IMPLEMENTING USE OF CLEANING CHEMICALS SAFER PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

1

Health Safety of Chemicals What are the
impacts of cleaning chemical choices on Health
and Safety? www.ENVIRO-SOLUTION.com
Resource Center Presentations Reports
Other Helpful Sites
2
Outline

• What Makes a Product Safe?
• Cleaning Chemicals Sick Building Syndrome
• Health Hazards of Cleaning Chemicals
• Children and Chemicals
• Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
• Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and the Classroom
• Summary

3
1. What Makes A Product Safe?

• Is a product safe because it has an MSDS sheet?
• What about the hazardous ingredients less than
  the 1 or the 0.1 rules?
• What if it is not a full ingredient disclosure
  MSDS sheet?
• Have you seen harmful ingredients listed on an
  MSDS sheet? Such as
• Isoproply Alcohol is a known cancer causing
  chemical
• 2-Butoxyethanol may cause liver, kidney,
  respiratory, and reproductive damage
• D-Limonene is a suspected sensitizer, may also
  cause liver damage in animals

4
1. What Makes A Product Safe?

• Such as
• Stabilized chlorine bleach may cause liver and
  gastrointestinal damage, and damage to the
  central nervous system. May also cause acute
  pulmonary edema
• Diethylene glycol monomethyl ether may cause
  fetal damage, damage to the liver and kidneys,
  and impair fertility in humans.
• So, if the above ingredients have these hazards
  than why is it acceptable to use them?

5
1. What Makes A Product Safe?

• Over the past 50 years, the number of synthetic
  chemicals has grown
• From 1.3 billion lbs in 1940
• To 320 billion lbs in 1980
• Of these, approximately 100,000 chemicals are in
  use today
• Approximately 500 have been tested for human
  health concerns
• There are approximately 2000 chemicals introduced
  each year that are not regulated
• We currently reside under that Safe, Until
  Proven Otherwise notion
• Source - http//www.cleaningpro.com/toxic.cfm

6
1. What Makes A Product Safe?

• 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.
7
2. Cleaning Chemicals Sick Building Syndrome

• Historically, the first concern with respect to
  indoor air quality was an outbreak of
  Legionnaires Disease during an American Legion
  convention in Philadelphia, where an unrecognized
  bacterium resulted in the following
• Classification of bacteria as Legionella
  pneumophilia
• Infection of numerous veterans which resulted in
  182 cases of pneumonia and 29 deaths
• Derivation of bacteria was found in the
  ventilation and humidification system of the
  building and was thus the first epidemic of
  building related disease
• Source- http//www.eisc.ca/air-we-breth.htm

8
2. Cleaning Chemicals Sick Building Syndrome

• Since then, there have been a variety of new
  health concerns for building occupants as Indoor
  Air Quality has become increasingly an issue with
  respect to the possible development of asthma,
  multiple chemical sensitivity, and building
  related hypersensitivity pnuemonitis
• Source- http//www.eisc.ca/air-we-breth.htm

9
2. Cleaning Chemicals Sick Building Syndrome

• Has been defined as experiencing symptoms when
  entering a building and finding relief from
  symptoms when leaving the building
• Symptoms include dry eyes, dizziness, nasal
  congestion, headaches and fatigue
• In one study of 4373 office workers in 42
  different facilities, work related symptoms were
  
• 5 had chest tightness
• 68 reported lethargy
• 47 reported nasal congestion
• 46 reported dry throat
• 46 reported headaches
• Source- http//www.eisc.ca/air-we-breth.htm

10
2. Cleaning Chemicals Sick Building Syndrome

• These health effects contribute to increased
  absenteeism/sick days, low moral and decreased
  worker productivity and creativity
• 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.
11
2. Cleaning Chemicals Sick Building Syndrome

• 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

Source Cleaning For Health Products and
Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment Alicia
Culver, Senior Research Associate INFORM, Inc.
12
2. Cleaning Chemicals Sick Building Syndrome

• Additionally, there has been a rise in reported
  cases of chemical sensitivities, or the
  development of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
  (MCS)
• The findings in a survey of 4000 California
  adults conducted by the California Health
  Services Department were as follows
• 6.3 were reported to have Multiple Chemical
  Sensitivity
• 15.9 reported chemical sensitivity without a
  specific diagnosis of Multiple Chemical
  Sensitivity
• Source- http//www.eisc.ca/air-we-breth.htm

13
2. Cleaning Chemicals Sick Building Syndrome

• Custodial staff, building occupants, customers,
  staff, etc.
• 50 of North Americans spend their entire career
  within buildings
• Children over the age of 6 spend most of their
  time in schools as well the increasing number of
  children under the age of 6 within nurseries
• People with medical conditions such as asthma,
  allergies, connective tissue disorders, or are
  under the influence of immune suppressing drugs
  are at an even greater risk
• The elderly, with emphysema, respiratory distress
  and other pre-existing conditions are also at
  greater risk of being impacted by odorous
  chemicals
• Clearly this defines most of the occupants of
  office buildings, hospitals, schools and care
  home facilities
• Source- http//www.eisc.ca/air-we-breth.htm

14
3. Health Hazards Of 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.
15
3. Health Hazards Of 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

Source - US Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Leas www.leas.ca
16
3. Health Hazards Of Cleaning Chemicals

• 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 (while sitting
  on or touching items cleaned and leaving a
  residue behind)

Source - LEAS www.leas.ca
17
3. Health Hazards Of Cleaning Chemicals

• The numbers are growing for human health and
  environmental hazards linked with traditional
  cleaning products
• The World Health Organization estimates that 80
  percent of all cancers are environmentally
  related

Source - US Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Leas www.leas.ca
18
4. Children Chemicals

• 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

• Source - 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.

