Janitors seek ban on toxic cleaners used by supermarkets
Filed under: Healthcare, Safeway, Wal-Mart Stores, Green
Venture into a supermarket late at night and you're likely to see an employee running a machine used to clean, strip and wax floors. Wander into your local deli and you'll see workers pouring disinfectant over the day's feast.
But ask these workers how they feel and many will confess to cases of headaches, sinus infections, and skin rashes. Which is why janitors and cleaners from the Service Employee International Union have been holding protests outside large grocery stores -- such as Lucky and Safeway (SWY) in Northern California -- to demand that the country's largest supermarket chains ditch toxic cleaning agents and go with greener alternatives.
The service workers contend that toxic chemicals used in cleaning supplies are environmental and health hazards. The SEIU is pushing hard on this issue in California, where the state government is perceived to be among the most responsive to green issues. The union has sponsored a bill introduced by California State Senator Fran Pavley that would force supermarkets to assess the toxicity of the commercial cleaning products they use.
The assessments would look at whether the products might sicken workers or contaminate food that shoppers buy and eat. The Consumer Federation of California has co-sponsored the bill with the SEIU. If passed, the bill could result in national changes to supermarket cleaning processes, due to California's large size and position as an environmental front-runner.
Walmart Requires Environmental Assessments
WalMart (WMT), as I reported on earlier, has already made considerable waves in this area by demanding that its suppliers provide a detailed environmental assessment of products sold in WalMart stores. And a number of environmental and public health advocacy groups are agitating loudly for more regulation of household cleaning products that may contain toxic products. Unlike makers of food products, manufacturers of cleaning and beauty products are not required to disclose or label ingredients.
Chemicals commonly found in cleaning products are allegedly tied to many human health problems. One such chemical is 2-butoxyethanol, a sweet-smelling, clear solvent found in Windex and other glass cleaners. It's on a list of hazardous chemicals in California, although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency removed it from a list of hazardous chemicals in 1994. Many environmental health researchers believe that human exposure is far greater than government agencies understand. People exposed to high levels of 2-butoxyethanol for extended periods claim to have suffered from mucous membrane irritation, vomiting, and headaches.
Another common ingredient in cleaning products is monoethanolamine. Some health advocates claim this chemical can cause rashes, burns, and shortness of breath. Zinc, which is considered a toxic pollutant by the EPA, is often part of the formula for floor-stripping compounds.
Some Manufacturers Developing Non-toxic Lines
Many household cleaner manufacturers, such as Clorox (CLX), have been rapidly rolling out green offerings to consumers. The giant bleach maker has a line called GreenWorks that adheres to environmental standards. Commercial cleaning products companies have also been coming out with their own versions of green products. Some cities, like San Francisco, have implemented programs that emphasize green cleaning products and mandate use of those products in city facilities.
But low-margin private sector companies, like supermarket chains, have been reluctant to swap out traditional cleaning products, both due to the relatively higher prices of these products and fears that the green products will not perform or disinfect as well. In news reports, the chains refused to comment on the issues raised by the janitors. But it's safe to say that the public protests have sparked internal debate among the food retailers. The last thing most of them want, of course, is another government mandate from the Governator and his green-happy cohorts in the California State Legislature.
Alex Salkever is Senior Writer at AOL Daily Finance covering technology and greentech. Follow him on twitter @alexsalkever, read his articles, or email him at alex@dailyfinance.com.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
11-06-2009 @ 6:36PM
allyndp said...
It won't be long and we will be back to where we were in 1820 using vinegar and wat to clean everything.
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11-09-2009 @ 3:59AM
nancy said...
That is what I have to do because of these toxic cleaners. Vinegar and soda. I am very sick. And peoples perfume really gets me sick.
11-06-2009 @ 6:48PM
Marc said...
Seems to me we banned DDT years ago, and are now, STILL worrying about malaria in the 3rd world. I will bet those countries had DDT back!!!! Green= "does not work"
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11-07-2009 @ 9:07AM
Anne said...
I own a company, and we manufacture a one of many product that are totally green - one in particular is great to cut grease, dirt and it can be diluted enough to clean glass.... so there are green products that work.
11-06-2009 @ 7:22PM
Jim said...
I work for that Sarasota Fl School distrit and WE CLEAN GREEN
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11-06-2009 @ 9:22PM
Frank said...
Jim, do you teach spelling? Just kidding...
11-06-2009 @ 7:42PM
Steve said...
"Green" does not properly clean. All this so-called "green" stuff is inferior to the real deal.
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11-06-2009 @ 11:47PM
rich said...
^5, my man. My employer, a school district, has tried the so-called" Green Clean " materials for two years now, and I also say they do not work. Twice the effort, time and and expense, and still poor results compared to old stuff. Luckily, we still had some solvent-based stripper and were able to finish the building in time for opening day. What a bill of goods we were sold on Green Clean. It's not environmentally safe, either.
11-09-2009 @ 7:00AM
Nan said...
