to: allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, cancer, Alzheimer's, ADD ( Attention Deficit Disorder ) ; and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.


    OH !...THOSE  STORE-BOUGHT  CLEANING  CHEMICALS
    REALLY   DON'T   DO   MUCH   HARM  !!

                        


    Household cleaners create toxic waste in their manufacture and use, which gets disposed of in the environment in the form of air and water pollution and solid toxic waste every day. This pollution come back to haunt our own health and harms every living thing on earth. These petrochemical toxins can accumulate dangerously in the muscles, fat and bones from one toxic chemical exposure or from many smaller ones. It is imperative that we limit exposure to toxic chemicals, because if our immune systems is pushed to the limit, we can't detoxify, and we become chemically sensitive, at the least. At the worst, our life is endangered . The Consumer Product Safety Commission on  "CHEMICALS COMMONLY FOUND IN THE HOME" identified 150 as linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities with ten percent ( 10% ) causing High Blood Pressure and Migraines and twenty percent ( 20% ) being responsible for mental disturbances. For example , the  "California Department of Fish and Game"  tested the toxicity of common chemicals which were found in waterways. The most toxic substances to aquatic organisms present in the water were : Household Bleach, All-purpose Cleaner, Laundry Detergent, and Dish Detergent. Unfortunately, people overlook the cumulative effect of repeated exposures since noone is really affected by a single exposure of handling cleaning chemicals. These products , especially harm children and pets, as well as adults . Aside from ingesting poisons, the dangers of exposure also involve skin absorption respiratory inhalation since your liver and fatty tissue will store them .

    HOW MUCH IMPACT DO TOXIC CLEANING CHEMICALS
    HAVE ON YOUR FAMILY AND YOU ?

    More than 32 million pounds of household cleaning products are poured down the drain each day nationwide. The toxic substances found in many of these are not adequately removed by sewage treatment plants.
    -Spring 2002 Edition of CCA Newsletter Partners "Cleaning Without Toxic Chemicals"

  • More than 75,000 chemicals are licensed for commercial use.
  • More than 2,000 new synthetic chemicals are registered every year.
  • The EPA tallied close to 10,000 chemical ingredients in cosmetics, food and consumer products. Very few of these chemicals were in our environment or our bodies just 75 years ago.
  • In 1998, U.S. industries manufactured 6.5 trillion pounds of 9,000 different chemicals.
  • In 2000, major American companies dumped 7.1 billion pounds of 650 different industrial chemicals into our air and water.
  • Except in the case of foods, drugs or pesticides, companies are under no legal or regulatory obligation to concern themselves with how their products might harm human health.

    • -Alexandra Rome, Co-director of the Sustainable Futures Group at Commonweal, a nonprofit health and environmental research institute,until 2000.

    The Average American Uses about 25 Gallons of toxic, hazardous chemical products per year in their home... A major portion of these can be found in household cleaning products.
    -"Prosperity Without Pollution," by Joel S. Hirschorn and Kirsten V. Oldenburg, 1991

    According to the National Research Council, no toxic information is available for more than 80% of the chemicals in everyday-use products. Only 1% of toxins are required to be listed on labels, because companies classify their formulas as "trade secrets."
    -Lorie Dwornick, researcher, educator and activist, 2002

    In the past 50 years more than 75,000 chemicals have been introduced into the environment. Today 300 synthetic chemicals are found in the bodies of humans. Even newborn babies have synthetic chemicals passed on from their mothers.
    -REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals, a European Union program)

    In homes where aerosol sprays and air fresheners were used frequently, mothers experienced 25 percent more headaches and were 19 percent more likely to suffer from depression. Additionally, infants under six months of age had 30 percent more ear infections and 22 percent higher incidence of diarrhea.
    -According to a Study Published in the magazine, NEW SCIENTIST, 1999

    Cancer rates have increased since 1901 from only 1 in 8,000 Americans, to 1 in 3 today! By the year 2010, this disease will afflict 1 of every 2 individuals!
    -American Cancer Society

    Cancer rates have continued to increase every year since 1970. Brain cancer in children is up 40% in 20 years. Toxic chemicals are largely to blame.
    -NY Times, September 29, 1997

    Women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. The 15-year study concluded it was as a direct result of the much higher exposure rate to toxic chemicals in common household products!
    -Toronto Indoor Air Conference 1990

    The toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution.
    - Environmental Protection Agency report in 1985

    Of chemicals commonly found in homes, 150 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities.
    -Consumer Product Safety Commission

    Within 26 seconds after exposure to chemicals such as cleaning products , traces of these chemicals can be found in every organ in the body.

