Green Cleaners Bill

Senate Bill 1224: An Act to Reduce Asthma by Using Green Cleaning Products

Background:

Just because a product makes a building cleaner doesn’t
mean that it makes it safer. For evidence of the harmful effects of
toxic cleaning chemicals we can look at those who are most exposed
to them: cleaning workers. Recent students show that cleaning workers
suffer among the highest rates of occupational asthma and certain types
of cancer. They are at increased risk of reproductive problems and
poor birth outcomes such as stillbirth and birth defects.

Cleaning products not only threaten the workers who use them, but also the health of
children and workers who live and work in the buildings where they
are used. Cleaning chemicals often contain volatile organic compounds
(VOC’s), many of which cause eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea, liver, kidney and central nervous system
damage and cancer. Floor stripping products can contain hazardous ingredients,
such as monoethanolamine and sodium hydroxide, which can cause permanent
blindness if splashed into the eyes, severe chemical burns on the skin,
and liver and kidney damage. Some degreasers contain butoxyethanol
which can damage the blood, liver, kidneys and developing babies. Others
contain trichlorethylene, a probable carcinogen.

What the bill does:

Sponsored by and endorsed by the AFL-CIO last year, this bill requires
that:

  • Schools, hospitals and other health care facilities, day care centers, public buildings, and common areas of public housing use only cleaning products included on the “Safer Cleaning Products” list established by the Department of Public Health (DPH). Products on the list are those that do not cause or trigger asthma as determined by the Mass. Operational Services Division in their existing Environmentally Preferable Products program.
  • DPH establish a program to develop and provide a training grants program for cleaning personnel in the use of healthy cleaning products, test healthy cleaning products with teams of cleaning personnel in the field, and to train cleaning personnel in use of healthy cleaning products. The bill authorizes DPH to assess a reasonable fee on such manufacturers of cleaning products sufficient to cover the costs of this program.

How you can support the bill:

  • Call or email your state rep. and state senator and ask him/her to support the bill.
    Find out the name of your state rep.
  • Call or send a letter to the House and Senate Chair of the committee:
  • Become a MassCOSH member and contribute to our efforts to advocate for the passage of this bill.

To learn more about this bill or get involved, call Tolle Graham at 617-825-7233 x19.