Green Cleaning for a Clean Bill of Health
By Paul Goldin, Director of Marketing and Technical Services, Avmor Ltd.

According to Health Canada, Canadians spend close to 90 per cent of their time inside either at home, at work, or in recreational environments. Most people, however, are unaware of the effects that poor indoor air quality can have on their health. The air inside a building carries much higher concentrations of pollutants than the air outside and, also we are exposed to building pollutants for longer periods.

Indoor Air Quality:  Every Breath You Take
The term “indoor air” is usually applied to non-industrial indoor environments, such as office buildings, public buildings (schools, hospitals, theatres, restaurants, etc.) and private dwellings. Concentrations of contaminants in the indoor air of these structures are usually of the same order as those commonly found in outdoor air. Many building occupants experience the negative health effects caused by poor indoor air quality.

There is therefore a need to assess the quality of indoor air and to consider whether cleaning products and other chemicals being used regularly can be detrimental to health. Viable alternatives to traditional chemicals should also be carefully examined.

Health Problems Associated With Poor Indoor Air Quality
The World Health Organization estimates that one out of every three workers may be toiling away in a workplace that is making them sick. In 20 to 30 per cent of the office production, health problems range from mild headaches, nausea, dizziness, short-term memory loss, irritability and itchy eyes or throats to possible damage to the nervous and respiratory systems.

Similarly, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety notes that occupants of buildings with poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) report a wide range of health problems. These conditions are sometimes referred to as Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) or Tight Building Syndrome (TBS), Building-Related Illness (BRI) and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). SBS describes cases in which building occupants experience adverse health effects that are apparently linked to the air or other conditions in a particular building but for which no cause, or specific illness, can be identified. BRI refers to less frequent, but often more serious, illness resulting from conditions in a specific building at a particular time. In these cases, a number of people usually experience a similar set of clinical symptoms and a clear cause can often be found. Legionnaires Disease is an example of BRI caused by bacteria which can contaminate a building’s air conditioning system.

A certain percentage of workers may react to the combination of a number of chemicals in indoor air, each of which may occur at very low concentrations. Such reactions are known as MCS. Although some medical organizations have not yet recognized MCS as a disease, it is clear that further research into this condition is needed.

It is widely accepted that poor indoor air quality can be linked to various respiratory problems such as asthma, a chronic condition found in over half a million Canadian children. It is also the leading cause of school absenteeism. Pollutants that can aggravate respiratory symptoms include biological pollutants (mould and house dust mites), and irritating chemical pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, ozone and formaldehyde). Lung cancer and forms of lung disease have also been linked to VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) which release toxic emissions into the air.

These are just a handful of problems that are associated with chemicals found in indoor environments, many of which are caused by traditional cleaning products. These problems can impact janitorial staff, building occupants and the environment.

According to the National Research Council (NRC), no toxic information is available for more than 80 per cent of the chemicals in everyday-use products. Less than 20 per cent have been tested for acute effects and less than 10 per cent have been tested for chronic, reproductive or mutagenic effects. Most have not been tested for combined or accumulated effects, or for their effects on unborn children. A report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission found that 150 chemicals commonly found in homes have been linked to allergies, birth defects, breast cancer, testicular cancer, prostate cancer, declining sperm counts and psychological abnormalities.

Cleaning chemicals cause harm to the environment not only because of the toxins that are released into the air during their use. Their harmful effect on the environment can also be exacerbated when these chemicals are poured down drains, circulated through building ventilation systems, or disposed of outdoors. Also, certain products gradually emit toxins during storage. Improper dilution of cleaning products further ads to the problem of chemical residues – invisible solvent powder left behind on indoor surfaces that can be absorbed through the skin. These residues can cause irritations to the eyes and skin. Environmental damage can also occur during the development, manufacture and transport of these products.

Cleaning For Your Health
A regular cleaning maintenance program is necessary to ensure high indoor air quality as it helps to remove contaminants from the building environment. In a business setting, cleaning not only gives your company a positive aesthetic, it is essential to ensure the optimal performance of your employees and thus have a significant effect on your bottom line. There is no doubt that a regular cleaning program reduces the bacteria, viruses and other causes of illness, and ultimately reduces absenteeism. Healthy air also increases productivity: a small increase in each employees’ output can represent big savings when an entire organization is impacted.

