There are so many great environmentally friendly cleaning products out there. I don’t know why more people haven’t demanded that their children’s school use them. With kids almost spending more time in school than they do at home. The environment around them plays a big part in their health.
You don’t need to use a lot of chemicals to get stuff clean. It’s a misconception that only harsh chemicals clean your home properly.
In New York State all schools must comply with a new law that requires “environmentally friendly” cleaning supplies.
Concerns about the harmful health effects chemicals can have, especially on children, and a realization that cleaners with reduced amounts of potentially dangerous ingredients are increasingly available prompted the legislation, which took effect yesterday.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates human exposure to air pollutants indoors can be two to five times higher than outdoor levels. Some of the culprits are cleaners, waxes and deodorizers. Reducing or eliminating potentially harmful ingredients helps protect the environment and water supply, according to the legislations sponsors.
Potential harmful effects of cleaners, waxes and deodorizers are skin and eye irritation, asthma attacks, and neurological impacts, Wood said. Some parents have taken their children out of school because of exposure to chemicals there, said Patti Wood, executive director, Grassroots Environmental Education.
“If there is a single ingredient in any cleaning product that will cause an asthmatic attack, it would be the fragrance, and there are a lot of children with asthma in our schools,” said Patti.
I have been trying, for years to convert our household over to biodegradable cleaning products. I bought the laundry detergent, which worked fine. My husband developed a rash from every biodegradable, good for the environment laundry detergent I bought.
If I do the shopping we get the good stuff. If he does the shopping, he buys the old standby chemical classics that he’s been using for years. It’s hard to make him see that “VIM” is not the only cleaner that can do sinks and toilets.
Now that the baby is crawling we will have to re-think what we use to clean!
SOURCE:Star-Gazette