  • More than 1.4 million Americans exposed to household chemicals were referred to poison control centers in 2001. Of these, 824,000 were children under 6 years.
  • A New York sanitation worker was killed in 1998 when a hazardous liquid in household trash sprayed his face and clothes.
  • At any given time, there is 3.36 million tons of household hazardous waste to contend with in our country.

    • -Chec's HealtheHouse,
    the resource for Environmental Health Risks
    Affecting Your Children

  • In 1990, more than 4,000 toddlers under age four were admitted to hospital emergency rooms as a result of household cleaner-related injuries. That same year, three-fourths of the 18,000 pesticide-related hospital emergency room admissions were children.
  • Over 80 percent of adults and 90 percent of children in the United States have residues of one or more harmful pesticides in their bodies.
  • Petrochemical cleaning products in the home are easily absorbed into the skin. Once absorbed, the toxins travel to the blood stream and are deposited in the fatty tissues where they may exist indefinitely.

    • -"In Harm's Way," a study by "The Clean Water Fund" and "Physicians for Social Responsibility"
    May 11, 2000

    More than 7 million accidental poisonings occur each year, with more than 75% involving children under age 6!
    -The Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons

    According to the U.S. Poison Control Centers, "A child is accidentally poisoned every 30 seconds at home..."

    Unregulated air pollution has caused one in six children in the Central Valley of California to suffer from asthma. More than 5000 children in the San Joaquin Valley Air District are hospitalized each year for asthma. The death rate from respiratory diseases in the Imperial Valley -- at times more than double that of the rest of the state. Up to 2.2 million Californians suffer from asthma.
    -California's State Department of Health Services

    Nationwide, air pollution causes between 50,000 and 100,000 premature deaths per year - and soot accounts for a majority of these. Soot is the most deadly air pollutant, accounting for more deaths than homicides or automobile accidents. According to the California Air Resources Board, diesel soot accounts for 70 percent of the cancer risk from toxic air pollution statewide.
    -Earthjustice

    When combined, chemicals are even more dangerous. Deadly fumes result from mixing ammonia with bleach (both found in many household products) creating lethal "mustard gas" !
    -U.S. Government, E.P.A.

    The Washington (state) Department of Health discovered that one fourth of tested farm workers handling pesticides were overexposed to extremely hazardous chemicals. Carbamates or organophosphates can cause dizziness, breathing problems, muscle twitching, and paralysis. Scientists are discovering a whole universe of health effects associated with the products of our industrial age with profound implications for public health and regulatory policy. The continuous appearance of toxic effects at lower and lower levels of exposure is especially troubling since low-level exposure to some chemicals is practically universal.
    -The 2050 Project Newsletter, Fall 1994;
    State of the World 1994, Worldwatch Institute



    According to THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE :



  • 1 in 5 Americans suffer from allergic rhinitis, the most common chronic disease in humans.
  • 1 in 9 Americans suffer from allergy-related sinusitis.
  • 1 in 10 Americans have allergic-related asthma.
  • 1 in 11 Americans experience allergic dermatitis.
  • Less than 1 in 100 Americans suffer from serious chronic allergic diseases.

    •      These statistics indicate that allergic reactions are extremely common in humans.
         Often times, the specific cause of the allergies is in question...BUT, the symptoms are real .


    HEALTHY  CLEANING …
    WHY  IT'S  IMPORTANT ?

    PETROCHEMICALS VS. BIO-BASED CHEMICAL ALTERNATIVES


    Up to now, most household and commercially purchased cleaning products are "petrochemically" derived or "synthetic" . These type of products are literally made from crude petroleum oil . As our use of these cleaners in our homes, schools, and workplaces has grown over the last 60 years, the incidence of diseases like cancer and asthma has grown dramatically as well, and many experts see a clear connection between the two. It’s a picture vividly painted by the numbers: From 1973 to 1998, the overall incidence of cancer increased by almost 25%. In the last 20 years, asthma rates have skyrocketed almost 50% . Americans now spend billions every year to deal with allergic diseases, including a brand new one called multiple chemical sensitivity whose symptoms are currently reported by some 15-30% of the U.S. population.

