How to Create Greener and Healthier Schools for Children and Teachers

7/30/2019 How to Create Greener and Healthier Schools for Children and Teachers

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How to Create Greener andHealthier Schools for

Children and Teachers

Mike Schade, Markets Campaign Coordinator

Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ)

http://www.chej.org/pvcfreeuniversity
http://www.chej.org/pvcfreeuniversityhttp://www.chej.org/pvcfreeuniversity


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Thank you to our co-sponsors.

Funding provided by the NYS PollutionPrevention Institute through a grant

from the NYS Department ofEnvironmental Conservation. Anyopinions, findings, conclusions or

recommendations expressed are those ofthe author(s) and do not necessarily

reflect the views of the Department ofEnvironmental Conservation


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Overview of Todays

Presentation.

Part One: Childrens Health, Chronic Diseases &

Toxic Chemicals

Part Two: PVC/VinylHazardous Plastic of Concern

in Schools and Buildings

Part Three: Market Movement, Safer Alternatives &

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)

Q&A


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Childrens Unique Vulnerabilities to

Toxic Chemicals.

Children are not "little adults" - their

developing brains and bodies, their

metabolism and behaviors make

them uniquely vulnerable to harm

from toxic chemicals.

Exposure begins in the womb

through the mother's exposures to

toxic chemicals. Infants ingest

chemicals through breast milk,

formula and contact with theirenvironment.

Rapid brain development in the

fetus, infants and young children

make them more susceptible to

harm from chemicals that may

impair brain function and

development.

For their weight, children eat, drink

and breathe more than adults - so

pound for pound they take in agreater quantity of toxic

contaminants. A small exposure

translates into a big dose.

Children put things in their mouthsand spend a lot of time on the floor

and ground, so they may ingest

chemicals from toys, containers,

dirt and dust on a regular basis.


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Chronis Diseases on the Rise


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Chronic Diseases

on the Rise. Asthma:

Prevalence approximately doubled between 1980 and 1995.

#1 cause of school absenteeism & #1 chronic childhood illness.

Learning and developmental disabilities.

Number of children in special education programs classified with

learning disabilities increased 191% from 1977 to 1994.

Cases of autism spectrum disorders increased 23% from 2006 to

2008, and 78% increase since 2002.Today effects 1 in 88 children. Largest increase among African American and Hispanic children.

Childhood Cancers

Leukemia, brain cancer, and other childhood cancers have increasedby more than 20% since 1975.


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Reproductive Health Problems on

the Rise.

Reproductive Health in Women

Early puberty in girls 1 in 10 girls risk factor for breast cancer.

Difficulty in conceiving and maintaining a pregnancy affected 40%

more women in 2002 than in 1982.

Fertility problems, miscarriages, preterm births, early puberty, and

birth defects are all up.

Reproductive Health in Men

Average sperm counts appear to be steadily declining. The birth defect resulting in undescended testes has increased

200% between 1970 and 1993.

Rising rates of male genital birth defects such as hypospadias, a

condition in which the urethra does not develop properly.


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Presidents 2010 Cancer Panel Report:

Environmentally Induced Cancer Grossly

Underestimated.

The true burden of environmentally

induced cancer has been grossly

underestimated. With nearly80,000chemicals on the marketin the United

States -- many of which are used by

millions of Americans in their daily lives

and are un-studied or under-studiedand largely unregulated -- exposure to

potential environmental carcinogens is

widespread.


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Chronic Diseases are Costly to

Our Economy.

Direct and indirect costs of treating the nations

worsening asthma epidemic already exceeds $53

billion.

133 million people in the U.S.almost half of all

Americans are now living with chronic diseases

and conditions.

Chronic illnesses now account for 70% of deathsand 75% of U.S. health care costs.


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10 /// MATERIAL HEALTH 06.07.2011

IDEAS + BUILDINGS THAT HONOR THE BROADER GOALS OF SOCIETY.

are monitoredthrough the EPA

Toxic Release

Inventory.

have been tested forthreats to humanhealth and safety.

From the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

chemicalsregistered in theUnited States.

Failure of Federal Law: Just Look At the Numbers.

82

,000

650

20

0

5

wereBANNED.


