Some schools will be reopening in the coming weeks and one of my concerns - beyond but related- to Covid 19 protocols, is the exposure to toxic chemicals, particularly in regards to the overuse and misuse of disinfectants.  Using safer products is important for teachers and janitorial staff health but mostly for young children’s health since young children are especially vulnerable to harmful toxins due to their small size and habits like placing hands in mouth etc.

Obviously keeping the school community healthy at school is currently the top priority,  but many well meaning people do not realize that disinfectants often contain harmful chemicals that can actually put our children's health at risk too. Thankfully, there are numerous products that are safer and just as effective (or more so) at killing bacteria and viruses — including COVID-19… so there is NO need to resort to harmful chemicals.  These ‘safer’ disinfectants are even approved by the US EPA….  its just that schools often  don’t know the difference between a ‘safe’ disinfectant and a harmful one.

As parents we can have a say and ask questions, make sure they are reading labels (and know what to look for)  and make suggestions.   This is what I will be doing when approaching my kid’s school:

  Understand the main ingredients you want schools to avoid: 

1. Quats (quaternary ammonium compounds)

• are strong disinfectant chemicals commonly found in disinfectant wipes, sprays and other household cleaners that are designed to kill germs - they are considered pesticides and allow a product to claim to be antibacterial

• The California Department of Public Health on July 17 issued a COVID-19 guidance for schools, and actually specified avoiding disinfectant products that contain asthma-causing chemicals, including quats. 

“Avoid products that contain peroxyacetic (paracetic) acid, sodium hypochlorite (bleach) or quaternary ammonium compounds, which can cause asthma.”https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-schools.pdf

• In addition to asthma  and allergenic symptoms it is suspected, through animal studies, that  exposure to high levels of QUATS could affect fertility (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890623814001920?via%3Dihub ) , increase neural defects (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bdr2.1064 ) and lower sperm count  (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890623815300319?via%3Dihub ) and lower mitochondrial function is cells (https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP1404 )

The EPA has assessed two common QUATS,  ADBAC and DDAC, for reproductive and developmental safety based on six industry-supplied studies that found no negative effects on animal fetuses

HOW TO ID THEM:

• Benzalkonium chloride

• Benzethonium chloride

• Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (C12-16) (C12 60%, C16 30%, C12 5%, C18 5%)

• Alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride (c12-14) or  (C12-18) 

• Didecyldimethylammonium chloride

• Dioctyldimethylammonium chloride

WHAT PRODUCTS CONTAIN QUATS?

• Quats are used in thousands of consumer products across the world.

• Half of the disinfectants the US Environmental Protection Agency suggests could be effective against SARS-CoV-2 contain a quat, often as the sole active ingredient.

• including:  popular disinfecting wipes like Clorox or Lysol and electrostatic sprayer which send a negatively charged plume of quaternary ammonium disinfectant that envelopes sprayed objects 

2. CHLORINE BLEACH

- chlorine was actually the first agent of chemical warfare in WWI

• chlorine bleach should also be avoided as it is a lunch and eye irritant; it is actually the leading cause of chemical eye injury in children

• it may cause skin rash, extreme headaches, migraines, muscle weakness, abdominal discomfort, esophageal perforation, nausea and vomiting

3.  Other ingredients to avoid:  

• Butane

• fragrance

• ortho-Phenylphenol

• VOCs: A 2009 Environmental Working Group (EWG) study found 21 cleaning products released 457 different contaminants to indoor air in 13 California school districts. 

