Exposed: Is Your Child's Classroom Toxic?

When you consider that children spend almost as much time at school as they do at home, it’s imperative that the environment be a healthy one—or at least, a non-toxic one. This is particularly true when you take into account that childrens’ brains and bodies are far more vulnerable than adults’ because they are still developing.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG)—a non-profit environmental organization—commissioned a study of the 21 most commonly-used cleaning products used in California schools (although it is highly likely that these are the same products used elsewhere in America and around the world. They used a leading laboratory specializing in air pollution released by cleaning products. What they found may alarm you.

-They identified 457 air contaminants released by the 21 cleaning products. Comet Disinfectant Powder Cleanser emitted the most at 146 contaminants released. The fewest contaminants detected were found in Glance NA—a certified green glass and general purpose cleaner. It emitted only one contaminant.

-Twenty-four of the chemicals in the cleaning products have well-established links to asthma, cancer, and other serious health concerns.

-Twelve of the chemicals are on the State of California’s Proposition 65 chemicals that are linked to birth defects, reproductive toxicity, and cancer.

-Ten products contained at least one of the cancer- or developmentally-damaging and birth defect-causing chemicals on the Californian list, including: Alpha HP, Citrus-Scrub, Comet, Febreze Air Effects, Goof Off, Pine-Sol, Pioneer Super Cleaner, Shineline Seal, Simple Green, and Waxie Green.

-Cleaning products that weren’t certified green released an average of 38 different contaminants each—almost five times higher than certified green ones that released an average of 8 contaminants each.

-Certified green cleaning products contained one-quarter of the chemicals linked to asthma and cancer than the non-certified cleaning products.

-The laboratory determined that cleaning classrooms with certified green products releases less than one-sixth of the air pollution of conventional cleaners.

Some of the ingredients found in the classroom cleaning products include:

-Benzene—linked to cancer and male reproductive system toxicity;

-Chloroforn—causes cancer and developmental toxicity;

-Dibutyl phthalate—damages male and female reproductive systems;

-Formaldehyde—causes cancer.

What’s also shocking is that manufacturers are legally required to disclose only a handful of ingredients in cleaning products due to the known health and occupational safety issues linked with them.

Keep reading to discover 7 things you can do…

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Bill S.

1:07PM PST on Feb 18, 2013

BioWorx.us is changing green cleaning technology. They have a green shower cleaner that dissolves soap scum. They also have a VOC free green glass cleaner that performs as well as the best non-green glass cleaners. Their web site www.BioWorx.us shows laboratory proof their cleaner dissolves soap scum better than other cleaners.