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Hazardous Chemicals of Concern in

Schools and Buildings

Mercury: CFL lighting

PCBs: lighting and caulking

Hazardous flame retardants: electronics and furniture

Carcinogens , Asthmagens and Reproductive Toxicants in

Cleaning products

Pesticides

Phthalates and vinyl plastic


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Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl)

plastic in schools and buildings

Hazardous lifecycle:

Production

Use

Disposal


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Where is PVC Found in Buildings

and Schools?

Building Materials:

Flooring

Roofing

Carpeting

Siding

Furniture

Piping

Playground

equipment

School and Office

Supplies

Electronics

computers/laptops

3-ring binders

Paperclips

Notebooks, etc.

Backpacks

Lunchboxes


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Vinyl: Hazardous to Manufacture

Chlorine Gas chemical warfare agent in WWI.

Mercury and coal in China.

Vinyl chloride

Worldwide demand more than 17 billion pounds

annually 98% of which used to make PVC.

Classified as a human carcinogen by EPA,

International Agency for Research on Cancer and

the U.S. National Toxicology Program.

Vinyl chloride causes a rare form of liver cancer,

brain cancer, associated with breast cancer.

Ethylene dichloride

Probable human carcinogen that also affects the

central nervous system and damages the liver.


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Production Releases Known

Human Carcinogens

Studies have documented links

between working in PVC

facilities and the increased

likelihood of developing

diseases including: Angiosarcoma, rare form of

liver cancer.

Brain cancer.

Lung cancer. Lymphomas.

Leukemia.

Liver cirrhosis.


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PVC Plants &Environmental

Justice.


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Harmful Chemicals Migrate Out of PVC

Consumer Products:

Pose Avoidable Hazards to Childrens Health.

Stabilizers

Lead

Cadmium

Organotins

Plasticizers

Phthalates (i.e.

DEHP).

Bisphenol A

(BPA)


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VinylContributes to Indoor Air

Quality (IAQ) Problems. EPA studies of human exposure to air pollutants

indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be

two to five times and occasionally more than

100 times higher than outdoor levels.

PVC flooring and other PVC products cancontribute to poorer indoor air quality as PVC

products can off gas chemicals called volatile

organic compounds (VOCs).

A study by the California Air Resources Boardfound forty chemicals, some of which are toxic,

off-gassing from PVC flooring.

Another study found PVC flooring can emit

chemicals for a period of at least nine months,

indicating a persistent risk of toxic exposure.


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Phthalates Interfere With Our

Hormones.

Hormone-disrupting chemicals that interfere with the

production of the male sex hormone, testosterone.

Testosterone is necessary for proper development and

function of the male reproductive organs.

Interference with testosterone activity, especially early in

life, may have irreversible effects on male reproduction.

h h l f l


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Phthalates Harmful to

Our Health.

In 2006, the U.S. National

Toxicology Program Expert

Panel found that the

phthalate DEHP poses a riskto human development and

fertility.

Health Impacts: Preterm birth

Low birth weight

Premature breast

development in girls,

Low sperm count and

quality.

Infertility

Undescended testes

Impaired reproductive

development in males.

ADHD

Obesity.

Neurodev. Of infants.

i l l i d h


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Vinyl Flooring and Asthma

Whats the Connection? A study published in 2009 found a statistically

significant link between PVC flooring, asthma

, and autism spectrum disorder. The study

found that children who live in homes with

vinyl floors, which can emit phthalates, are

twice as likely to have autism.

A 2008 study found an association between

concentrations of phthalates in indoor dust

and wheezing among preschool children. The

presence of PVC flooring in the childs

bedroom was the strongest predictor of

respiratory ailments.

A study of 10,851 children found the presence

of floor moisture and PVC significantly

increased the risk of asthma.

A study among personnel in four geriatrichospitals found asthma symptoms were more

common in the two buildings with signs of

phthalate degradation in PVC flooring.

A study of workers in an office building found

they were diagnosed with adult-onset asthma

at a rate of about 9 times higher than

expected. The researchers identified PVCflooring as the source of chemicals, such as 2-

ethyl-l-hexanol, l-butanol, in the air.