4.  WHAT ARE BETTER ALTERNATIVES FOR SCHOOLS?

1. There are many disinfectants on the EPA's registered list (linked here - page 10) that kill Covid-19 that do not contain quats and include safer alternatives like hydrogen peroxide and alcohol. Among safer alternatives:

• Clorox Commercial Solutions® Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaner Disinfectant (Clorox)

• OXIVIR™ WIPES (Diversey, Inc)

• URTHPRO Peroxide Multi Surface Cleaner and Disinfectant (URTHTECH, LLC)

• Peroxide Multi Surface Cleaner and Disinfectant (Ecolab)

• Peroxide Disinfectant and Glass Cleaner RTU (Ecolab)

• Clorox Pet Solutions Advanced Formula Disinfecting Stain & Odor Remover

• MY CHOICE would be, ideally, cleaners based on Electrolyzed Water: Forces of Nature is one of many and great safe alternative for classroom (and home) use, or 70 percent isopropyl alcohol  or hydrogen peroxide

1. Regardless of the disinfectant being used make sure school are following label directions:  clean surface area first before disinfecting,  allowing disinfectants to remain on the surface for a period of time (each product should specify how long the product should remain in place to truly be effective), wash hands after use, keep out of reach of children, and in some cases, rinse affected surfaces with water after use.

5.   TAKE ACTION

SEND A LETTER TO YOUR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION WITH ALL OF THIS INFORMATION .  If your school has a ‘green committee’ or PTA consider including them too.   @womensvoices has this sample email you can use:

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Hello [Name of School district administrator],

My name is [Insert your Name] and I am a parent to a child who currently goes to [Insert School’s Name]. I am sure you and your team are already thinking about safety protocols when school (hopefully) resumes in-person at [Insert timing of school start]. One of the measures I'm sure is at the top of your mind is disinfecting. While disinfecting is definitely one way to reduce exposure, there are also health hazards associated with disinfectant use. I encourage and ask the district to use disinfectants that do not contain harmful ammonium quaternary compounds (or "quats”). Quats can often be found in disinfecting wipes like Clorox or Lysol that are commonly used in schools. Quats have serious health concerns for anyone who uses them (teachers, children, janitors) including:

• Quats are potent skin irritants and can cause rashes and dermatitis.

• Quats can irritate the lungs leading to breathing problems. Cleaning workers/janitors exposed regularly to quats have developed occupational asthma.

• Quats are linked to reproductive harm, potentially affecting fertility, and possibly leading to birth defects.

• Widespread use of quats is contributing to the global problem of antimicrobial resistance, leading to the development of “superbugs” that cannot be controlled with antibiotics. (You can find citations to the scientific studies supporting these findings here.)

  Often, disinfecting wipes aren't even used correctly. For example, the label of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes advises users to wash hands after use, keep out of reach of children, and in some cases, rinse affected surfaces with water after use. And I am concerned that the frequency of disinfecting in our schools may increase considerably in response to COVID concerns – which even further increases exposure to disinfecting chemicals.

  The good news is there are many disinfectants on the EPA's registered list (linked here) that kill Covid-19 that do not contain quats and include safer alternatives like hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid and are not linked to the same health impacts as quats.

  I hope the district will consider adopting a policy that requires the use of safer alternatives, that are still effective in killing Covid-19. In addition, teachers can support this effort when they develop back to school supply lists by specifying purchasing disinfecting wipes that contain hydrogen peroxide or lactic acid (Clorox and Lysol both make wipes containing these safer alternatives).

I'd also like to point out that the best way for reducing illness in schools is hand washing. There are really good studies out there comparing classrooms for instance – one with established hand washing protocols and education and one without – and the levels of illness and absenteeism between the two are significantly different.[1] One terrific study examined a host of studies on hand washing interventions in different settings and concluded that hand washing alone can reduce the risk of getting gastrointestinal disease (stomach bugs) by over 30% and reduce the chance of respiratory illness by 20%![2]

So I hope that when schools do return, a robust hand washing protocol is also put in place (for example, washing hands upon arriving at school, before snack time, lunchtime, after recess, and before heading home).

I'm happy to set up a time to talk or help in any way in developing a policy that requires the use of safer disinfectants in our schools for the safety and health of both students and staff.

Thank you, [Insert your name] [Insert the best way to contact you]