Strive to be Toxics Free
Overcrowding, toxic waste sites, polluted indoor air, toxic chemical and pesticide use, mold, lead in paint and drinking water, asbestos....These are words that make us cringe, yet more than ten years into the 21st century, these all continue to threaten the health and well-being of American children at school. Much of the debate about conditions in and around schools focuses on drug use, violence, budget cuts and test scores. But the threat to schoolchildren from environmental health problems is just as real.
Many childhood diseases are on the rise. Asthma afflicts nearly 5 million children in the US, and is the primary cause of school absenteeism. The rates of many types of childhood cancer have risen, as have learning disabilities. Many scientists believe that a great number of these diseases and learning problems can be related to children’s exposure to environmental health hazards in the womb and in their environment—including at school.
But parents, teachers, students and communities are demanding -- and creating -- change. Discover how you can create a toxics free environment at your school. It's simpler than you think.
For a fuller discussion of this issue, read our "Pillar 1: Strive to be Toxics Free" chapter from our Report.
Free Your School from Plastic Waste with "Plastic Free Campuses"
Schools can generate enormous amounts of plastic waste, which is toxic to people and the environment, and never goes away. Plastic Free Campuses, a project of Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC), wants to help your school measurably reduce plastic waste and pollution. PPC will provide qualified campuses with seed funding, outreach materials, and more. Join this effort today!
Children's Exposure to Toxics: Costs and Solutions
Children's exposure to toxics has been all over the news in 2011. That's because concern is growing nationwide over the shocking costs of those exposures, and their impacts on children's health. Chemical exposure during childhood has been linked to serious conditions like asthma, cancer, and ADHD. With your help, schools can stem the tide.
Press Release: New Data Show Schools Ignore Children's Health
“Parents are stunned when they discover schools have known about environmental factors affecting their child and have done little or nothing. Then they learn that no agency responds either. Every effort should be made to intervene when children are in harm’s way.”
Healthy Kids Need Safe Foods
October 13th, 2011
October 13th, 2011
Healthy kids need healthy food every day. Fortunately, more and more schools are focusing on serving healthy, local, organic foods for school lunch. Yet recent findings about foods marketed to children suggest that the battle to feed the children well is far from over.
EPA Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign
There are literally tons of chemicals in schools nationwide that need to be removed. Use the EPA's Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) resources to rid your school of potentially dangerous chemicals.
"This Vinyl School": Interactive Tool to Rid Schools of PVC
CHEJ has released a great new interactive website to help us identify poisonous PVC plastics in our schools and replace them with safer alternatives.
Cleaning for Asthma Safe Schools (CLASS):
The Green Cleaning Toolkit
Start a green cleaning program in your school district! Make the switch to less-toxic cleaners and reduce asthma. Our tools will help you take inventory of existing products and practices, find less-toxic products, and collaborate with custodians to implement the program.
EPA Offers First-Ever School Siting Guidelines
To help protect the health and safety of American schoolchildren and school staff, the EPA has released the nation’s first-ever school siting guidelines to help communities evaluate environmental and public health factors when choosing new sites for schools.
Indoor Air Quality: Strategies for Maintaining Healthy Learning Environments
Read the report by the Environmental Law Institute that discusses the role state policy can play in advancing best practices for Indoor Air Quality management in schools.
If You Can't Breathe, You Can't Learn! Cleaning for Healthy Schools
How PTAs can help schools switch to green cleaning to save money, boost student achievement, and safeguard health.
Use Safer Disinfectants and Disinfecting Practices
Since both disinfectants and sanitizers contain chemicals that are designed to kill organisms, it's critical that they be chosen carefully and used properly. Here are our recommendations about best practices.
Toxins and Brain Damage in Children
British medical journal The Lancet reports that millions of children worldwide may have brain damage from the effects of industrial chemicals.
Can We Get Toxic Metals Out of Children's Products?
In response to multiple product safety recalls in 2010, Bay Area Rep. Jackie Speier introduced legislation that would set standards for toxic metals found in children's products.
Artificial Turf: The Dangerous Downside
Turf made of nylon or nylon/polyethylene fibers may expose children to dangerous levels of lead.
Manteca Schools Make the Switch to Green Cleaners
Recent research shows that a typical assortment of cleaning products released 457 distinct chemicals into the air. Ordinary cleaning supplies are fouling classroom air with toxic airborne contaminants.
National Healthy Schools Day Helps Clear the Air - And You Can, Too!
Today we celebrate healthy and green indoor school environments on the 10th anniversary of National Healthy Schools Day. And the air needs clearing: the EPA has estimated that half of all U.S. schools have indoor air problems. Your school can take these simple low-cost or free steps to improve indoor air at school.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Selects Green Cleaning Chemicals
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is switching to green cleaning procedures and green cleaners for use in classrooms and district facilities. With a grant from the State of California Department of Health, the District will receive training for custodial, facilities and purchasing staff on the hazards of conventional cleaners, and how to select and purchase safer, more environmentally preferable cleaners.
States Rack Up Green Cleaning Successes
More than a dozen states have passed bills requiring green cleaning in schools in the last couple of years. Momentum is growing, as about a half dozen other states caught on in 2009-10, introducing legislation for green cleaning in schools.
EWG’s Online Guide to Healthy Cleaning
Some household cleaning products can expose unsuspecting users to toxic substances linked to short- and long-term health problems, including asthma, allergic reactions and even cancer. In an effort to help consumers find safer products, the Environmental Working Group has created the first online guide that rates more than 2,000 household cleaners with grades A through F for safety of ingredients and disclosure of contents.
Health Effects of Cell Phones and Cell Phone Towers:
Ongoing Debate and Common Sense Precautions
by Clara MacLeod, high school intern
by Clara MacLeod, high school intern
Many parents and school staff with questions and concerns regarding potential health hazards of children's cell phone usage have contacted Green Schools Initiative. So, we are sharing this review and summary on the current state of knowledge, scientific uncertainty, and common sense precautions.
NEW! California Resources for Reducing Asthma in Schools
New "Asthma Quick Takes" short videos help you reduce and manage asthma at your school, with simple ways to improve indoor air quality. Asthma absences cost CA schools over $30 million in revenue each year, and more than 13% of students suffer.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta Spotlights Toxic Air in Schools
As many as one third of our public schools may have air quality that can cause respiratory problems in children. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta visits schools and families, discussing the health impacts of poor indoor air quality that plagues public schools attended by 14 million American children daily.