    Many people who are exposed to a variety of petrochemicals in our environment do not reach acute toxic exposure which leads to cancer or death. However, they may experience an array of subtle symptoms, including headaches, rashes, or breathing difficulties, which, while less dramatic, can be extremely debilitating. These effects are even more devastating in young children. Compounding this problem is the difficulty of isolating which chemicals present in homes, schools, offices or even cars is causing the problem.

    By replacing existing petrochemical cleaners, any indoor environment can be transformed into a healthier and safer one. Made from renewable resources, bio-based "GREEN" Natural & Organic Cleaning Alternatives avoid petrochemicals altogether. These products contain chemical extracts and oils derived from fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetable crops, and plant matter.

    Identify products whose labels disclose specific, environmentally-sensitive ingredients that also perform effectively. These include food-grade alcohols instead of "toxic"  butyl cellosolve- as a solvent; coconut or other plant-derived surfactants rather than petroleum derivatives in detergents; and plant-oil disinfectants such as thyme oil, tea tree oil, or eucalyptus rather than triclosan ( a registered pesticide, commonly found in anti-bacterial hand soaps ) .

    BE AWARE OF SMOKE & MIRRORS !


    In choosing BIO-BASED ALTERNATIVES, you need to be aware of "greenwashing "...a term used by " corporations when they try to make themselves look more environmentally friendly than they really are. "Greenwashing" is ONLY a deceptive marketing technique . Just because a product says it's "NATURAL" doesn't mean it's "NON-TOXIC" ! The word "NATURAL" is undefined and unregulated by the government and can be applied to just about anything under the sun -- including plastic, which comes from naturally occurring petroleum. Because NO STANDARDS exist, claims such as "NON-TOXIC"; "ECO-SAFE"; and "ENVIRONMENTALLY - FRIENDLY " are also meaningless . ONLY Food and Herbs can be certified "ORGANIC", so the word "ORGANIC" on the face of a dish or laundry soap also doesn't apply .

    Before purchasing any cleaning product, it is advised to look at the product label for specific, eco-friendly ingredients that also perform effectively . These include grain alcohol ( versus "toxic" 2-butoxyethanol ( butyl cellosolve ) as a solvent; coconut or other plant oils ( versus petrochemical ingredients ) in detergents; and plant-oil disinfectants such as eucalyptus, rosemary, or sage rather than a registered pesticide such as triclosan in anti-bacterial hand soaps .

    F.Y.I. ... If every household in the United States replaced just one 28 oz. bottle of petroleum-based cleaner with an equivalent bio-based product, we could save 118, 700 barrels of oil in one year...enough to heat 6, 800 U.S. average homes. ( Source : Seventh Generation ) Imagine the amount of these petrochemical fumes that the average person is breathing and "toxic" residues that are being absorbed into your skin each day.

    ..."When people ask HEALTHY CLEAN BUILDINGS®  what is the easiest way to make environmental change in our daily lives,
    WE ALWAYS TELL THEM to start with CLEANING PRODUCTS in their workplace, school, and home . Everyone can get everything AS CLEAN, IF NOT BETTER,  with Natural, Bio-based Commercial Cleaning Products."...THE CLEANINGPRO



    OTHER FACTS :

    Most common store-bought cleaning products that are stored under kitchen or bathroom sinks contain ingredients that are considered hazardous waste. The health of your family, especially young children, is just one of several reasons
    for making a changeover from conventional PETROCHEMICAL  cleaning products over to BIO-BASED CLEANING CHEMICAL ALTERNATIVES . The EPA estimates that indoor air can be up to 100 times more polluted then outdoor air. Studies show that toxins
    found in indoor air pollution can lead to a multitude of diseases including asthma, allergies, auto-immune diseases, cancer, and even
    A.D.D. If anyone in an indoor environment suffers from asthma, allergies, or has young children , "non-toxic"  cleaning products
    are a must! WHY? ...Because, chemical residues from store-bought, conventional PETROCHEMICAL  cleaning products are easily
    absorbed into the skin of babies, toddlers, and young children who are much more susceptible to the toxic and hazardous ingredients
    present in these products. Once absorbed into the skin, the toxins travel to the blood stream and are deposited in the fatty tissues
    where they may exist indefinitely.

