Cleanlink News February 11 2011
In recognition of the trend toward more innovative approaches to green cleaning, the International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA) is starting a pilot program and field study to evaluate new technologies and processes some experts predict will change the nature of green cleaning. Leaders in the educational sector and leading school districts are being offered an opportunity to participate in the next phase of green cleaning by joining in the field testing of key technologies utilizing renewable, reduced-chemical, or chemical-free cleaning and sanitizing processes. The program is being offered selectively to facilities that IEHA has identified as industry leaders, and involves steps including:
• Development of a confidential report that the educational facility can use to drive progressive decision making;
• Opportunity to participate as a member of a “Renewable Cleaning Consortium” under the auspices of the upcoming Healthy Facilities Institute (HFI).
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Clostridium difficile is a rising health threat
More than a third of cases in the ongoing outbreak at St. Joseph’s in Hamilton – where 13 infected patients have died – came from outside that hospital.
Incoming patients infected with C. diff are a growing problem across North America, complicating efforts to stem the spread of spores in ambulances, emergency rooms and wards. A study by Duke University in North Carolina showed the rate of C. diff in U.S. community hospitals is outstripping MRSA, methicillin – resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the virulent staph infection that once was the most prevalent threat.
How Hospitals are fighting back
In the years since hospital – acquired C. diff came to widespread public attention, largely due to Ontario’s biggest outbreak at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington, health professionals have learned many new techniques and are also stressing more vigorous traditional infection control, such as hand washing.
Recent studies, for example, have confirmed what hospitals have known, that private rooms and scrupulous isolation are keys to stopping C. diff’s spread. Housekeeping improvements have been made at many hospitals, including wider use of bleach, which is the most effective barrier against C. diff spores.
As well, nurses and doctors have been cautioned that alcohol-based gels are not effective against C. diff spores, which live on hard surfaces such as furniture, as well as on clothing and skin, and must be scrubbed from hands with soap.
Antibiotic stewardship to reduce inappropriate use of certain drugs has also become an accepted imperative. At least one class of drugs, known as fluoroquinolones, is a confirmed trigger for C. diff.
Compiled by Joan Walters
The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday January 27, 2011
Incoming patients infected with C. diff are a growing problem across North America, complicating efforts to stem the spread of spores in ambulances, emergency rooms and wards. A study by Duke University in North Carolina showed the rate of C. diff in U.S. community hospitals is outstripping MRSA, methicillin – resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the virulent staph infection that once was the most prevalent threat.
How Hospitals are fighting back
In the years since hospital – acquired C. diff came to widespread public attention, largely due to Ontario’s biggest outbreak at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington, health professionals have learned many new techniques and are also stressing more vigorous traditional infection control, such as hand washing.
Recent studies, for example, have confirmed what hospitals have known, that private rooms and scrupulous isolation are keys to stopping C. diff’s spread. Housekeeping improvements have been made at many hospitals, including wider use of bleach, which is the most effective barrier against C. diff spores.
As well, nurses and doctors have been cautioned that alcohol-based gels are not effective against C. diff spores, which live on hard surfaces such as furniture, as well as on clothing and skin, and must be scrubbed from hands with soap.
Antibiotic stewardship to reduce inappropriate use of certain drugs has also become an accepted imperative. At least one class of drugs, known as fluoroquinolones, is a confirmed trigger for C. diff.
Compiled by Joan Walters
The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday January 27, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Study Takes a Biting Look at Bedbugs
Cleanlink News January 20 2011
As many as 20 percent of Americans have had a bedbug infestation in their home or know someone who has encountered bedbugs, according to a study just released by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).* The study found that those Americans most affected by bedbugs tend to live in urban areas where the incidence of bedbugs is three times higher than in rural ones.