A study of adults working in rooms with

plastic wall covering materials were more

than twice as likely to develop asthma. Theseresearchers pointed to other recent

epidemiologic studies in children conducted in

Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Russia that also

found links between between PVC,

phthalates, and respiratory problems.

h h l


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Phthalates In Our Homes,

Schools and Bodies. Phthalates have been found in indoor air and dust, and in human

urine, blood.

BUND analysed dust samples from 60 childcare centers and found

that the samples contained an average of three times the level of

plasticisers found in normal households.

We ingest or inhale phthalate-contaminated dust and absorb

phthalates across their skin.

In all of us.

An extensive study of 2,500 individuals found metabolites of at

least one phthalate in 97 % of those tested.

In a more recent study, certain phthalates were found to be

present in 100% of girls age 6 to 9. Higher levels in children:

Phthalates are highest in children ages 6 to 11, and in women.

Babies born pre-polluted:

Amniotic fluid.

Umbilical cord blood Breast Milk.


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Not Just VOCs & Phthalates:

Lead, Cadmium and Organotin Additives.

Lead: Known cause of neurodevelopmental problems.

Cadmium: cancer and kidney damage.

Organotins: can affect the central nervous system, skin, liver, immune

system, and reproductive system

Lead has been found in vinyl:

Backpacks

Lunchboxes

Toys

Baby Bibs

Garden Hoses

Computer wiring


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Phthalates Banned in Toys, But Still

Allowed in Our Childrens Schools?

EU bans in toys: Since 1999, 6

phthalates banned in toys in the EU.

3 banned in cosmetics.

Country bans: At least 14 other

countries have banned these

phthalates in childrens toys.

U.S. ban in toys: In 2008, Congress

passed law banning phthalates in

toys.

State bans on phthahlates in toys:

Banned in Vermont, Washington

and Maine.

FDA: The U.S. Food and Drug

Administration issued a safety alert

recommending that health care

providers limit the exposure of

newborn males to DEHP in medicalprocedures.

State of California prop 65: known

to cause birth defects or

reproductive harm.

NY: On New Yorks chemical

avoidance list for OGS state

purchasing.

Vi l Fl i d Cl i


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Vinyl Flooring and CleaningProducts


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PVC Waste in New York State.

Amount of PVC burned in trash incinerators in New York:

37,517 tons/year burned in incinerators.

New York State is #2 in the country for amount of PVC burned

in incinerators.

Amount of PVC dumped in landfills:

116,088 tons/year discarded in landfills.

New York State is #3 in the country for amount of PVC

dumped in landfills.

Di i H f l t Child


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Dioxin: Harmful to Childrens

Health

Di i T t d f Ph O t


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Dioxins Targeted for Phase-Out

By 170 Nations Around World.

Worst of the worst:

Persistent, bioaccumulative,

toxic (PBT).

Remember Agent Orange?

Known carcinogen IARC,

NTP

Reproductive Endometriosis

Decreased fertility

Inability to carry

pregnancies to term

Lowered testosterone

levels

Decreased sperm counts

Decreased testis size

Birth defects

Developmental

Learning disabilities

Decreased IQ

Delays in psychomotor &

neurodevelopment

NYC Fi fi ht C d


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NYC Firefighters Concerned

about Vinyl Building Fires NY Telephone Co. Fire of 1975

"There's no question that exposure to PVC and other horrible contaminants at the

telephone fire has led to a higher level of cancers.

--Former NYC Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen

9/11

PVC is among the most serious dangers to humans and the environment when it

is burned. It releases dioxin, which is widely considered to be one of the most

toxic chemicals on the planet, and virtually every resident of NYC hasmeasurable levels of dioxin in their bodies.

-- Captain Alexander Hagan, President of the Uniformed Fire Officers

Association (UFOA).


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Part Three:

Lets Create Greener, and

Healthier Buildings andSchools

Environmentally PreferablePurchasing to Prevent

Pollution


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Steelcase
http://www.milliken.com/http://www.shawfloors.com/index.asphttp://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/0,1309,,00.html


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Healthcare Institutions PhasingOut Vinyl and Phthalates

Over 100 healthcare institutionsaround the world are reducing orphasing out PVC and phthalatesin hospitals.