19
4. Children Chemicals

• 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

• Source - 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.

20
4. Children Chemicals

• Children metabolize chemicals differently than
  adults
• One key concern is the rapid rate of cellular
  division as a single celled embryo develops into
  a human child in two years. This rapid rate of
  cellular division is often similar to the rapid
  rate of cellular division of many cancers
• Fetal development toxicants are of special
  concern
• Also, when a baby is born their reproductive,
  respiratory, and immune systems are not fully
  developed
• Additionally, children have more contact with
  surfaces which will have residual chemicals. Two
  examples are the following
• Crawling on carpets and flooring
• Placing objects into mouth (some facilities use
  bleach to sterilize toys!)

• Source - Childrens Environmental Health Network
  An Introduction to
• Childrens Environmental Health
  Http//www.cehn.org/cehn/WhatisPEH.html

21
4. Children Chemicals

• Children also have a more difficult time
  excreting toxins, which can mean the following
• A toxin may be relatively safe for an adult, but
  not entirely true for a child in the same
  environment
• During childhood growth, the need for Calcium is
  far greater than for an adult, in the absence of
  Calcium and in the presence of Lead in the
  gastrointestinal tract
• An adult will absorb lead at a rate of 10 of the
  ingested lead while a child will absorb lead at a
  rate of 50 of the ingested lead!

• Source - Childrens Environmental Health Network
  An Introduction to
• Childrens Environmental Health
  http//www.cehn.org/cehn/WhatisPEH.html

22
4. Children Chemicals

• Childhood asthma has increased by more than 40
  since 1980 affecting more than 4.2 million
  children under the age of 18 in the U.S.
• The incidence of two types of childhood cancers
  has risen significantly over the past 15 years
  acute lymphocytic leukemia is up 10 and brain
  tumors are up more than 30

• Source - Childrens Environmental Health Network
  An Introduction to
• Childrens Environmental Health
  http//www.cehn.org/cehn/WhatisPEH.html

23
5. Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

• Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) occurs when
  a person reacts to chemicals in the environment.
  These chemicals are usually petroleum based. When
  a chemical injury occurs, many persons become
  "Universal Reactors." Universal Reactors have
  symptoms to a significant number of substances in
  all categories of foods, molds, inhalants and
  chemicals
• Petroleum based chemicals can be found in
  pesticides, synthetic fragrances, cleaning
  products and detergents. These products are in
  use with little testing as to health effects on
  humans due to the popular view that chemicals are
  Safe, Until Proven Toxic

• Source http//www.ctaz.com/bhima/
• http//www.ourlittleplace.com/mcs.htm
  l

24
5. Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

• Originally, MCS was believed to be an immune
  response however, immune reactions are generally
  not as quick unless the reaction is anaphylactic
  in nature
• MCS sufferers tend to have nausea and vomiting
  which are more likely to be similar to central
  nervous system anomalies rather than immune
  responses
• Reactions are generally immediate

Source http//www.mkl.com/community/mcs.htm
25
5. Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

• Studies done on time-dependent sensitization
  (TDS) on animals has many similarities to MCS
• Has helped to explain how the brain becomes
  sensitized to low concentrations of chemicals and
  how stress plays a role in these adverse
  reactions
• Cross reactivity has been noted in that if
  sensitivity occurs with one chemical, then it is
  much more likely to develop sensitivities to
  other chemicals
• Was originally thought that MCS was psychological
  rather than physiological due to the cross
  reactivity and nausea inconsistency with allergic
  reactions, now more physiological evidence does
  exist!

Source http//www.mkl.com/community/mcs.htm
26
5. Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

• Symptoms include
• Asthma, increased sensitivity, headaches,
  bloating (may be short or long term), flu like
  symptoms, dizziness and mental confusion
• People and occupations that are most susceptible
  to MCS include
• Children with breathing problems, the elderly
  with sensitivities to odour, women with
  intestinal problems, unborn children, allergy
  sufferers and workers in high risk occupations
• Manufacturing chemicals, plastics, paints,
  textiles, metal working, wood working, farming,
  extermination, service stations, scientific
  laboratories, printing and dye plants, dry
  cleaning operations, and aerospace and microchip
  industries
• Sources http//www.mkl.com/community/mcs.htm

27
5. Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

• Other exposures linked to MCS include
• Cleaning chemicals, off gassing of new carpets,
  vapors from solvents, and perfumes colognes
• Sources http//www.mkl.com/community/mcs.htm

28

• Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
• And The Classroom

• MCS causes problems in many systems and organs
  in the body. Upon re-exposure, the individual
  becomes increasingly sensitized, and often there
  is a spreading effect where they are bothered by
  many more chemicals (it often spread to food,
  medications, and molds), and many more systems in
  the body are involved. It almost always seems to
  affect the central nervous system, and effects
  memory, concentration and learning. These are
  all dramatically impaired when a person is
  exposed. This is very important in terms of
  accommodation in a classroom or work situation.
  If exposed, a person may not be able to process
  what is said, or store the information processed
  in a lecture, for example. A child may not be
  able to learn.
• Source http//www.california.com/hawk/MCS-Ammuni
  tion.htm

29

• Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
• And The Classroom

• Two young men (twins) in Arizona were in the 99th
  percentile when enabled to take their GED exam in
  a clean chemical free environment. Prior to that
  they
• were having problems in high school
• were very chemically sensitive
• were having trouble in their high school classes
  and could not pass
•  
• Source http//www.california.com/hawk/MCS-Ammuni
  tion.htm

30

• Summary

• 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

31
Thank You For Your Time And Consideration!Please
Be Sure To Visit Our Web Site -
www.enviro-solution.com


Resource Center for other Health Safety as
well as Green Presentations Reports. Plus
review Other Helpful Sites!