that requires the State Department of Education to compile a list of cleaning products that have been certified as meeting “health-based criteria for safety and efficacy” by a third-party independent agency or have been listed by a state agency as “environ-mentally preferable cleaning products” Minnesota has issued its Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide as a reference tool to assist government agencies and schools in the selection of environ-mentally preferable products The Chicago Public School District has adopted a Green Cleaning Policy that encourages the “maintenance of clean, safe and healthy schools through the elimination of contaminants that affect children and adult health, performance and attendance, and the implementa-tion of cleaning processes and prod-ucts that protect health without harm-ing the environment.” Beyond Education When it comes to hospitals, a recent report by The Journal of the American Medical Association disturbingly reveals that hospi-tal-acquired infections (HAIs) are now the fourth-largest killer in the U.S., with more than two million hospital patients a year contracting infections and an estimated 103,000 dying as a result. This total is more than the yearly deaths in the U.S. attributable to car accidents, breast cancer and acquired immunodefi-ciency syndrome (AIDS) — combined. As a result, more and more attention is being paid to the cleaning processes at hospitals and other health care facilities. A growing number of “how-to” manuals for the cleaning and sanitation of medical facilities are being produced, with many highlighting the need for green cleaning practices. One, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, which is now part of an organization called Practice Greenhealth, has produced a 10-Step Guide to Green Cleaning Implementation that acknowledges that traditional cleaning products and processes can negatively impact both health and the environment. Circle Product Information no. 206 on page 32 Circle Product Information no. 207 on page 32 www.cmmonline.com 29
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