    FOR YOUR INFORMATION :

  • F.Y.I. ... Since World War II, we have developed more than 80,000 chemicals for use in cleaners, pesticides, plastics, personal care products, industrial products and other modern day conveniences. We know very little about the effect of these chemicals on a child's development .
  • F.Y.I. ... According to the American Cancer Society, prior to the 20th century, only 1 out of 8,000 people in the United States were stricken with cancer. Since the Industrial Revolution the introduction into our lives of a myriad of chemicals, the incidence of cancer has increased to a startling 1 out of 3 people.
  • F.Y.I. ... The EPA reported to Congress that our indoor air contains the nation's worst pollution, with the typical American home having chemical contamination levels 70 times higher than levels found in the air outside
  • F.Y.I. ... A 1985 EPA report concluded that the "toxic"  chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution .
  • F.Y.I. ... In 1989, the EPA also determined the "toxic"  chemicals found in common household cleaners, often creating exposure to fumes, are three times more likely to cause cancer than are other air pollutants.
  • F.Y.I. ... The Consumer Product Safety Commission has identified 150 chemicals in the home that have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological abnormalities . The Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded that cleaning products are some of the most dangerous substances in the home.
  • F.Y.I. ... Disturbing results from a study conducted by the Toronto Indoor Air 90 Conference found that: women who work at home have a 54% greater risk of cancer than women who work outside the home. Research doctors agree that constant exposure to low levels of synthetic chemicals can be blamed for many types of cancer.
  • F.Y.I. ... Every year, five to ten million household poisonings are reported many are fatal. The majority of the victims are children. More children under the age of four die of accidental poisonings at home than are accidentally killed with guns at home . Why are babies and children more vulnerable ? Pound-for-pound, children breathe more air, drink more water, and eat more food than adults. Thus, they are more exposed to air and water pollution and pesticides. Their bodies are more rapidly growing and developing, so synthetic "petro"  cleaning chemicals that can harm development can do maximum damage at this critical development time. Children also play on the floor, where allergens, such as dust, and heavier-than-air hazardous chemicals settle and collect. Then there's a baby's or toddler's natural behavior of putting everything in their mouth - a crucial part of normal development when the way the young child learns about the world .
  • F.Y.I. ... Constant exposure to "toxic"  chemicals in our food, air and water has been shown to lower our threshold of resistance to disease and alter the body's metabolism, causing enzyme dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalances. Birth defects, developmental disorders, learning and behavioral disorders have all been linked to "toxic"  chemicals used in our homes.
  • F.Y.I. ... The Journal of American Medicine reports that the incidence of respiratory infection is 45% higher among occupants of new buildings than those of older ones.

    • LOCATE, IDENTIFY, AND LABEL POISONOUS PRODUCTS
    WITHIN YOUR HOME AND WORK ENVIRONMENT !

    Excerpts of this section reprinted from :
    http://www.healthycleaning.com/whycleanhealthy.html



    There are various "TOXIC" cleaning products within any indoor home or work environment whether it's for cleaning dishes; the laundry; the bathroom; floors or windows. Just having these type of conventional cleaning products existing in your environment is a "toxic" accident waiting to happen ! So, it is IMPORTANT to investigate and explore Healthier & Safer Bio-based "GREEN" cleaning product alternatives ! An introduction and beginning to these alternative products can be found at : http://www.cleaningpro.com .

    For most products,there are "signal words"--- "CAUTION", "WARNING" or "DANGER"--- required by law for products containing harmful ingredients. These signal words are DEFINED as follows :

    CAUTION An ounce to a pint may be fatal or harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin by an adult 180-pound man.
    WARNING A teaspoon to an ounce may be fatal or harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin by an adult 180-pound man.
    DANGER A taste to a teaspoon is fatal if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin by an adult 180-pound man.

    Just think, if these amounts are fatal to a 180-pound man, what effect do ALL conventional petro-derived cleaning products have on a child or a small woman ? Many store-bought or commercial cleaning products have the label warning : "CAUTION". Even most health food store household cleaning brands have the label "CAUTION". Remember,... "CAUTION 's" amounts are an ounce to a pint, so there are safer choices even within the "CAUTION" category.

