Managers of buildings and other facilities where workers perform know that diseases can rapidly spread in an unclean environment. There are in place certain industry standards that require such things as daily cleaning of lunchrooms to guard against and prevent food contamination, and cleaning and sanitizing bathroom facilities to prevent the spread of E. coli and other pathogens. This would extend to the desks and meeting rooms where groups of people in various stages of health would gather, potentially spreading cold and flu germs in any season. While the term “sick building syndrome” is still making its way into the lexicon, the compromises to a worker’s health from such a building are becoming well known. Knowledgeable managers are beginning to consider and utilize products such as purifiers for water and air, carpeting and furniture that don’t emit toxic fumes, and low and no VOC paint. One step in the right direction is the use of cleaning products that are themselves environmentally friendly and not toxic. Some specifics about these products are provided for your information.
Avoid:
1. Volatile Organic Compounds – In learning what to avoid, you will come across the term “Volatile Organic Compounds”, conveniently abbreviated as VOCs. In layman’s terms, this would the fumes released by certain solids and liquids, which according to the EPA are as much as ten times the density inside a buidling as outside. It will certainly be no surprise that the a lack of ventilation in enclosed buildings is a prime factor in the concentration of these VOCs. These compounds are released not only by common cleaning supplies, but by such surprising additions as dry cleaned clothing and air fresheners. Paint and paint remover and plywood and pressed board used on and in walls emit their own mix of VOCs and can contribute to sick building syndrome.
VOCs cause short and long-term health-harming effects, such as headache, eye irritation, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, triggering asthma, and even life-threatening conditions like cancer. These VOCs can be present in glass cleaners, multi-purpose cleaners, floor cleaners, bathroom & kitchen cleaners, as well as many products used for spot cleaning on fabrics, such as carpet and upholstery. Pregnant and nursing women, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are even more susceptible to the negative effects of breathing VOCs, but it is important to take steps to reduce them for everyone’s sake.
Keep in mind that cleaning products that contain VOCs aren’t just affecting the people immediately after they are used. Unless there is an air purification or ventilation system that consistently cleans the air, the VOC fumes can stay in the air for hours. They are even off-gassed from the containers sitting in the cabinet or closet.
2. Solvents – Some of the chemical ingredients in solvents are dangerously toxic to the environment and the people exposed to them. These would include Propylene Glycol Ethers (PGEs), esters, alcohols, and Ethylene Glycol Ethers (EGEs). The toxic nature includes carcinogenic properties and would add to the Volatile Organic Compounds present in the air.
Things To Look For:
1. Neutral pH – The determination of what exactly is a neutral pH can be easily understood. Neutral has been given a value of 7.0 and is based on how the product reacts with the environment once it enters the water system, the effect on the surface being cleaned, and the outcome of usage on the skin. Acids, such as battery acid, has a value under 7.0, while the opposite – alkali – has a value of over 7.0 and would include such items as bleach. The 7.0 pH neutral is not reactive to surfaces.
The great thing about using a neutral pH product is that the surfaces that need the most cleaning, such as desks, conference tables, carpets and countertops, all avoid harmful residue that is so common with other cleaning products. Marble, one of the surfaces that require experience and the right product to clean, are never damaged by a neutral pH cleaner. Even more important, exposed skin is unharmed by such chemical free cleaners.
2. Biodegradable – All of the chemicals we wash down the drain get put into the water supply unchanged. This affects many levels of plant and animal life and ultimately must be removed from the water prior to consumption. How much better is it to use products that biodegrade within the shortest time as those meeting the highest standards of the EPA do? The most used cleaning products are also the ones that are so deleterious to the environment. Changing to products that biodegrade in under 28 days with no aquatic toxicity is the responsible, eco-friendly choice to make.
3. Plant-Based – The use of plants for medicinal and health purposes is a long-established fact. Add the cleansing properties and you have a complete arsenal, all non-toxic and organic. No synthetic chemical compound offers the non-toxic benefits of the plant-based products. Fortunately, the plant-based compounds clean as well as or better than their harmful counterparts, including less to no Volatile Organic Compounds in the work environment.
The overall management of a building or facility requires many decisions, both easy and complex. Making the move to eliminate toxic chemical cleaners falls into the “easy” category. Simple to do, using eco friendly multipurpose cleaning products paves the way for a cleaner environment and healthier workers. Choosing to use green cleaner will put any manager at the forefront of those who care about the wellbeing of workers and the long-term health of the planet.
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