Further, most Americans believe the bedbug problem in the United States is on the increase and are most concerned about encountering bedbugs in the following locations:
• Hotels, 80 percent
• Public transportation, 52 percent
• Movie theaters, 49 percent
• Their own homes, 36 percent
• Where they work, 32 percent
Although the report finds Americans are taking steps to minimize their risk of encountering bedbugs-even washing luggage after a long trip-there are still a lot of misconceptions about the pests, most specifically that the only way to eradicate them is through the use of powerful and potentially dangerous pesticides.
"Our industry must take steps to help end users realize [that] there are effective and more environmentally responsible-strategies available to eradicate bedbugs," says Michael Schaffer, a senior executive with Tacony's commercial floorcare division and President of Tornado Industries.
For instance, Schaffer suggests using professional steam cleaners can prove very helpful.
He adds that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends when controlling any type of pests, "the most effective strategy may be an approach known as integrated pest management (IPM), which emphasizes the limited use of pesticides."
In fact, pesticide treatments alone can often prove ineffective because it may not kill the eggs, according to Schaffer.
"Due to the insidious nature of bedbugs, eradicating them can be a challenge," he says. "But by using an integrated pest management approach and employing specific [cleaning] equipment and measures, bedbugs can be eliminated with less impact on users, building occupants, and the environment."
As many as 20 percent of Americans have had a bedbug infestation in their home or know someone who has encountered bedbugs, according to a study just released by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).* The study found that those Americans most affected by bedbugs tend to live in urban areas where the incidence of bedbugs is three times higher than in rural ones.
Further, most Americans believe the bedbug problem in the United States is on the increase and are most concerned about encountering bedbugs in the following locations:
• Hotels, 80 percent
• Public transportation, 52 percent
• Movie theaters, 49 percent
• Their own homes, 36 percent
• Where they work, 32 percent
Although the report finds Americans are taking steps to minimize their risk of encountering bedbugs-even washing luggage after a long trip-there are still a lot of misconceptions about the pests, most specifically that the only way to eradicate them is through the use of powerful and potentially dangerous pesticides.
"Our industry must take steps to help end users realize [that] there are effective and more environmentally responsible-strategies available to eradicate bedbugs," says Michael Schaffer, a senior executive with Tacony's commercial floorcare division and President of Tornado Industries.
For instance, Schaffer suggests using professional steam cleaners can prove very helpful.
He adds that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends when controlling any type of pests, "the most effective strategy may be an approach known as integrated pest management (IPM), which emphasizes the limited use of pesticides."
In fact, pesticide treatments alone can often prove ineffective because it may not kill the eggs, according to Schaffer.
"Due to the insidious nature of bedbugs, eradicating them can be a challenge," he says. "But by using an integrated pest management approach and employing specific [cleaning] equipment and measures, bedbugs can be eliminated with less impact on users, building occupants, and the environment."
Monday, January 24, 2011
Study: 'Green' products emit hazardous
Widely-used scented consumer products that claim to be "green," "organic" or "natural" emit just as many toxic chemicals as other fragranced products, new research shows.
The study analyzed 25 scented products; about half carried green health claims. All the products
emitted at least one chemical classified as toxic or hazardous.
More than a third of the samples gave off one chemical classified as a probable carcinogen by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to the research, published in the journal
Environmental Impact Assessment Review. The EPA has set no safe exposure level for possible
carcinogens.
Overall, the products tested emitted more than 420 chemicals, but virtually none were disclosed to consumers, said the study's lead author, Anne Steinemann, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington.
"Products with 'organic fragrance,' 'natural fragrance,' and 'essential oils' emitted just as many toxic chemicals," she said. "Basically, if it had any kind of fragrance or scent, it emitted toxic chemicals."
A single "fragrance" in a product can be a mixture of up to several hundred ingredients. But since manufacturers are not required to disclose all ingredients in cosmetics, cleaning supplies, air fresheners or laundry products, the majority of the chemicals are not listed on the labels.
The most common emissions the researchers found included limonene, a compound with a citrus
scent; apha-pinene and beta-pinene, compounds with a pine scent; ethanol; and acetone, a solvent found in nail polish remover.