Hospitals, health groups use

purchasing power to push for

greener medical products

-$135 BILLION in purchasingpower asking suppliers whether

products contain vinyl andphthalates.

Architects Specifying PVC


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Architects Specifying PVC-free Building Materials

A i P bli H lth A i ti


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American Public Health Association

(APHA):

2011 Policy Resolution to Reduce PVC inFacilities with Vulnerable Populations

The APHA urges local, state and federal governments and

decision-makers to consider phasing out the use and

purchase of flexible PVC in building materials, consumer

products, and office suppliers in schools, daycare centers,

medical care facilities, nursing homes, public housing,

facilities for special needs and the disabled, and otherfacilities with vulnerable populations when cost-effective

alternatives are available.

EPEAT Certification for Greener


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EPEAT Certification for Greener

Electronics

U S Green Building Council (USGBC):


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U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC):New LEED Credits

LEED Pilot Credit 54

LEED v4 credit out for public comment

Both would reward buildings that avoidphthalates, and other hazardouschemicals of concern in buildings.


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Good News! Safer PVC free


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Good News! Safer PVC-free

Alternatives for Buildings.

Flooring: Linoleum, Rubber,

Cork (Forbo, Altro,

Armstrong, Mohawk, etc.)

Carpeting: Various materials(Shaw, Milliken, Mohawk,

Interface, Construction

Specialties)

Roofing: TPO, EPDM

(Firestone Building Products,

Carlisle SynTec, John

Mansville)

(various manuf.)

Wallguards: HDPE,

Polyethylene, biobased

(various)

Office furniture: Herman

Miller, Steelcase

Shower curtains: EVA, PEVA,Polyester, Nylon (Bed Bath

and Beyond, Target, Wal-

Mart, Sears / Kmart)

Safer PVC free


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Safer PVC-free

School / Office Supplies.

Desktop Computers: Acer,

Apple, HP/Compaq, Wipro

Laptops: Apple, Asus, HP,

Nokia, Sony, Toshiba

Monitors: Acer, Apple,

Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung

3-ring binders:

Polyethylene, HDPE,

recycled cardboard (Avery,

Wilson Jones, Green

Vision, Green Office,

ReBinder)

Paperclips: Non-plastic

coated, nylon coated.

Notebook dividers: PE, PP

(Avery, Office Depot,

Staples, SustainableGroup)


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Resources Featuring

Safer Alternativeshttp://chej.org/campaigns/pvc/resources/pvc

-free-products/
http://chej.org/campaigns/pvc/resources/pvc-free-products/http://chej.org/campaigns/pvc/resources/pvc-free-products/http://chej.org/campaigns/pvc/resources/pvc-free-products/http://chej.org/campaigns/pvc/resources/pvc-free-products/http://chej.org/campaigns/pvc/resources/pvc-free-products/http://chej.org/campaigns/pvc/resources/pvc-free-products/http://chej.org/campaigns/pvc/resources/pvc-free-products/


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Are They Actually Safer?

The report found that whilelinoleum, synthetic rubber, and

polyolefin also pose someenvironmental hazards, they are

more preferable than vinyl flooringacross their lifecycle.

Of the four materials evaluated,they found that linoleum was the

most preferable material from anenvironmental health and lifecycleperspective.

USGBC Alt ti t Vi l


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USGBC: Alternatives to VinylFlooring are Safer for

Human Health & EnvironmentThe evidence indicates that a credit rewarding avoidance of

PVC could steer decision makers toward using materials

that are better for human health in the case of resilientflooring... sheet vinyl and VCT are worse than the alternativematerials studied for most environmental impacts

"When we add end-of-life with accidental landfill fires and

backyard burning, the additional risk of dioxin emissionsputs PVC consistent ly among the wors t mater ials for

human health impacts ..."

-USGBC Technical Science Advisory Committee (TSAC)final report.

