Comments on: Do clean schools make kids sick?

By: Rebecca Sutton, EWG

Rebecca Sutton, EWG — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:32:38 +0000

Linda – I couldn’t agree more! We need safety testing so that we can identify and eliminate harmful chemicals from products that kids and workers are exposed to every day. In the meantime, certified green cleaning supplies can help reduce the levels of chemicals that cause asthma and other health problems in our schools, supermarkets, and everywhere else.

Thanks for the link – Rebecca

By: Linda Delp

Linda Delp — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:34:08 +0000

Here is an article where the Janitors want safer cleaning products in Super Markets. There is too much asthma to make these children be exposed to so many untested chemicals on a daily basis. Our cleaning products and most of our products such as fragrance, soaps, hand wipes, etc. have not been tested for safety before going on the market. They started having hearings last week on the chemicals in our products. Millions suffer not only asthma but migraines, vomiting, neurological problems, etc. from the chemicals in our products. Indoor mold is another problem in schools but that is another story. Linda
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/11/06/janitors-seek-to-ban-toxic-cleaning-chemicals-safeway-lucky-ta/1#atssh-facebook

By: Rebecca Sutton, EWG

Rebecca Sutton, EWG — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:45:04 +0000

Thanks for the note, Nanners. I’ve heard about Clorox wipes from a lot of parents, because they are widely used in schools.

I consulted the Material Safety Data Sheet as you suggested. These wipes contain quaternary ammonium compounds, or “quats,” as the antibacterial agent. (They do not contain bleach.) Quats are typically identified as asthmagens, chemicals that can cause asthma to develop in otherwise healthy people. They can also trigger skin allergies, which could explain your reaction to them.

Clorox provides directions for use indicating that any surfaces that could come into contact with food or could be mouthed must be rinsed with water after they are wiped with Clorox wipes. It is therefore essential that children or anyone using wipes wash their hands after use.

These wipes should never be used to clean skin. Clorox wipes directions also specify that these products must be stored out of reach of children.

Hope this helps – Rebecca

By: Green Lean Ideas » Are “Clean” Schools Making our Kids Sick?

Green Lean Ideas » Are “Clean” Schools Making our Kids Sick? — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:19:15 +0000

[...] Credit to Rebecca Sutton, Senior Scientist http://www.ewg.org/kid-safe-chemicals-act-blog/2009/06/do-clean-schools-make-kids-sick/ [...]

By: Nanners

Nanners — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:23:32 +0000

Are Clorox wipes intended for use with children? I would contact Clorox and ask for the Material Safety Data Sheet on the wipes. Or ask your school system to provide it. It is the law. They have to.

The Clorox and Lysol wipes kill me. I had to stop Physical Therapy, because they are constantly wiping down tables. I was sensitized to formaldehyde and I cannot tolerate the disinfectants. I have occupational asthma and other serious health issues from chemical exposure.

Also, I have purchased hand sanitizers at health food stores. I have no reaction.

Good luck.

By: Rebecca Sutton, EWG

Rebecca Sutton, EWG — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:14:05 +0000

Thanks for your note Christine, it’s a difficult situation. I suggest you approach your school administration to push for a major change in cleaning policy. If your school or district has a health or wellness committee or an indoor air quality committee, you may want to talk to them first.

Have you checked the http://www.cleaningforhealthyschools.org website? It’s got some basic information about how to approach schools, as well as training tutorials and modules that you can listen to on-line and download and adapt to your needs.

Good luck!

By: Kerala Hubbard

Kerala Hubbard — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:27:02 +0000

Hi Christine,
We have lots of those Purell dispensers in our school here in Montana. I don’t like them. My son developed a “mysterious” rash on his hands that every year lasts for (guess how long?) nine months of school! He has now stopped using the Purell.

I just got involved with a company called Norwex. Their mission is to, “improve quality of life by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning.” You can clean most of your house with just water and their microfiber cloths, which is great for kids with allergies and asthma. And they have silver woven into the cloths which kills yeast, bacteria and viruses. Therefore when you wipe one surface and then another you don’t cross-contaminate between surfaces. (I use them to clean houses and they really clean well.)

My friend did the best thing ever, she had a demonstration of Norwex products at our elementry school with about 11 teachers and the principal! It went fantastically! Twice a year the principal buys 50 or more boxes of clorox wipes from Costco and the janitors wipe down the whole school. The principal of our school is now going to buy the Norwex cleaning cloths! She is happy to change, she just didn’t know there were other alternatives and she was just trying to do the best thing she knew.

I guess my answer to you, is to do what you did at your small charter school. See if you can set up a meeting with the principal and make a good case for changing the way the school is cleaned. I bet if you asked the cleaning crew at your new school about the products they use and told them about your son you might be able to get them on your side too. (The janitors at our school are very nice and really like the kids.)

Good luck! I am crossing my fingers for you. (If you were interested in Norwex I wonder if you could find someone in your area that sells it. It is very well known in Canada.)

By: christine smith

christine smith — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:19:52 +0000

My 6th grade son has asthma, his attachs are caused by a multi chemical sensitivity. Cleaning products, perfume, air freshners, etc. In the Ohio schools that he attends there is a huge campaign lead by Clorox & Purell. Clorox wipes are on our school supply list & there are now Purell dispensers hanging in the classroom. It surely does not help to tell him not to use them, because everyone else is. He attended a small charter school last year which welcomed my green cleaning products, but he is heading back to public school this year & I don’t know how to handle the situation. I would greatly appreciate any ideas. thank you.

By: Nanners

Nanners — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:32:15 +0000

Hi Rebecca,

Thank you for your interest in carbonless copy paper. I am familiar with the Jaakkola study. I actually enclosed it in my letter to the editor of the schoolnurse.com website and newsletter as mentioned in my first post. I also included an article from National Geographic’s Green Guide and an article from The London Telegraph. I made a follow up phone call and left a voice mail in June 2009. I offered to email my original letter and attachments to their Nashville office. They did not reply.

There is current research on the adverse health effects of carbonless paper. Susanne Rust of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the U. of Rochester study in her investigative series on bisphenol-A:

BPA lingers in body, study finds
Researchers note sources unrelated to food

http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/38515489.html

Here are two more important studies that were peer reviewed and published years ago.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/260/2/242

http://news.ufl.edu/1997/05/22/carbonls/

By: Rebecca Sutton, EWG

Rebecca Sutton, EWG — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:25:39 +0000

Hi Nanners – Thanks for sharing this information. EWG has not investigated carbonless copy paper. I do see a recent study on the subject that looks interesting:

Jaakkola MS, Jaakkola JJ. 2007. Office work exposures and adult-onset asthma. Environmental health perspectives 115(7): 1007-1011.

http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2007/9875/abstract.html