Title: IMPLEMENTING USE OF CLEANING CHEMICALS SAFER PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
1Implementing Use Of Cleaning Chemicals Safer
For People And The Environment www.ENVIRO-SOLUT
ION.com Resource Center Presentations
Reports Other Helpful Sites
2OUTLINE
- Did You Know?
- Overview Of Current Situation
- To Be Proven More Environmentally Sound
- To Be Proven Safer For People
- Key Criteria of Green Seal and Environmental
Choice - Commonly Used Hazardous Chemicals
- Cleaning Tenders/Bids Product Guidelines
- Qs As
3DID YOU KNOW?
- In a recent survey of 32 facilities in Richmond
California, of 250 janitorial products, the
findings were - 7 should not be used as they could cause
cancer or were very damaging to - the environment.
- 56 require extreme care as the ingredients can
cause blindness, severe - skin damage, interfere with the endocrine
system, or be absorbed through - the skin or inhaled and subsequently cause
damage to the blood, liver, - kidneys, nervous system, or a developing
fetus. - 37 require routine care as they may irritate
the eyes and skin, can evaporate - and affect indoor air quality, or may exceed
a buildings allowable sewer - discharge limits for certain ingredients.
Source Cleaning For Health Products and
Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment Alicia
Culver, Senior Research
Associate INFORM, Inc.
4DID YOU KNOW?
HAZARDS OF CLEANERS
7 Cause Cancer, Ozone Depletion, or Global
Warning
56 Contain Ingredients that can Cause Blindness,
Severe Skin Damage, or Damage to Organs Through
Skin
Source Cleaning For Health Products and
Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment Alicia
Culver, Senior Research
Associate INFORM, Inc.
5DID YOU KNOW?
- A fetus may come into contact with an
endocrine-disrupting chemical while still in the
womb, but problems, such as birth defects,
infertility and leaning disabilities may not show
up until much later. Often the timing is
critical. For example, sexual organs develop at
day 56 of gestation. Exposure at this stage
could be a factor in the later development of
testicular cancer. - 2-butoxyethanol, a common ingredient in cleaning
products, is a toxin suspected of causing
learning disabilities in children as well as
liver and kidney damage. This chemical can be
absorbed directly through the skin. - The World Health Organization estimates that 80
percent of all cancers are environmentally
related. -
Source LEAS www.leas.ca
6DID YOU KNOW?
- Health Hazards of Janitorial Cleaning Chemicals
- Janitorial workers experience relatively high
injury rates, many of which are due to the toxic
chemicals found in cleaning products,
particularly floor and carpet maintenance
products, disinfectants and specialty cleaners. - These chemicals can cause headaches, asthma,
burns, permanent eye damage, major organ damage
and even cancer. - There are 100,000 commercial chemicals in use in
North America perhaps 500 or less than 1,000
have ever really been studied. -
-
Source - Cleaning For Health Products and
Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment Alicia
Culver, Senior Research
Associate INFORM, Inc. - Dr.
Bruce Fowler, University of Maryland.
7DID YOU KNOW?
- Health Hazards of Janitorial Cleaning Chemicals
- 6 out of every 100 janitors are injured on the
job, at an average cost of 725 in medical and
lost time per reported injury. - 40 percent of these injuries involve eye
irritations or burns. - 36 percent of these injuries involve skin
irritations or burns. - 20 percent of these injuries are severe chemical
burns to the eyes and skin. - 12 percent of these injuries involve breathing
chemical fumes. - Some disinfectants (e.g. quats) can cause
occupational asthma. -
-
Source Cleaning For Health Products and
Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment Alicia
Culver, Senior Research
Associate INFORM, Inc.
8DID YOU KNOW?
- Health Hazards of Janitorial Cleaning Chemicals
- 127 janitors died in the US between 1993 and 2001
as a result of the cleaning products they were
using. - A health care worker complained of respiratory
irritation from using a bathtub cleaner and
disinfectant in the course of her work in a
British Columbia health care institution.
Despite her symptoms, she continued to do the
work as directed by her employer. One day, after
she had completed her shift, she went home,
feeling ill. She later collapsed and died. Her
union took the case to the Workers Compensation
Board and did extensive research on the
ingredients in the cleaning solutions. It was
found that she had been exposed to excessive
levels of quats, which were probably the cause
of her death. - The numbers are growing for human health and
environmental hazards linked with traditional
cleaning products. -
Source US Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Leas www.leas.ca
9DID YOU KNOW?
