Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Viruses
Fungi
Parasites
These germs or microbes get into our
bodies in different ways.
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Blood
Mucus
Saliva
Vomit
Stool (feces)
Discharges from the eyes and
from skin sores or wounds
Direct
Contact
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Some cleaning,
sanitizing, and
disinfecting
chemicals can
cause health
problems in
children and
staff.
The words
natural,
nontoxic, and
green that
appear on
product labels
are largely
unregulated by
the government.
Products are not
thoroughly
tested for health
effects before
they are allowed
to be sold.
Manufacturers
are not
required to list
all the
ingredients on
the label.
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Childrens Vulnerability
Young children are more vulnerable to toxic chemicals
and allergens in the physical environment.
They
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* In Harms Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development, Greater Boston Physicians for Social
Responsibility, 2000
Children exposed
to the same dose
of environmental
toxins and/or
chemicals have
proportionately
much greater
exposure
compared to
adults.
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Asthma Triggers:
Once a person has asthma,
exposure to triggers
can cause an episode of
asthma.
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The
Cleaning
Products
Air
Ingredients
Contaminants Disclosed
Asthmagens
Detected
Carcinogens
Detected
Comet
Disinfectant
Powder
Cleaner
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Febreeze Air
Effects
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Simple
Green
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Pine-Sol
Cleaner
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Endocrine Disruptors
are chemicals that
interrupt or imitate
natural hormonal
messages.
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Bleach:
can cause asthma
triggers asthma episodes
can affect breathing
can irritate the skin and eyes
was the source of 35,000 poisonings in 2011
Children are at greater risk from breathing bleach
vapors because their lungs are still developing.
Bleach has a short shelf life, so must be purchased
monthly and solutions mixed daily.
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may cause
May cause
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Cleaned
Sanitized
or
Disinfected
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Cleaning
uses a detergent and water to
physically remove dirt, grime and
germs from surfaces. This
process does not necessarily kill
germs.
removes molds and allergens that
can trigger asthma symptoms.
Has been found to remove as much as 99% of germs
when microfiber cleaning tools are used.
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Sanitizing
reduces the number of germs on
hard surfaces or objects to a level
considered safe for public health.
For food contact surfaces the level
should be a 99.999% reduction in
microorganisms within 30 seconds.
Sanitizing products should state on
their label the surfaces they are
intended to be used on.
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Disinfecting
inactivates 99.999% of germs on
surfaces or objects if allowed to sit
visibly wet or dwell on the surface
for the recommended amount of
dwell time.
For use on:
-changing tables
-bathroom sinks and toilets
-other areas as required by licensing
regulations.
A disinfectant must stay on the surface for at least the
recommended dwell time or it will not destroy most of the
germs.
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Used by schools.
Purchased
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Examples:
Office Depot Clorox Green Works products
Staples - Sustainable Earth Multi-Purpose
Cleaner concentrate and Seventh Generation
products
W.B. Mason Oxivir Tb RTU
WalMart Earth Friendly products
Non-aerosol.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Reviewing a
Safety Data
Sheet
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Equipment
Devices
Dry steam vapor technology:
Very effective for cleaning and
rapid sanitizing/disinfecting.
Approved for most surfaces,
including food contact surfaces.
Unfortunately, still very
expensive.
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Resources
2013 Update: Bleach Free Disinfection and Sanitizing for Child Care
http://www.sfgov3.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=3822
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Resources
GreenGuard Environmental Institute Gold Certification
(formerly Children and Schools certified cleaning
products). Available at:
http://www.greenguard.org/en/SearchResults.aspx?Cate
goryID=30&pageNumber=1
Green Seal - list of products available at:
http://www.greenseal.org/FindGreenSealProductsAndSer
vices.aspx.
Womens Voices for the Earth Information on whats in
specific cleaning products. Available at:
http://www.womensvoices.org/protect-yourhealth/cleaning-products/.
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