Assessing Materials Health


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Assessing Materials Health

Care Without Harm

PVC

Polyethylene

Polypropylene

TPO

FIGURE 1. PLASTICS: ENVIRONMENTAL PREFERENCE SPECTRUM

ABS

EVA

Polycarbonate Polystyrene

Polyurethane

Silicone

PEX PET

Biobased

plastics

sustainably

grown

PREFER

ABS = Acrylonitrile Butadiene StyreneEVA = Ethylene Vinyl Acetate

PET = Polyethylene Terephthalate

Plastics

with highlyhazardous

additives

PEX = Polyethylene (PE) Cross-linked (X)PVC = Polyvinyl Chloride

TPO = Thermoplastic Polyolefin

AVOID


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Linoleum vs. Vinyl: Cost Savings


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Whats Being

Done in NY?

What Can You

Do?


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New York State Green Procurement:

Executive Order 4 NYS Executive Order 4:

Greening NYS governmentprocurement.

2010: NYS adopted aguidance policy

encouraging NYS agenciesto consider avoiding 85chemical of concern inproducts purchased by NYstate.

PVC chemicals on the list:dioxin, phthalates, vinylchloride, ethylenedichloride.

OGS developed PVC-freecarpeting specifications to

implement list.

NYC Green Procurement


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NYC Green ProcurementVinyl and Dioxin

Local Law 118 and 120 of 2005:

By January 1, 2008, the director shall promulgate rules to reduce the

citys purchase or lease of materials whose combustion may lead

to the format ion o f diox in or diox in-like compounds.

In 2012 - DCAS and MOCS making progress on: Office Supplies working with STAPLES to reduce PVC office supplies

Carpeting new 2012 DCAS specification prohibits PVC in carpeting

Electronics EPEAT - no PVC allowed in large plastic parts.

Specifically, DCAS is negotiating with Staples with the aim of

creat ing detai led shop ping l is ts to g uide agency u sers to no n-

toxic and PVC-free prod uctsadvancing the goals of Local Law

120.City efforts to reduce the use of dioxin-creating prod ucts

will continue.

NYC Deputy Mayor Cass Holloway (April 2012)

Start an Environmentally


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Start an Environmentally

Preferable Purchasing and

Building Policy! Encouraging your school or institution to adopt a Green

Purchasing Policy

Disclosure Require suppliers to disclose which productscontain PVC and hazardous chemicals (phthalates, heavy

metals like Pb and Cd) signal to market.

Add PVC-free specifications into contracts with suppliers

leverage purchasing power.

Preference for greener materials.

Partner with suppliers.

Buy off of State E04 and federal green contracts (i.e. EPEAT

electronics).

New Green Purchasing


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New Green PurchasingFact-sheets / webpage:

www.chej.org/greenpurchasing

1) Toxic Chemicals in Products and Building Materials Commonly Purchased by NY

Schools and Government Agencies

Opportunities for Purchasers to Prevent Pollution by Specifying and Promoting SaferProducts

2) New York and National Environmentally Preferable Purchasing and Building Policies to

Promote Safer Products

3) Green Purchasing to Reduce Toxic Hazards and Procure Safer ProductsBest Practices for Pollution Prevention in New York

4) Resources for Government and School Purchasers to Identify and Specify Safer

Products and Building Materials

What Can You Do as a Teacher
http://www.chej.org/greenpurchasinghttp://www.chej.org/greenpurchasing


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What Can You Do as a Teacher

or Parent?

Green Purchasing:

1) Encourage your school to adopt agreen PVC-free purchasing policy

for products the schoolpurchases.

2) Encourage your school tobuild/renovate with PVC-free

building materials.

3) Back to school go PVC-free!When buying your back-to-school

supplies, shop for PVC-free

products.

Raise Awareness:

1) Share the new fact-sheets with

building architects and

purchasers!

2) Educate parents, teachers and

students! Organize a screening of

Blue Vinyl for your community to

raise awareness.

3) Spread the word!


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Learn More & Thank You.Funding provided by the NYS Pollution

Prevention Institute through a grant

from the NYS Department of

Environmental Conservation. Any

opinions, findings, conclusions or

recommendations expressed are

those of the author(s) and do not

necessarily reflect the views of the

Department of Environmental

Conservation

Mike Schade, Markets Campaign

Coordinator

Center for Health, Environment &

Justice (CHEJ)

[email protected] 212.964.3680
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

How to Create Greener and Healthier Schools for Children and Teachers

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