- That poor quality indoor air can produce health
effects in occupants ranging from headaches and
dry eyes to nausea, dizziness and fatigue. - These health effects contribute to increased
absenteeism/sick days, low moral and decreased
worker productivity. - A study of school districts in the greater
Washington, D.C. area found that there was a
direct correlation between Indoor Air Quality and
both attendance and performance of their
students.
Source Cleaning For Health Products and
Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment Alicia
Culver, Senior Research
Associate INFORM, Inc.
10DID YOU KNOW?
- Indoor air quality is ranked among the nations
top 5 environmental risks. IAQ can be 2 to 100
times as worse than the outdoors. - The World Health Organization estimates that 30
of all buildings experience IAQ problems. - Improving IAQ can improve worker production by
0.5 to 5 percent, an annual production given of
30 billion to 150 billion annually.
Source Cleaning For Health Products and
Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment Alicia
Culver, Senior Research
Associate INFORM, Inc.
11DID YOU KNOW?
- Improved cleaning methods and safer cleaning
chemicals can very positively affect indoor air
quality, worker health, and the environment. - Clearly, eliminating the toxic ingredients from
cleaning products would bring tremendous benefits
to society in reduced occupational diseases and
cancer, and cleaner air and water (LEAS). - The main reason for going green is for the
health of yourself, your staff, the people who
work in your buildings and the visitors to your
facilities. In addition, you should go green
for the environment air, water and land.
NOTE LEAS Labour Environmental Alliance
Society www.leas.ca
12DID YOU KNOW?
Equity
Environment
Promotes people health safety
Products overall burden and impact on the
environment is minimized
Economics Encourage true product innovation and
differentiation
13Source The Natural Step. See
Http//www.naturalstep.org (as mentioned
inSustainability, Green Chemistry and the
Unified Green Cleaning Alliance ISSA
Legislative and Regulatory Forum Dr. Lauren
Heine Zero Waste Alliance).
14 15- It is a fact traditional cleaning, floor care,
carpet care, washroom care and odour control
products are hazardous to people and the
environment. While the degree of hazard varies,
the fact of the matter is that by going green,
you can very quickly, easily and profoundly make
a difference with out impacting performance as
well as labour and product cost. - The key is to understand what green is what are
the variables, considerations, and criteria of
green and how to know a product is green given
all the misinformation and spin being
disseminated by many manufacturers, both large
and small.
16OVERVIEW OF CURRENT SITUATION
- Green safer claims and products have been
around for approximately 10 years. - Until recently, not grown in significant use.
- Why?
17OVERVIEW OF CURRENT SITUATION
- NOT GROWN FOR VARIOUS REASONS
- Poor product performance
- Price premium
- Unclear standards/Lack of consistent standards
- Unproven Claims/Mis-information/False Claims
- Complacency and resistance to change
- Lack of understanding by cleaning professionals
- Lack of acceptance by the major manufacturers of
cleaning chemicals
18OVERVIEW OF CURRENT SITUATION
- RECENTLY, GREATER ACTIVITY
19- TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
- What are the key criteria to review/consider in
order to have safer products for the environment?
20TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
- BIODEGRADABILITY
- It is the decomposition of organic substances
into carbon dioxide, water and other
harmless substances. - Must state
- Definition/Standard used
- At use dilution under load and simulated real
life situations - OECD 301-D is one of the highest standards.
- BOD over COD being 60 or greater in a 10 day
window over a 28 day limit.
BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand is the oxygen
consumed by the microorganism in the test. COD
Chemical Oxygen Demand also known as the
Theoretical Oxygen Demand (TOD) is the
theoretical oxygen demand to
completely mineralize thechemical.
NOTE
21TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
- DOSAGE LEVELS
- Must be at least equal to standard products.
22TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
- AQUATIC TOXICITY
- Must meet or exceed acute toxicity at standard
use dilution for - Fish
- Daphnia magna
- Algae
23TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
- TESTS/CLAIMS
- Conducted and/or verified by 3rd Party,
Independent, Recognized Labs. - Should be both
- Ingredients
- Whole Formulation
-
24TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
-
- SURFACTANTS
- Must be carefully selected so as to have the
least negative effect on the environment
biodegrade readily to components with low
toxicity. - For example Use - Linear Alcohol
Ethoxylates - - Linear Alkyl Sulfonates
- Do Not Use - NPE
- - APE
- - OPE
- - LAS
- - DBSA
-
25- TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
- BUILDERS
- Must be carefully selected to biodegrade readily
to compounds with low environmental - concerns and mild pH.
