Why Green Cleaners?
Since Florence Nightingale first helped make the connection between
cleaning and improved health outcomes, health care workers and the
cleaning industry have responded with a wide array of effective and
economical products and processes. However, we now know that some of
these older and traditional cleaning products and processes can negatively
impact both health and the environment. Today, new, less toxic
cleaning products are becoming an integral component of a healing
environment by: 1) reducing stress on the building’s occupants, 2)
improving safety and 3) contributing to improved ecological health.1 To
understand why this is so, it is useful to review cleaning products’ documented
impacts.
Patient and staff comfort
Cleaning products are a major contributor to indoor air quality issues in
closed environments. Many contain high levels of volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) which can give rise to respiratory irritation, headaches
and other symptoms in workers and building occupants.
Worker health and safety
An estimated 35% of conventional cleaning products can cause blindness,
severe skin damage or damage to organs through the skin. A review
of Washington State workers compensation data indicated that the average
reported injury costs companies $625 in lost time and medical expenses.2
Environmental damage
Some ingredients in cleaning products are associated with eutrophication3
of streams and toxicity to aquatic organisms. VOCs released from
cleaning products contribute to smog formation, and VOC content
is regulated in some jurisdictions for this reason.4 Other ingredients, such
as alkylphenol ethoxylate surfactants, persist in the environment (don’t
break down completely) and may interfere with the hormonal system of
exposed organisms, which can cause a wide variety of health issues.5
Long term health issues
Many cleaning products contain carcinogens (known to cause
cancer), asthmagens, and substances associated with reproductive organ
damage, birth defects, kidney damage, neurological impacts and
other serious health effects. Janitorial workers also experience very high
rates of occupational asthma—625 cases per million workers in one
study, or more than twice the rate for any other occupation.