Brand names were not included in the data to avoid leaving the impression that products other than the ones reported in the study were safer. "We found potentially hazardous chemicals in all of the fragranced products we tested," said Steinemann.
While the study confirmed the ubiquitous presence of the chemicals, it doesn't look at whether the products are safe to use. Studies conducted by the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials maintain that the ingredients are safe.
But previous research by Steinemann and a colleague showed that nearly 38 percent of Americans report adverse effects when exposed to some kind of fragranced products. Among asthmatics, such complaints were roughly twice as common.
The Household Product Labeling Act, currently being reviewed by the U.S. Senate, would require manufacturers to list ingredients in air fresheners, soaps, laundry supplies and other consumer products.
For consumers who want to avoid the chemicals, Steinemann suggests going back to basics:
Cleaning with vinegar and baking soda, opening windows for ventilation instead of using air
fresheners and using products without any fragrance.
But she cautioned that products called "fragrance-free" and "unscented" are not necessarily nontoxic. The chemicals identified in the study could have been part of the added fragrance, the product base, or both; product formulations are confidential so the researchers had no way of discerning the source.
Moreover, even if a product doesn't have a scent, it could still contain chemicals that are classified as toxic. And as counterintuitive as this sounds, "even a 'fragrance-free'' or 'unscented' product can nonetheless be a fragranced product with the addition of a masking fragrance to cover the scent," she said.
The study analyzed 25 scented products; about half carried green health claims. All the products
emitted at least one chemical classified as toxic or hazardous.
More than a third of the samples gave off one chemical classified as a probable carcinogen by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to the research, published in the journal
Environmental Impact Assessment Review. The EPA has set no safe exposure level for possible
carcinogens.
Overall, the products tested emitted more than 420 chemicals, but virtually none were disclosed to consumers, said the study's lead author, Anne Steinemann, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington.
"Products with 'organic fragrance,' 'natural fragrance,' and 'essential oils' emitted just as many toxic chemicals," she said. "Basically, if it had any kind of fragrance or scent, it emitted toxic chemicals."
A single "fragrance" in a product can be a mixture of up to several hundred ingredients. But since manufacturers are not required to disclose all ingredients in cosmetics, cleaning supplies, air fresheners or laundry products, the majority of the chemicals are not listed on the labels.
The most common emissions the researchers found included limonene, a compound with a citrus
scent; apha-pinene and beta-pinene, compounds with a pine scent; ethanol; and acetone, a solvent found in nail polish remover.
Brand names were not included in the data to avoid leaving the impression that products other than the ones reported in the study were safer. "We found potentially hazardous chemicals in all of the fragranced products we tested," said Steinemann.
While the study confirmed the ubiquitous presence of the chemicals, it doesn't look at whether the products are safe to use. Studies conducted by the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials maintain that the ingredients are safe.
But previous research by Steinemann and a colleague showed that nearly 38 percent of Americans report adverse effects when exposed to some kind of fragranced products. Among asthmatics, such complaints were roughly twice as common.
The Household Product Labeling Act, currently being reviewed by the U.S. Senate, would require manufacturers to list ingredients in air fresheners, soaps, laundry supplies and other consumer products.
For consumers who want to avoid the chemicals, Steinemann suggests going back to basics:
Cleaning with vinegar and baking soda, opening windows for ventilation instead of using air
fresheners and using products without any fragrance.
But she cautioned that products called "fragrance-free" and "unscented" are not necessarily nontoxic. The chemicals identified in the study could have been part of the added fragrance, the product base, or both; product formulations are confidential so the researchers had no way of discerning the source.
Moreover, even if a product doesn't have a scent, it could still contain chemicals that are classified as toxic. And as counterintuitive as this sounds, "even a 'fragrance-free'' or 'unscented' product can nonetheless be a fragranced product with the addition of a masking fragrance to cover the scent," she said.
Monday, January 10, 2011
EHANS
Triclosan + tap water = chloroform
More hazards of antibacterial products
Update Fall 2008
Danger: Creates chloroform when mixed with tap water.