To fully reap the rewards of a cleaning maintenance program, safer alternatives to traditional cleaning products should be used. In addition to benefits provided by traditional cleaning, green cleaning promotes health, safety and social consciousness. Defined as “cleaning to protect health without harming the environment,” green cleaning programs employ processes aimed at improving indoor air quality, recycling, employ processes aimed at improving indoor air quality, recycling, minimizing the use of raw materials and toxic products that require minimizing the use of raw materials and toxic products that require disposal, and include the use of environmentally friendly janitorial products and equipment. The president, CEO and founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Rick Fedrizzi said that “Green buildings provide operational performance, environmental sensitivity and improved health for their occupants. It’s a triple bottom line great companies can relate to.”

When choosing green cleaning products, it is important to be aware of the different options on the market, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Below is a quick review of biological and chemical green cleaning technologies.

Biological Cleaning: A biological cleaning solution uses biological decomposition to clean and deodorize. These solutions harness nature’s own processes to recycle waste into simple and essential substances. They meet today’s demands for cleaning, odour control and waste elimination without the use of potentially harmful chemicals.

There are four main advantages to using biological cleaners and odor control products:

  •  They are better for the environment and safer for the users and occupants when compared to traditional products;
  •  They use highly specialized enzyme producing microbials to clean and control odors by eliminating the soils that traditional chemical products alone cannot treat;
  •  They provide residual cleaning up to 80 hours after application and therefore reduce overall labour costs by continuing to work long after application;
  •  They help to displace unknown, potentially disease causing bacteria with known, healthy microbials and, in this way, contribute to our better health.

Chemical Cleaning: Chemical based products can also offer an environmentally responsible method for effective cleaning. For example, hydrogen peroxide is particularly attractive because it can break up organic matter and then prevent grease from sticking onto the surface. Other benefits of Hydrogen peroxide include the following:
  •  Creates no toxic or hazardous by-products – it breaks down into water and oxygen;
  •  Is safe for hard surfaces and textile finishes;
  •  Has excellent stain removal properties;
  •  Eliminates odors;
  •  Improves wastewater quality in sewer systems;
  •  Helps reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) – key parameters in measuring water quality;
  •  Can detoxify cyanide, nitrogen compounds, chlorine, bisulfate, phenol and a host of other toxic based waste.

Although biological and chemical technologies differ from one another, they can safely compliment each other. An ideal sustainable cleaning program will take advantage of the strengths of each technology in order to help obtain an effective and more complete clean.

Not all green cleaning products are created equal. Therefore, it is important to do the research in order to ensure that you have chosen the best products for your company or your household’s needs. The products you choose should meet the following criteria:

  •  Performance – Saves time while cleaning effectively and ensures the pristine appearance of your educational institution.
  •  People – Safeguards the health and safety of students, teachers and staff.
  •  Planet – Raw materials should be biodegradable and meet the highest environmental standards for safe storage, transportation and disposal. More specifically, materials used should be safe on our water systems and aquatic life
  •  Price – Priced competitively when compared to conventional cleaning products in the same categories.

In addition, look for products which provide dilution control. By providing accurate dilutions, the cleaning products will perform at their optimal level, thereby maximizing effectiveness, making cleaning easier and less dangerous for your employees, and preventing wastage and residues.

Good customer service, support and training can be as important as the right cleaning solution. Look for a company who can offer added value and support in the form of hands-on training, sanitation programs, wall charts, proper labels and MSDS sheets. These tools are an integral part of the process of going green because it is crucial that the products you choose are being used properly for optimal performance.

Being Green
In addition to choosing products which are non-toxic and not harmful to the environment, there are additional steps that you can take, both in your home and company, to protect your health and your surrounding environment for future generations. Being green also takes into consideration reductions in energy use, water use and waste disposal, in addition to improvements in indoor air quality.

Heating is responsible for nearly 35 per cent of energy use in office buildings. Often there are simple ways to reduce energy consumption but they are overlooked because of inconvenience. For example, maintaining building temperatures no higher than 16º Celsius when unoccupied and 22 degrees Celsius when occupied during the heating season and no lower than 30 degrees Celsius and 24 degrees Celsius during the cooling season can have a significant impact on overall energy consumption.

Reducing water use not only protects our water sources but delays the need to expand existing treatment plants and prolongs the life of systems. Here are a few steps to reduce water consumption: regularly check that all valves are operating properly, inspect for and repair leaks on a monthly basis, do not run water longer than necessary.

The use of green cleaning products, coupled with other proactive measures to reduce energy and water use, will undoubtedly have a positive impact on your health, the health of those around you, as well as on the environment. When you think of all the time being spent indoors, and the effects on people and the planet, IAQ becomes a serious matter worth investigating. When each of us takes on the responsibility of switching to green cleaning and implementing other green building practices, we can make an enormous improvement to our surrounding environment.