Exposure to toxic chemicals is linked to a variety of health and environmental safety concerns that put people at risk. Instead of trying to find safer products based on SDSs that may be missing critical hazard details, choose Green Seal-certified products for more peace of mind.
Tag: Human Health
Taking a Leadership Position on PFAS in Certified Products
Green Seal’s standards have long prohibited long-chain PFAS formally classified as hazardous. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that short-chain PFAS known as “safer substitutes” have the same harmful health and environmental effects as the legacy PFAS they are replacing. Green Seal’s newly expanded prohibition on all PFAS in certified cleaning and personal care products promotes safer options for consumers and recognizes industry leaders who are taking important steps to protect human health and reduce environmental pollution.
Safer Hotel Disinfecting: How to Sustainably Address Guest Concerns
As the world opens up amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, travelers have come to expect more frequent cleaning and disinfecting in the spaces they occupy – but it does not have to come at the expense of healthy indoor air quality.
Prohibiting PFAS Chemicals
Green Seal is proposing a new prohibition on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, a large class of chemicals that are commonly used in consumer products and associated with a number of adverse health and environmental effects. Green Seal is taking a multi-year phased approach to this initiative, with the end goal of ensuring all certified product formulas and product packaging are PFAS-free across product categories.
Your Guide to VOCs in Paint and Cleaning Products
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are common indoor air pollutants that are frequently found in household products and can cause adverse health effects. Products certified to Green Seal standards must abide by strict limits to VOCs to protect human health. This post provides a quick overview of VOCs, how to choose healthier, greener products, and other tips for reducing your exposure to VOCs.
The Green Seal Compass: Protecting Human Health
Green Seal’s standards address the most significant health and environmental impacts for which there are known and feasible safer alternatives. Critically, Green Seal standards also set requirements for functional performance; buyers can be confident the certified healthier product they are choosing is also one that will meet their expectations and get the job done.
CDC Confirms: Less is More When it Comes to Disinfecting
Last Summer, I warned of a dangerous trend of over-disinfecting buildings to reassure people about safety amid the pandemic – with minimal effectiveness at reducing virus spread and significant risks to people’s health from toxic chemicals. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance to confirm that regular cleaning is preferable to disinfecting most of the time. When is disinfecting appropriate? The CDC now says to
Why We’re Certifying Safer Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers
Green Seal is now certifying hand sanitizers that meet the highest standard for safety and performance in the marketplace. With the COVID-19 pandemic spurring many first-time producers to enter the market, the FDA has warned consumers to avoid hundreds of hand sanitizers because of high levels of hazardous ingredients including methanol (wood alcohol) and the contaminant 1-propanol.
A Trend in COVID-19 Cleaning Is Hazardous to Your Health
COVID-19 has precipitated a worrying cleaning trend that’s getting little airtime – excessive exposure to hazardous cleaning and disinfecting chemicals that itself can endanger health. To reassure people about the safety of indoor spaces during the pandemic, some workplaces are turning to unnecessary or even counterproductive cleaning and disinfection methods – a practice the Atlantic
Safer, Healthier Hand Sanitizers
Update: Green Seal accepted comments on our proposed health-focused requirements for alcohol-based hand sanitizers during a public comment period from July 30 to August 13. Green Seal published final criteria in GS-41 Hand Cleaners and Hand Sanitizers for Industrial and Institutional Use and GS-44 Soaps, Cleaners, Hand Sanitizers and Shower Products. Our Focus on Health Since
Interview from the Front Lines: Cleaning for COVID-19
With cleaning workers on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis, Green Seal caught up with Michael Doherty, president of BMS Building Maintenance Service, to learn how the industry-leading green cleaning company is approaching the challenges of operating during a pandemic. Certified to Green Seal’s GS-42 commercial cleaning standard since 2014, BMS cleans more
Honoring the Custodial Workers Who Keep Our Schools Healthy
Right now, 15 states and 2 U.S. territories have ordered or recommended school building closures for the rest of the academic year due to concerns with the rapid spread of COVID-19. These closures have disrupted the formal education of approximately 55 million students across U.S. public and private institutions. But they have not slowed the
Serving Our Stakeholders During the COVID-19 Health Crisis
Green Seal is closely monitoring developments regarding the novel coronavirus COVID-19, which was declared a national emergency by the White House and a pandemic by the World Health Organization. During this emerging and rapidly changing situation, we rely on the CDC for updated information as it becomes available. Green Seal is committed to providing trusted
Consumers Spur Action on Toxins Like Methylene Chloride
It has always been clear to Green Seal that toxic substances such as methylene chloride and 1,4-dioxane have no place in the products used in homes, schools or workplaces – that’s why we have long prohibited these and a long list of other hazardous chemicals in our certified products. Growing consumer awareness of the health
Titanium Dioxide Whitens in Enzyme-Based Cleaning
Green Seal has issued new editions of our cleaning product standards with one minor change: We now allow titanium dioxide as an ingredient in enzyme-based products, within certain conditions. Titanium dioxide is a colorant that is included to whiten and brighten many types of products – from food to paints and personal care products. In
