L. G. is a 53-year-old woman who was in reasonably good health until two years after she began working for a hotel as a housekeeper. At that time she consulted Dr. Elliott complaining of rashes, headaches, joint pain, and fatigue. After extensive questioning, Dr. Elliott concluded that the source of her symptoms was probably at her place of employment. Through a process of elimination, it became apparent that she had become sensitized to the pine-scented product she used to disinfect bathrooms. Although this woman was unable to convince her employer to switch to less toxic
and health standards for industrial and institutional cleaners. Based on information provided by the manufacturers, Green Seal has recommended cleaners that meet the following criteria:8
• are not toxic to human or aquatic life
• are readily biodegradable
• contain VOC levels under 10 percent by weight when diluted for use
• are not made of petrochemical compounds or petroleum
• do not contain chlorine bleach
• are free of phosphates and derivatives
• do not contain phenolic compounds or glycol ethers
• are free of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, and selenium
• have acceptable pH levels
• work optimally at room temperature
The following industrial/institutional strength cleaners are among those that are recommend — cleaning products, her symptoms improved when she was transferred to a different job within the same building.
Discussion
Certain strong-smelling cleaning products and disinfectants contain phenol, which is known to sensitize the immune system in some people, as happened to this unfortunate woman. When checking for phenol as an ingredient in a product, a generallysaferuleofthumbistolookforany ingre — dientincluding phenol in its nameorending in"ol."
ed by Green Seal9 and that we have found to be reasonably available for use by contractors:
• Earth Friendly Products: A complete line of floor care, all-purpose, and specialty cleaners
• ECO 2000: A multipurpose cleaner and degreaser derived from naturally occurring, renewable, rapidly biodegradable resources (can be used from a 1:5 dilution as a degreaser and stripper all the way down to a 1:64 dilution as a window cleaner)
• Enviro Care: Cleaning products for all washable surfaces
• Formula G-510: A multi purpose concentrated colloidal cleaner/degreaser
• Green Unikleen: An industrial strength degreaser/cleaner
• The Natural: A complete line of naturally derived, fragrance-free cleaning products, with an all-purpose cleaner, a degreaser, and a bathtub and tile cleaner meeting Green Seal requirements
For normal household cleaning, several effective alternatives to harsh chemical cleaning compounds are available. The following brand-name cleaning products do not contain harsh chemicals:
• AFM SafeChoice Glass Cleaner: Virtually odorless glass, mirror, and hard surface cleaner
• AFM SafeChoice Safety Clean: Industrial strength cleaner/degreaser and disinfectant
• AFM SafeChoice Super Clean: All-purpose cleaner/degreaser
• AFM SafeChoice X158: Low-о dor, antifungal, antibacterial treatment
• Auro Awalan Line Cleaning and Care Products: Full line of natural plant-based cleaning and care products
• Auro Cleaning and Care Products: Full line of natural plant-based cleaning and care products
• Begley’s Best: Cradle to Cradle certified biodegradable all-purpose cleaner
• BioShield: A complete line of biodegradable, soap-based household cleaners containing natural and mostly organic ingredients