    If there is a "WARNING"-or-"DANGER" label, or rubber gloves and/or a mask are required, that is a warning sign that the use of any of these products should be as a last resort. If you must, be sure to follow ALL directions, especially those regarding ventilation. For example, one of these powerful cleaners that requires a "well-ventilated area" would not be appropriate to use to clean an elevator. And yet that very practice is occuring daily in thousands of buildings across the country.

    WATCH OUT FOR THESE INGREDIENTS

    Examine the ingredients contained in your existing cleaning products. In small store-bought quantities, these ingredients have been deemed "relatively safe" by the regulatory agencies of government ... which is WHY these products can be sold in your grocery store next to the dairy, produce, and meat aisles . But under your sink the contents of each container are outgassing and mixing together with each other to create "toxic" fumes whose potential harm is far greater than the individual products alone. Calculate how many hours of the day are spent by someone standing at that sink or bathroom cabinet and inhaling those "deadly" fumes each and every day ?

    Here are some common ingredients of commercial household products:

    Ammonia Fatal when swallowed
    Ammonium Hydroxide Corrosive, irritant
    Bleach Potentially fatal if ingested
    Chlorine Number one cause of poisonings in children
    Formaldehyde Highly toxic; known carcinogen
    Hydrochloric acid Corrosive, eye and skin irritant
    Hydrochloric bleach Eye, skin and respiratory tract irritant
    Lye Severe damage to stomach and esophagus if ingested
    Naphtha Depresses the central nervous system
    Nitrobenzene Causes skin discoloration, shallow breathing, vomiting, and death
    Perchlorethylene Damages liver, kidney, nervous system
    Petroleum Distillates Highly flammable; suspected carcinogen
    Phenol Extremely dangerous; suspected carcinogen; fatal taken internally
    Propylene Glycol Immunogen; main ingredient in antifreeze
    Sodium hypochlorite Potentially fatal
    Sodium laurel sulfate Carcinogen, toxin, genetic mutagen
    Sodium tripolyphosphate Irritant
    Trichloroethane Damages liver and kidneys

    Dish Detergents, Laundry Detergents, and All-Purpose Cleaners

    PROBLEMS : Most conventional dish and laundry detergents are made from petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. Some detergents contain alkyphenol ethoxylates, which are suspected hormone disruptors that don't readily biodegrade and can threaten wildlife after they go down your drain. Ethoxylated alcohols in liquid detergents can contain carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane. The fragrances in detergents and fabric softeners can contain phthalates, chemicals that have been linked to cancer and reproductive-system harm in animal lab tests. Fragrances may also trigger asthma and allergic reactions, with symptoms including skin and respiratory irritation, headaches, and watery eyes. Although phosphates, which choke waterways, are no longer used in most dish and laundry soaps, they can be found in dishwasher detergents. Phosphates are highly caustic and can be fatal if swallowed. Other ingredients turn dangerous when combined: Diethanolamine and triethanolamine can react with nitrites (an often undisclosed preservative) to form carcinogenic nitrosamines.

    Antibacterial Soaps and Cleansers, Bleach, Stain Removers, Disinfectants, Glass Cleaners, and
    Á Bathroom Scouring Powders

    PROBLEMS : Popular in liquid form, antibacterial soaps are helping to promote growth of resistant bacteria, according to a 2000 World Health Organization report. Chlorine bleach, a common disinfectant frequently found in scouring powders and cleaning solutions, is highly caustic, meaning it can burn skin and eyes -- plus it can be fatal if swallowed. When it travels from your drain into the natural world, it can create organochlorines, which are suspected carcinogens as well as reproductive, neurological, and immune-system toxins. And be warned: Bleach (also known as sodium hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide) should never be mixed with any product containing ammonia or quaternium compounds. Doing so creates highly toxic chlorine gas. Many conventional scouring powders and cleaning solutions contain chlorine bleach.

    Drain, Oven, and Toilet-Bowl Cleaners

    PROBLEMS : The corrosive ingredients in these products can severely irritate eyes, skin, and the respiratory tract, and can be fatal if swallowed. Chemical drain cleaners are among the most dangerous of all cleaning products, containing sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) that can permanently burn eyes and skin. In oven cleaners, lye and sodium hydroxide can burn skin, eyes, and the respiratory tract.

    Furniture and Metal Polishes

    PROBLEMS : These are corrosive and may cause eye, skin, or respiratory tract irritation. They can also contain nerve-damaging petroleum distillates or formaldehyde, a carcinogen.