- For example
- Use - Sodium Citrate
- - Silicates
- - Zeolites
- - Maleic Anhydride Derivatives
(iminodisuccinate and polyaspartic acid) - Do Not Use - Inorganic phosphates
- - Caustics (sodium metasilicate)
- - NTA
- - EDTA
- - MEA
26- TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
- SOLVENTS
- Must be carefully selected to be low in
toxicity to the environment and to humans. - For example
- Use - Propylene
Glycol Ethers - - Methyl Soyate
- - Ethyle Lactate
- Do Not Use - Ethylene Glycol
- - Butyl Cellusolve
- - DLimonene
27TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
-
- HAZARDOUS INGREDIENTS
- Must not contain carcinogens, mutagens or
teratogens. - No cleaning product to contain ingredients found
on the following lists - US Department of Healths Hazardous Substances
Fact Sheet - SARA 313 40 CFR 372 (Toxic Chemicals)
- CERCLA 102 40 CFR 302 (Hazardous Substances)
- RCRA CFR 261 D (Hazardous Air Pollutants)
- Clean Water Act 313 40 CFR 63 (Hazardous Water
Pollutants) - National Pollutant Release Inventory (Canadian
List)
28- TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
-
- LD50S LC50S
- Compare the LD50s LC50s. The higher the
number, the better.
LC50 Measures the acute Poisoning strength of a
chemical when it is swallowed or rubbed on the
skin. LD stands for the Lethal Dose. LD50 is
the dose of a chemical (product) at mg/kg on a
single occasion, which causes death in 50 of the
test group. LC50 Measures the acute poisoning
strength of a chemical when it is breathed in
from the air. LC stands for Lethal
Concentration. LC50 is the amount of a chemical
(product) at mg/l concentration in the air, which
causes death in 50 of the test group.
NOTE
29TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
- OZONE DEPLETING INGREDIENTS
- Must not contain these
- NATURAL RENEWABLE RESOURCES
- Whenever possible, only naturally-based,
renewable ingredients such as grains, corn
oils, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, sugar cane
juices, glucoses, and corn soy based esters
replacing petroleum based solvents should be
used. - PACKAGING
- Subject to availability, bottles/jugs/pails
should contain post/pre consumer regrind labels
using vegetable inks or printed on plastic,
removable sleeves cartons made from pre/post
recycled cardboard. - CONCENTRATES
- Where possible, concentrates should be used to
reduce packaging, transportation and at-use
costs.
30TO BE PROVEN MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
- ENDORCEMENTS
- Eco-Logo/Environmental Choice (Canada) -
www.terrachoice.com - Green Seal (U.S.A.) - www.greenseal.org
- NOTE Certifies products, not companies, and
provides a list of certified products on their
website.
31EXAMPLE OF LETTERS OF ENDORSEMENTS
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35- TO BE PROVEN MORE SAFER FOR PEOPLE
-
- What are the key criteria to review/consider in
order to have safer products for people (users,
occupants and visitors).
36TO BE PROVEN MORE SAFER FOR PEOPLE
- PRODUCTS NEED TO BE SAFE FOR
- The user
- The workplace environment
- Obligation to employees, consumers, patrons and
visitors - Limiting liability
- Reduce absenteeism caused by illness related to
work - Reduce costs related to accidents, workers safety
and compensation - Products that are safer for the environment are
safer for people.
37TO BE PROVEN MORE SAFER FOR PEOPLE
- HAZARDOUS INGREDIENTS
-
- No cleaning product to contain ingredients found
on the following lists - US Department of Healths Hazardous Substances
Fact Sheet - SARA 313 40 CFR 372 (Toxic Chemicals)
- CERCLA 102 40 CFR 302 (Hazardous Substances)
- RCRA CFR 261 D (Hazardous Air Pollutants)
- Clean Water Act 313 40 CFR 63 Hazardous Water
Pollutants) - National Pollutant Release Inventory Canadian
List) - Must not contain carcinogens, mutagens or
teratogens.
38TO BE PROVEN MORE SAFER FOR PEOPLE
-
- TOXICITY
- Must be considered essentially non-toxic (acute
oral/dermal) according to WHIMIS and OSHA.
39- TO BE PROVEN MORE SAFER FOR PEOPLE
NOTE Greater the LD50 LC50, the less toxic
the product
40- TO BE PROVEN MORE SAFER FOR PEOPLE
- SUBSTANCE OF SPECIAL CONCERN
- Item Substance of Concern Concentration Su
b-Category - Carbon tetrachloride any concentration Very
toxic - Diethylene glycol 5 or more Harmful
- Ethyl acetate 5 or more Harmful
- Ethylene glycol (a) 5 or more but less than
10 Harmful - (b) 10 or more Toxic
- Hydrocyanic acid or a any concentration Very
toxic - hydrocyanate salt
- Methyl alcohol 1 or more and a total quantity
of 5 mL or more Toxic - Nitrovenzene 5 mg/kg or more Very toxic
- 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane any concentration Ver
y toxic - 1,2-dichloroethane (a) 5or more but less than
10 Harmful - (b) 10 or more Toxic
- 1,1,1-trichloroethane 5 or more Harmful
- __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
________ - These substances are of special concern because
standard animal tests may not reflect the actual
hazard posed - by these substances to humans.