If consumers of antibacterial products saw this warning on the label of their anti-bacterial soap, shaving cream, toothpaste or cleaning liquids, or heard it in a TV ad, it is unlikely that so many anti-bacterial products would find their way into our homes. But labels and advertisements don’t tell consumers all they need to know to protect their health.
Research into Triclosan, the most common anti-bacterial chemical used in consumer products, documented that Triclosan reacts with chlorine in tap water to form significant quantities of chloroform. Chloroform is classified as a probable human carcinogen.
Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic and State University estimate that under some conditions the use of triclosan can increase a person’s annual exposure to chloroform by as much as 40% above background levels in tap water. Research results from two studies were published in 2005 and 2007.
So what does a person do if they are concerned about germs? Regular soap and water does just as good a job as antibacterial products – without the risks, according to University of Michigan Department of Public Health professor Dr. Allison Aiello. Vinegar and water is also highly effective in killing germs.
Update, Fall 2008, Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
At ISSA, IEHA Unveils ‘Clean and Healthy Schools for Dummies’
WESTERVILLE, OH -- The International Executive Housekeepers Association is unveiling Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies at ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2010 in Orlando, FL this week.
Authored by Dr. David Mudarri, former senior scientist with the U.S. EPA, Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies is a 48-page pocket-sized handbook designed to assist both K-12 and higher education facilities to develop and maintain healthy schools.
This latest of IEHA’s For Dummies books helps explain how to achieve a cost-effective cleaning and maintenance program resulting in a healthy, high-efficiency school that boosts attendance as well as student and staff performance,” said Beth Risinger, CEO and Executive Director of IEHA. “It also encourages IEHA members and the cleaning industry at large to explore modern cleaning technologies such as activated water, steam vapor cleaning, and newer floor and restroom cleaning machines among other innovations.”
Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies shows how to identify indoor pollutants and remove them, how to make a scientific case for cleaning and maintaining schools, and how to get community support for a healthy schools program,” adds the author, David Mudarri, Ph.D.
The title follows on the heels of the success of Infection Control For Dummies, by Darrel Hicks, REH (now in its second printing as Infection Prevention For Dummies). Both books will be available at ISSA/INTERCLEAN at IEHA Booths 3783 and 3874.
Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies is sponsored by the Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) and Activeion Cleaning Solutions.
IEHA gratefully acknowledges their generous support of this valuable educational resource.
Authored by Dr. David Mudarri, former senior scientist with the U.S. EPA, Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies is a 48-page pocket-sized handbook designed to assist both K-12 and higher education facilities to develop and maintain healthy schools.
This latest of IEHA’s For Dummies books helps explain how to achieve a cost-effective cleaning and maintenance program resulting in a healthy, high-efficiency school that boosts attendance as well as student and staff performance,” said Beth Risinger, CEO and Executive Director of IEHA. “It also encourages IEHA members and the cleaning industry at large to explore modern cleaning technologies such as activated water, steam vapor cleaning, and newer floor and restroom cleaning machines among other innovations.”
Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies shows how to identify indoor pollutants and remove them, how to make a scientific case for cleaning and maintaining schools, and how to get community support for a healthy schools program,” adds the author, David Mudarri, Ph.D.
The title follows on the heels of the success of Infection Control For Dummies, by Darrel Hicks, REH (now in its second printing as Infection Prevention For Dummies). Both books will be available at ISSA/INTERCLEAN at IEHA Booths 3783 and 3874.
Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies is sponsored by the Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) and Activeion Cleaning Solutions.
IEHA gratefully acknowledges their generous support of this valuable educational resource.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Scented products emit harmful chemicals: study
Some Toxic and possibly carcinogenic substances are not listed on the label
The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday November 9, 2010 – By Wendy Koch
Popular scented products – including those claiming to be “green” – Emit chemicals not listed on the label, including some considered toxic and possibly carcinogenic, a study says.
