LTJG Kazuhiro Okumura

US Public Health Service

Division of Environmental Protection

Office of Research Facilities

National Institutes of Health

Reducing Toxic Chemical Exposure to the Household

Consumer and Janitorial Industry by Using Third Party Reviewed

Surfactants and Cleaning Products

Disclaimer

• The use of product names, third-party standards, and outside organizations in this presentation does not constitute as an endorsement by the Division of Environmental Protection, Office of Research Facilities, National Institutes of Health, US Public Health Service, and/or the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Why is this important?

• Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management

• Executive Order 13514: Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance

-Section 2(e),(v)• “Reducing and minimizing the quantity of toxic and

hazardous chemicals and materials acquired, used, or disposed of”

• As Federal employees we ALL have a responsibility in making purchases that have the least impact on the environment.

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Designated Green Products for Federal Procurement

• Buildings (construction, interior, finishes)• Traffic Control• Landscaping• Printing• Office products• Office Paper• Cleaners• Oils• Over 40 different categories

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What is the minimum required content of post consumer fiber in white copy paper?

30% post consumer recycled content

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What is the required minimum content of biobased ingredients in cleaning products?

It depends on the type of cleaning product

Bathroom and Spa Cleaners: 74%

Glass Cleaners: 49%

General Purpose: 39%

Laundry Products: 34%6

Things to Consider when considering Cleaning Products

• Acute Aquatic Toxicity• Biodegradation• Degradation Products of

Concern• Acute Mammalian Toxicity• Alkylphenol Ethoxylates

(APEs)• Cloud Point• Critical Micelle Concentration• Density or Specific Gravity• Flash Point• Hydrophile-Lipophile Balance

• Irritancy• pH• Physical Form• Sensitization• Surface Tension• VOC Content• Endocrine Disruption• EU Detergent Directive• Life Cycle Assessment• Origin of Feedstock• Label Language• Performance

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Why are Janitors at-risk?

• “Vulnerable and Underserved”• For many, English is a second language.• Cleaning product label or MSDS

comprehension can be a problem.• Lack of data on safety of chemicals.

Household Consumers

• Use the same or similar products but in smaller quantities

• Perceived risk

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Promoting Green Chemistry:USEPA Design for the Environment (DfE) Program Themes

1. Informed Substitution: “the considered transition from a chemical of particular concern to safer chemicals or non-chemical alternatives.”

2. DfE Motto: “If it’s not in your product, you don’t have to worry about it.”

A database of Industrial & Institutional (I&I) cleaning product ingredients and their characteristics* to:

– help formulators identify ingredients that may be useful for green product formulation

– provide opportunity for raw material suppliers to showcase their ingredients with especially positive environmental and/or human health and safety attributes

* By characteristics we mean functional properties such as critical micelle concentration, physical properties such as biodegradability, and associated human and environmental health toxicological information.

CleanGredients™:

Suppliers submit ingredient formulation and data to a third-party under confidentiality

Third-party reviewer enters Tier 1 data into CleanGredients and indicates whether ingredient passes the DfE Screen

Formulators search CleanGredients and select ingredients for use in products

Formulators use the DfE screen to select ingredients for products

Formulators submit information about products for review by EPA DfE. Costs are lowered using pre-reviewed ingredients.

U.S. EPA recognizes products that meet DfE criteria based on product ingredient review

Environmental & Human Health InformationTier 1 Surfactant Attributes• Acute Aquatic Toxicity (Fish, Daphnia, Algae)• Biodegradability

– Consideration of degradation productsTier 2 Surfactant Attributes• Sensitization• Irritancy• Acute Mammalian Toxicity (Oral, Dermal)• VOC Content• Presence of APEsTier 3 Surfactant Attributes• Life Cycle Assessments• Risk Assessments• Endocrine Disruption test data• Additional Aquatic Toxicity (Microtox, Chronic)• Other Product Features• Origin of Feedstock

Results

• Cleaning product and ingredient review programs make label comprehension less critical.

• Places responsibility on the industry.

• Buying Green presents benefits to public health and the environment.

NIH Janitorial Services Contract

The contract has included Green Seal standards use by janitorial staff

Green Seal Standard 37: Green Seal Environmental Standard for General-Purpose, Bathroom, Glass, and Carpet Cleaners Used for Industrial and Institutional Purposes.

Green Seal Standard 09: Green Seal Environmental Standard for Paper Towels and Paper Napkins

Green Seal Standard 01: Green Seal Environmental Standard for Tissue Paper

Green Seal Standard 41: Green Seal Environmental Standard for Industrial & Institutional Hand Cleaners

Green Seal Standard 40: Green Seal Environmental Standard for Finishes and Compatible Strippers used for Industrial and Institutional Purposes

Third-party equivalent, or products that meet Green Seal requirements but have not completed or initiated the certification process, should be considered Green Seal compliant. If manufacturers or suppliers are able to demonstrate that their products meet the publicly available Green Seal criteria, but have not applied or received such certification, they would be eligible for use under this contract.

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Additional Information

GSA Advantage! ® Environmental Aisle, www.gsaadvantage.gov/environmental

Ability One www.jwodcatalog.com BioPreferred (Biobased Products), USDA www.biopreferred.gov/catalog.aspx

Comprehensive Procurement Guideline, EPA www.epa.gov/cpg

Energy Star ®, EPA, www.energystar.gov/products

Environmentally Preferable Products, EPA, www.epa.gov/epp

Green Seal® www.greenseal.org

Non-Ozone Depleting Substances, EPA, www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/lists/index.html

EPA Design for the Environment, http://www.epa.gov/dfe/index.htm