-
41TO BE PROVEN MORE SAFER FOR PEOPLE
- NPEs/APEs BLEACH
- Must not contain these
- IRRIATIONS
- Not to cause serious skin irritations,
respiratory problems, or damage to nasal
membranes - NON FLAMMABLE NON CORROSIVE
- Must be considered non-flammable and
non-corrosive at use dilutions -
-
42TO BE PROVEN MORE SAFER FOR PEOPLE
- VOCs
- Must meet California standards.
- LOW FRAGRANCE LEVELS
- Should be low fragrance levels subject to ease of
use and safety, product performance, price, and
the other considerations. - No scent is not necessarily safer.
43TO BE PROVEN MORE SAFER FOR PEOPLE
- FLASH POINT
- Should be greater than 65C (150F).
- MSDSs
- Should be Full/All Ingredients disclosure. Not
the 1 rule. - 16 part format Not 9
- Ecological Information (Biodegradability
Aquatic Toxicity) - Environment Regulation Information
- Individual Ingredients, as well as Total Formula
LD50 information
44PRODUCT INFORMATION SHEET
45MSDS
46MSDS
47- KEY CRITERIA OF GREEN SEAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CHOICE PROGRAMS
- WOW Unless you have a lot of time and
expertise, how can you really be sure what you
are using is relatively safe? - USE Green Seal and/or Environmental Choice
Certified Products, where available. Then you
know that someone objectively tested the products
and ingredients to a green criteria. Where
there are no criteria, use the information in the
previous sections, as well as the next sections,
to compare products. - Green is a moving target. It is a journey not
a destination.
48 - KEY CRITERIA OF GREEN SEAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CHOICE PROGRAMS
December 20, 2002 Dell Tech Laboratories is
a regulatory consulting firm that has been
providing guidance to manufacturers and users of
chemical products for over 22 years, with a focus
on regulatory compliance, product safety and
government registrations. Our services include
product assessments, reviews and classification
of products under the Hazardous Product Act, both
for consumer and industrial workplace
regulations. We are a Canadian General Standards
Board certified testing laboratory under the
requirements of ISO Guide 25. Our clients
include small and medium size manufacturers in
Canada and the United States as well as large
multinational companies. With greater
environmental concerns in today's world, many
different standards and criteria have been
developed. Green Seal Inc. and the Environmental
Choice Program have issued two of the more
popular standards. We have compared the Green
Seal Industrial and Institutional Cleaners
standard GS-37 to the Environmental Choice
Industrial and Commercial Cleaners standard
ECP-57 below
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51In my expert opinion, GS 37 and ECP 57 are very
similar with no material overall
differences/impact regarding safety or protection
for the environment. John Ott Dell Tech
Laboratories Ltd. Senior Business Development
Manager Jott_at_delltech.com (519) 858-5021 ext.
22040
52COMMONLY USED HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
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55LIMITED USE SUBSTANCES
HEALTH WARNING CATEGORY AND CHEMICAL
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57Sources NPRI NPRI List The
Green Encyclopedia Irene Frank David
Brownstone CERCLA Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation and
Liability Act Release
of hazardous substances in spills and fro
inactive or abandoned disposal sites
SARA 313 Toxic Chemicals
58COMMONLY USED HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
- The aforementioned are hazardous therefore,
must be limited subject to product performance,
overall human safety and environmental
soundness. - The preceding lists are not intended to be
complete, but rather to demonstrate. A good
resource for the impact of cleaning products is
www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/ - Enter the
CAS number and a report will be given. - You should try to eliminate or at least reduce
these chemicals. Where not possible, select
products with the least amount of the ingredients
by percentage at the product use dilution rate.
59CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- OBJECTIVE
- Provide guidelines to bidders to promote
compliance with industry standards with respect
to the following four areas - Product Performance
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Environmental Stewardship
- Employee Training and Support
60- CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- WHY
- The main reason for going green is for the health
of yourself, your staff, the people who work in
your buildings and the visitors to your
facilities. In addition, you should go green for
your environment air, water, and land. - It is a fact traditional cleaning, floor care,
carpet care, washroom car and odour control
products are hazardous to people and the
environment. While the degree of hazard varies,
the fact of the matter is the by going green, you
can very quickly, easily and profoundly make a
difference without impacting performance as well
as labour and product cost.
61- CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- HOW
- The key is to understand what green is what are
the variables, considerations, and criteria of
green and how to know a product is green given
all the misinformation and spin being
disseminated by many manufacturers, both large
and small. - Going green should not be a destination, but
rather a journey. The key is to start. Do not
procrastinate. Start with one product or one
area of cleaning and make a change. Your efforts
will be rewarded. The choices are yours. Do you
want safer cleaning products? Do you want to
just talk the walk or do you want to be a
positive catalyst and walk the walk. - Demonstrate your commitment to helping create a
greener, cleaner and safer future. Make a
difference today that will affect tomorrow.
Choose to be green and clean.
62CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- A SOUND PRINCIPLE
- The precautionary principle requires authorities
to take preventive action when there is a risk of
severe and irreversible damage. - Action is required, even in the absence of
certainty about possible ensuing damage and
without waiting for full scientific proof of the
cause-effect relationship. - When disagreement exists about the need to take
action, the burden of proof must be reversed and
placed on those who contend the activity will not
have an impact.
Source The National Round Table on the
Enviroment and the Economy Sustainable
Strategies for Oceans. 1998.
63CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- FACTORS
- Every decision you make for your facility very
likely takes into account three important
factors - Price
- Performance
- Protection
64CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- FACTORS
- Price Because you have been carefully chosen to
be entrusted with a portion of your facilitys
budget and you take this responsibility
seriously - Performance Because you know that the Price is
only a value as long as the product or service
delivers the promised benefits to your facility - Protection Because the well-being of both your
cleaning staff and your occupants count on your
consideration of their safety.
65CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE
- If Price Performance were the only factors,
your facility would be using only highly
aggressive, economical but dangerous chemicals
like bleach, ammonia and muriatic acid. - If any other combination of any tow factors were
considered alone then you know you would not be
acting in the best interest of your facility. - No, you need all three and people depend on you
to deliver.
66CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- PRODUCT PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES
- Products to perform as well or better then their
traditional counterparts as determined by use and
testing by the end user. - Products are to be manufactured in an ISO 9002 or
equivalent registered facility. - Disinfectants are to have EPA and as/if required,
Government of Canada, Health Canada approval. - Floor finishes are to have Underwriters
Laboratories (UL) approval or verified by third
party to meet or exceed American Society for
Testing and Materials (ASTM) Slip Coefficient
standard of 0.55. - Carpet cleaning products are to pass the Dupont
Stainmaster Test. - Characteristics of necessary anti-static floor
finishes are to have been confirmed by a
laboratory approved by a Government Agency or
equivalent.
67CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
- Product claims and effects are to have been
confirmed by a recognized laboratory approved by
an agency of the Government or equivalent. - Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
(WHIMIS) Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are
to be in the sixteen (16) part format and fully
list ALL ingredients contained in the products
(not the less than 1 rule). - Cleaning products are to contain no known or
suspected carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, NPE
or any ingredient found on the following lists of
hazardous products - SARA 313
- CERCLA
- USA Clean Water, Section 112
- NRPI
68CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
- Products are to be acute non-toxic per
WHIMIS/OSHA standards as tested by a recognized
laboratory approved by an agency of the
Government or equivalent. - Product are not to cause serious irritation,
respiratory problems or damage to nasal membranes
(as presented in Section 3 of MSDS). - Products at-use dilutions are to be non-flammable
and non-corrosive. - Where criteria exist, products are to be Green
Seal and/or Environmental Choice Certified.
69CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
- ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
- Product claims and effects are to have been
confirmed by a recognized laboratory approved by
an agency of the Government or equivalent. - Cleaning products are not to contain Nonyl Phenol
Ethoxylate (NPE) Alky Phenol Ethoxylate (APE),
or any ingredient found on the following lists of
hazardous products - SARA 313
- CERCLA
- USA Clean Water Act, Section 112
- NRPI
- Where criteria exist, products area to be Green
Seal and/or Environmental Choice Certified.
70CLEANING TENDERS/BIDS-PRODUCTS GUIDELINES
-
- PRODUCT SUPPLIER TRAINING AND SUPPORT
- The product supplier must have a demonstrated
capacity to provide the - following
- Dilution control systems
- WHMIS training and support materials (such as
wall-mounted information charts) - Written best practice procedures
- Ability to train your staff in procedures
- Trouble-shooting services
-
71 72Thank You For Your Time And Consideration!Please
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