Steve, that depends on which green product you use. Have you tried Basic H2 by Shaklee? Not only does it clean amazingly but it highly concentrated making 82 bottles of universal cleaner...that comes out to less than .20 cents a bottle (s&h included).
I have used it for years and it really works extremely well from general cleaning to heavy grease cleaning.
check it out: www.shaklee.net/jegroup
11-06-2009 @ 8:58PM
Neil said...
How about toxic carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emitted from a propane-fired, air-cooled, internal-combustion engine powering a huge aisle polisher at 8 am in a Winn-Dixie supermarket in Plantation, FL, after the floor vacuum, washer, scrubber, waxer has laid down some possibly toxic chemicals?
Also, the additional heat load on the air conditioner must cause a higher electric bill, negatively affecting WDs bottom line.
WDs employees and early customers seem to accept this practice as normal.
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11-06-2009 @ 9:11PM
sarah said...
Green can work!! As one guy said vinegar and water!! Chlorine in small amounts can also do the job. Look at the list of chemicals on some of the products. Then look at the list of ingredients on vinegar and bleach. The smaller the ingredient list the better!
FYI: Never mix cleaning solutions together!!
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11-07-2009 @ 9:39PM
Dave said...
I just use plain tap water... inside my Activeion spray gun. It cleans & sanitzes glass, hard surfaces & removes carpet spots too.
Go to www.activeion.com
11-06-2009 @ 10:32PM
john said...
We're not Janitors! We're Custodians!!!!!!!!!!
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11-07-2009 @ 5:54AM
bemo said...
John, Right on! We are Custodians ! Ban the j word ... :}
11-09-2009 @ 5:48AM
Peg said...
It is my understanding that a Janitor is responsible for the overall maintanance of a large building and it's utilities, while a custodian dumps waste baskets and cleans up puke from classroom floors.
11-06-2009 @ 10:59PM
Raven said...
I am very sensitive to chemicals. One night they had guys come and clean the upper structures and everyone was nauseated. At home I use vinegar and baking soda and it works like a charm., especially to clean the oven. Who needs expensive cleaners?! Dr Bonners magic soap can clean a myriad of surfaces from your body to your car.
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11-06-2009 @ 11:10PM
In the Business said...
I have owned a commercial/industrial cleaning service for 30+ years. For our employees, we MUST look out for safety first and use chemicals that comply with those safe standards. On occasions where I, myself, am in the field, I don't really give a crap about how "green" and "safe" it is as long as I am the only one exposed. In fact, I make a lot of my own chemical mixtures that get straight to the point and don't waste time. If someone knows how to handle them, they are completely safe. The problem with letting employees use these powerful products is that many of them are not experienced in the proper usage and I am certainly not the one who is going to train them with it (our Wokman's Comp insurance cost is high enough already!). I don't know how much time "safe" chemicals have cost me over the years in terms of wasted employee time compared to the old days of anythng goes, but I am sure it ranges deep into the thousands of dollars. The problem I have with restrictions and elimination of the old style, more effective commercial line of chemicals is the fact that someone's grandmother's sister's church friend's brother-in-law's dentist's neighbor got sick using it one day because she was an inept dunce that drank it for lunch and so the government considers everyone else to be on that same brain level and bans it for everybody. That part sucks.
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11-07-2009 @ 12:26AM
hugh hazelwood said...
does anyone know how much a blackmarket gallon of clorodyne (termite stuff) goes for?
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11-07-2009 @ 7:30AM
Linda said...
The people that clean have every reason to seek a ban on many toxic cleaners. Actually even the chemical companies have requested regulation. Since the 70's about 80,000 chemicals have been introduced and have never been tested for safety. You would assume that our gov't would not let companies just put what ever they want in products and not have to prove their safety.
Unfortunately even our cosmetics, soaps, detergents, baby products have the same problem. All they have to do is put fragrance on the label and that could be hundreds or thousands of chemicals-- who knows-- because they don't have to tell. Their secret formula. Several years ago the EU Government started regulating their products. The Bush Administration wrote to other countries trying to convince them not to regulate their products because it would ruin our economy. So profit was more important than our health.
I never knew about this stuff until I got very ill with lung problems, sinus problems, migraines and after a while I could not be near everyday products. I use vinegar and baking soda to clean. I have to use safer lotions, soaps, detergents, etc. And come to find out there are millions suffering the same problem and have to live like this because our gov't put profit before our safety.
Now that I use safer products I can swim almost the length of the pool under water --but get me near these products, and I am very ill. Of course chlorine is not good either but swimming makes my body stronger. I can't use sun tan lotion --have to use an alternative.
I have written to most of our leaders. Even Senator Kennedy wrote about our cosmetics, etc. being more dangerous then tobacco. This can happen to anyone. I used all those products all my life, and now I can't. People that are sick have tried to work together to make change. People all over the world. Seems like they would listen to the warning signs. I think now they are in it so deep that they don't know what to do. Linda
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11-07-2009 @ 7:51AM
Frank said...
JUST IN : Someone was seen in aisle 9 breathing Heavy emitting to much CARBON DIOXIDE
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