Each of the 25 tested products emitted at least one chemical classified as toxic or hazardous under U.S. law, and 11 gave off at least one chemical listed as a possible carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to the study published online in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review.
Lead author Anne Steinemann, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Washington, says her study is the first to look at fragranced products.
The products emitted a total of 133 chemicals, about 17 each. But only ethanol was listed on labels. Manufacturers are not required to list ingredients in fragrances. A bill pending in the United States Senate would require it.
Half of the products tested made claims about being “green, organic or natural,” but “they emitted just as many toxic chemicals,” Steinemann said.
The study analyzed top-selling air fresheners, laundry products including detergents, and personal-care products such as soaps and cleaning products. It does not disclose brand names. “We don’t want to give people the impression that if we reported on product ‘A’ and they buy product ‘B,’ they’re safe,” said Steinemann. “The whole class is problematic.”
The researchers placed a sample of each product in a closed glass container at room temperature and tested the air for volatile organic compounds. Because product formulations are proprietary, they couldn’t determine whether a chemical came from the product base, the added fragrance or both.
The most common chemical was citrus-scented limonene, which Steinemann says can mix with air to create formaldehyde. Also emitted from at least half were three chemicals classified as toxic: pine-smelling alpha–pinene; ethanol; and acetone, a solvent in nail polis remover. “Yes, it’s low-level exposure, but low levels add up,” she said, adding the EPA sets no safe limit for many of the chemicals detected.
The International Fragrance Association North America says the report “unnecessarily alarms the public with insinuations of danger.” It says most materials can be toxic in high concentrations. The study does not discuss health effects, but two national surveys last year by Steinemann found 20 percent of people reported health problems from air fresheners; 10 per cent from laundry products. Complaints were twice as common in people with asthma. She suggests people clean with vinegar and baking soda, open windows for ventilation and use unscented products.
McClatchy – Tribune Newspapers
The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday November 9, 2010 – By Wendy Koch
Popular scented products – including those claiming to be “green” – Emit chemicals not listed on the label, including some considered toxic and possibly carcinogenic, a study says.
Each of the 25 tested products emitted at least one chemical classified as toxic or hazardous under U.S. law, and 11 gave off at least one chemical listed as a possible carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to the study published online in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review.
Lead author Anne Steinemann, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Washington, says her study is the first to look at fragranced products.
The products emitted a total of 133 chemicals, about 17 each. But only ethanol was listed on labels. Manufacturers are not required to list ingredients in fragrances. A bill pending in the United States Senate would require it.
Half of the products tested made claims about being “green, organic or natural,” but “they emitted just as many toxic chemicals,” Steinemann said.
The study analyzed top-selling air fresheners, laundry products including detergents, and personal-care products such as soaps and cleaning products. It does not disclose brand names. “We don’t want to give people the impression that if we reported on product ‘A’ and they buy product ‘B,’ they’re safe,” said Steinemann. “The whole class is problematic.”
The researchers placed a sample of each product in a closed glass container at room temperature and tested the air for volatile organic compounds. Because product formulations are proprietary, they couldn’t determine whether a chemical came from the product base, the added fragrance or both.
The most common chemical was citrus-scented limonene, which Steinemann says can mix with air to create formaldehyde. Also emitted from at least half were three chemicals classified as toxic: pine-smelling alpha–pinene; ethanol; and acetone, a solvent in nail polis remover. “Yes, it’s low-level exposure, but low levels add up,” she said, adding the EPA sets no safe limit for many of the chemicals detected.
The International Fragrance Association North America says the report “unnecessarily alarms the public with insinuations of danger.” It says most materials can be toxic in high concentrations. The study does not discuss health effects, but two national surveys last year by Steinemann found 20 percent of people reported health problems from air fresheners; 10 per cent from laundry products. Complaints were twice as common in people with asthma. She suggests people clean with vinegar and baking soda, open windows for ventilation and use unscented products.
McClatchy – Tribune Newspapers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