    Air Fresheners and Other Perfumed Products

    PROBLEMS : Aerosol propellants contain flammable and nerve-damaging ingredients as well as tiny particles that can lodge in your lungs. Fragrances of all kinds can provoke allergic and asthmatic reactions. Avoid aerosol sprays in any product, as they disperse ingredients through the air and make them easy to inhale. Even non-toxic ingredients can irritate eyes, noses, and lungs. Carelessly shaken powders can also spread through the air and cause irritation.

    ( SOURCE : http://www.grist.org/advice/possessions/2003/03/18/possessions-cleaning/ )

    STILL MORE INTERESTING FACTS :

    BELIEVE IT OR NOT ... YOUR FAMILY AND YOU WILL NOTICE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BY REPLACING ( AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN YOUR LIFE ) EXISTING, CONVENTIONAL STORE-BOUGHT PETROCHEMICAL CLEANERS WITH PROVEN & ACCREDITED BIO-BASED, "GREEN"  ALTERNATIVES !


    HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS
    RELATED TO CLEANING CHEMICALS
    & PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS.

    Image by FlamingText.com


    'TOXIC' & 'HAZARDOUS'

         Your  workplace, children's school, and/or home may be filled with "TOXIC" & "HAZARDOUS" cleaning solutions whose chemical combinations may be contributing to such maladies as: fatigue, depression, headaches, allergies, and most of all, toxicity. "TOXIC" is defined in the dictionary as "POISONOUS". An entirely new medical field now exists to detoxify people who have been harmed by toxins in our personal care products (hairsprays, deodorants) or cleaning chemicals (glass cleaners, furniture polishes, laundry detergents). Unlike the "old" days, natural soaps for cleaning are far-and-few between in the supermarket's 'cleaning products' ("sneeze")  aisle since they do NOT perform well due to their incompatability with today's hard water. Instead, most "soaps" by your major manufacturers are synthetic chemical water softeners with sudsing agents so cosmetically they lather and clean better. Yet, they are a disaster for your health and the environment. There is a great deal in our over-all environment which we have no control. You need to focus on the areas of your own personal work, school, and/or living environment where you can make a difference! (For more information on this point, visit: http://www.cleaningpro.com/page.cfm). As is being suggested, many cleaning chemicals are "TOXIC" and "HAZARDOUS". This fact is TRUE even when used properly according to label directions and sometimes when they are NOT used at all but "OFF-GAS" chemical vapors that may produce profound chronic harm to you or your family. Children are especially vulnerable to these chemical fumes released by these products based on their size and weight. Although some may perceive the following information as "scare tactics",YOU CAN'T ARGUE WITH THESE SIMPLE FACTS : One study found women who worked at home had a 54% higher cancer rate than those who worked outside the home. Additionally, cancer in children has risen 20% over the past two decades. Cancer is the # 1 killer of children by disease. Asthma rates have tripled in children over the past twenty years. Asthma deaths in children have increased 118% since 1980. Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) and learning disorders have skyrocketed over the last twenty years. All of these conditions have been directly or indirectly linked to OVERALL chemicals (especially, "cleaning") in the home. In fact, one study has linked 50% of all health problems to deteriorated indoor air quality. It is a proven fact that household chemical products "pollute" the indoor environment and place the user at risk for nervous system damage, kidney damage, liver damage and asthma. Each year over 1 million children are accidentally poisoned in their home. Additionally,  over 10,000 children per day are absent from school due to allergic reactions caused by triggers within their "sick" indoor environments which are are misdiagnosed by their parents as illness. Thousands of individuals, especially children, are permanently disfigured or injured through contact with chemicals in their home each year. Incredibly, the most common substance to poison children is a household cleaner. Through our "HEALTHY & SAFE CLEANING PROGRAM", you DO have alternatives SO YOU can reduce your exposure to toxins and hazards within your home, children's school and/or workplace. These products offered in OUR "HEALTH & SAFE CLEANING PROGRAM" are FREE from ammonia, butyl cellusolve, phenol, chlorine, petroleum distillates, synthetic solvents, and other dangerous ingredients. Could an chemical mishap or accident occur in your HOME, SCHOOL, or WORKPLACE? Please read the following! THEN, YOU BE THE JUDGE...

    SIX ( 6 ) BASIC "SHOCKING" FACTS :


    SHOCKING Facts!!!