Environmental Indicators
When choosing an alternative it is important that you do not shift the risk from the worker to the environment or from the environment to the worker. You want to select a product that is safer for one or the other; ideally it would be best if the product is safer for both.
To help make this selection process easier, the lab conducts a preliminary screening of products using the lab’s five environmental indicators:
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
- Global Warming Potential (GWPs)
- Ozone Depletion Potential (ODPs)
- Hazardous Material Information System/ National Fire Protection Association (HMIS/NFPA)
- pH
The lab feels that these indicators represent safety issues for the environment and for the worker.
Read more on the indicators the lab's database website, www.cleanersolutions.org
Once you have selected alternative products based on laboratory performance and initial safety screening using the Simple Solutions database, you should conduct more in-depth research. For performance, remember that cleaning varies from case to case. SSL recommends process specific testing on potential replacement cleaning chemicals. For safety, further analysis should be conducted to verify that the selected products are compatible with your process and to determine if there are any health risks that the screening does not address. Some areas to look at include:
- Aquatic Toxicity
- Biodegradability
- Carcinogens, Mutagens or Teratogens
- Concentration
- Disposal
- Endocrine disruptors
- Eutrophication
- Fragrances and Dyes
- Life Cycle Assessment
- Neurotoxins/CNS Depressants
- Packaging
- Recyclability
- Reproductive Toxicity
Other resources from TURI that you can use for Environmental and Health Assessements include:
P2OASys
- The Institute has developed a systematic tool that helps companies determine whether the TUR options they are considering may have unforeseen negative environmental, worker or public health impacts. P2OASys allows companies to assess the potential environmental, worker, and public health impacts of alternative technologies aimed at reducing toxics use. The goal is more comprehensive and systematic thinking about the potential hazards posed by current and alternative processes identified during the TUR planning process. P2OASys
TOMES – Micromedex
- Toxicological, Occupational, Medical, Environmental database for chemicals
- Contact TURI’s library for more information (978)934-3390
Tools Outside TURI:
Score Card
- Environmental Defense's Scorecard.org website enables visitors to easily access pollution reports covering toxic releases, air quality, and other environmental issues in their community. Scorecard averages around 100,000 unique visitors monthly, making it Google's top ranked website for information about toxic chemicals and local pollution. Since Scorecard's launch in 1998, other environmental information sources have come online, although it appears that no others spotlight the worst-ranked facilities nationwide or integrate health effect with emissions data. http://www.scorecard.org/
Green Seal
- The Green Seal is awarded to products that have less impact on the environment and work well. To earn the Green Seal a product must meet the Green Seal environmental standard for the category as demonstrated by rigorous evaluation and testing and a plant visit. Green Seal standards are set so that they identify the most environmentally preferable products currently available; thus, they are leadership standards http://www.greenseal.org/certification/environmental.cfm
Aqueous Way To Go
- Tool for Environmental Decision-Making: A New, Interactive Web-Based Matrix http://www.angelfire.com/band2/greencleaners/doctoralthesis.html
This page updated Monday February 11 2008