Chemicals & What Goes In Your Bucket?

Every couple of times a year or more, the window cleaning forums come back to which concoctions or bought solutions are best for cleaning windows. And each time the users religeously vote for the solution they have used & the past experience they have had with other brand names. Some vote for dish-washing liquids others for brand names especially formulated just for that - cleaning windows. And others often try to concoct a mixture that they swear is the best yet, often at risk to their own health.
Jack Nelson of the MWCoA has started his own "Green Environmental Education Section" & will show you the proper way to handle and use the chemicals to the best of their abilities.

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Reports about a new study which found that nurses are more likely to suffer from asthma than other healthcare workers, because they are in regular contact with cleaning chemicals, have featured throughout the media in recent days.
The story sounded familiar, and looking back through Cleanzine's archives I discovered that we had covered a similar story on two occasions. The first, headed: 'Link between bleach and breathing disorders', reported on a Spanish study of 550 people that found a link between breathing disorders suffered by domestic cleaners and exposure to bleach and possibly to other irritant agents.
The second, broadcast 18 months ago and headed: 'Occupational asthma', covered another Spanish study, which revealed that cleaners are 71% more likely than the rest of the population to suffer from occupational asthma. This study involved 6,837 people from 13 countries, all of whom participated in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, (1990 and 1995). It was found that exposure to known substances which trigger occupational asthma raises the risk of developing it by 60%. It was also found that if a person has been exposed to asthma-causing irritants during specific incidents, his or her risk of developing 'new-onset' asthma is three-times more likely than that of the general public. The act of mixing cleaning products or being involved in chemical spillages are considered asthma-causing irritants.

This particular study found that nurses were 122% more likely to suffer from asthma and cited a number of reasons for the increased risk. The researchers said: "Nurses could be exposed to sensitising substances, respiratory allergens, and irritants including sterilisers and disinfectants such as glutaraldehyde or bleach."
The latest study, which was carried out in the US and included 3,650 Texan healthcare professionals - including 941 nurses - found that nurses who are routinely exposed to disinfectants and other cleaning products are 72% more likely to develop asthma than healthcare workers in other fields, and 57% more likely to report asthma-like symptoms. Further, nurses who regularly clean medical instruments are 67% more likely to develop asthma. Nurses who used powdered latex gloves before the year 2000 were 6% more likely to have newly diagnosed asthma. "Substituting cleaning agents with environmentally friendly 'green chemicals' and using appropriate personal care protection could help minimise occupational exposures in this professional group," wrote the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's researchers.

Can you clean and still be green?

Chlorinated bleach. The chemical, which, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, is the most commonly ingested poison by small children, is virtually ubiquitous because of its whitening and disinfectant powers. The Environmental Protection Agency EPA reports that the use of bleach can cause health effects ranging from skin and lung irritation to blindness and cancer. Its byproduct is a carcinogenic substance known as dioxin.
EGBE. A common though unlisted, ingredient in products such as Pine-Sol, Simple Green and Windex, EGBE has been shown to cause reproductive disorders in lab animals, reveals Women's Voices for the Earth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving women's health. Furthermore, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reports that EGBE is a known carcinogen.

Phenols. These deadly compounds are found in many cleansers that exhibit a pine scent. According to the EPA, phenols can be "acutely toxic," leading to disorders ranging from irritation of the skin and lungs to kidney and liver disorders to cardiac irregularities, among many, many other symptoms.
Ammonia. Found in floor polishes, window cleaners and other cleansers, ammonia is a corrosive substance that can produce intense irritation in the eyes and the respiratory system. Sufficient exposure can result in burns severe enough to cause blindness, lung disease and even death, according to the EPA.
Formaldehyde. Like ammonia, formaldehyde is an ingredient in many cleaning agents that can cause respiratory irritation and distress. However, the EPA reports that it is also known to induce asthma attacks and may lead to cancer.
Indeed, the list of toxic chemicals found in cleaning agents is virtually endless. Other substances to avoid include: sodium hydroxide, sulfamic acid, butyl cellosolve 2-butoxyethanol, lye, petroleum distillates, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and morpholine.

The 54-year-old actor John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston insisted on staying by 16-year-old Jett's side as medics battled to save him, rather than follow the ambulance in a car. However, shortly after arriving at Freeport Hospital in Grand Bahama, doctors broke the news to the couple that their son was dead. Jett, who had suffered from seizures from the age of two, was found unconscious on Friday morning in the bathroom of the family home at the Old Bahama Bay resort in the Bahamas. Travolta said he fought to revive the teenager before paramedics arrived. Travolta's lawyers – Michael Ossi and Michael McDermott – were quoted as saying that Jett suffered from grand mal, a form of epilepsy that causes convulsions and unconsciousness.
The lawyers said he had been treated for some years with a drug that stopped the fits from occurring. But after a while, the medicine became ineffective and caused liver damage. So the course was discontinued and Jett started suffering a serious seizure every few days. The film star is a follower of the Church of Scientology, and has previously said that the church's teachings were of help in detoxifying his son during earlier medical problems. Jett was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease when he was a toddler – a condition his parents ascribed to the chemicals in household cleaning products used in their home.