How to Create Greener and Healthier Schools for

Children and Teachers

How to Create Greener and Healthier Schools for

Children and Teachers

Mike Schade, Markets Campaign Coordinator

Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ)

http://www.chej.org/pvcfreeuniversity

Mike Schade, Markets Campaign Coordinator

Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ)

http://www.chej.org/pvcfreeuniversity

Thank you to our co-sponsors.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

Overview of Today’s Presentation.

Part One: Children’s Health, Chronic Diseases & Toxic Chemicals

Part Two: PVC/Vinyl – Hazardous Plastic of Concern in Schools and Buildings

Part Three: Market Movement, Safer Alternatives & Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)

Q&A

Children’s Unique Vulnerabilities to Toxic Chemicals.

Chronis Diseases on the Rise

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 CancersLeukemia, brain cancer, and other childhood cancers have increased by more than 20% since 1975.

Reproductive Health Problems on the Rise.

Reproductive Health in WomenEarly 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 MenAverage 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.

President’s 2010 Cancer Panel Report: “Environmentally Induced Cancer Grossly

Underestimated.” “The true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated. With nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the

United States -- many of which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are

un-studied or under-studied and largely unregulated -- exposure to potential

environmental carcinogens is widespread.”

Chronic Diseases are Costly to Our Economy.

Direct and indirect costs of treating the nation’s 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 deaths and 75% of U.S. health care costs.

10 /// MATERIAL HEALTH 06.07.2011

IDEAS + BUILDINGS THAT HONOR THE BROADER GOALS OF SOCIETY.

are monitored through the EPA Toxic Release

Inventory.

have been tested for threats to human health and safety.

From the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

chemicals registered in the United States.

Failure of Federal Law: Just Look At the Numbers.82,0

00

650

200

5

were BANNED.

Hazardous Chemicals of Concern in Schools and Buildings

Mercury: CFL lighting

PCB’s: lighting and caulking

Hazardous flame retardants: electronics and furniture

Carcinogens , Asthmagens and Reproductive Toxicants in Cleaning products

Pesticides

Phthalates and vinyl plastic

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) plastic in schools and buildings

Hazardous lifecycle:ProductionUse Disposal

Where is PVC Found in Buildings and Schools?

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.

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.

PVC Plants & Environmental

Justice.

Harmful Chemicals Migrate Out of PVC Consumer Products:

Pose Avoidable Hazards to Children’s Health.

StabilizersLeadCadmiumOrganotins

PlasticizersPhthalates (i.e.

DEHP).

Bisphenol A (BPA)

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 can contribute to poorer indoor air quality as PVC products can off gas chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

A study by the California Air Resources Board found 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.

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.

Phthalates Harmful to Our Health.

Vinyl Flooring and Asthma – What’s the Connection?

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.

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: BackpacksLunchboxesToysBaby BibsGarden HosesComputer wiringGloves

Phthalates Banned in Toys, But Still Allowed in Our Children’s Schools?

Vinyl Flooring and Cleaning Products

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.

Dioxin: Harmful to Children’s Health

Dioxins Targeted for Phase-Out By 170 Nations Around World.

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 has measurable levels of dioxin in their bodies.”

-- Captain Alexander Hagan, President of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA).

Part Three:

Let’s Create Greener, and Healthier Buildings and Schools

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing to Prevent Pollution

Steelcase

(largest non-profit HMO)

Healthcare Institutions Phasing Out Vinyl and Phthalates

Over 100 healthcare institutions around the world are reducing or phasing out PVC and phthalates in hospitals.

“Hospitals, health groups use purchasing power to push for

greener medical products”

-$135 BILLION in purchasing power – asking suppliers whether products

contain vinyl and phthalates.

Architects Specifying PVC-free Building Materials

American Public Health Association (APHA):

2011 Policy Resolution to Reduce PVC in Facilities 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 other

facilities with vulnerable populations when cost-effective alternatives are available.”

EPEAT Certification for Greener Electronics

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 avoid phthalates, and other hazardous chemicals of concern in buildings.

Good News! Safer PVC-free Alternatives for Buildings.

Safer PVC-freeSchool / Office Supplies.

Resources Featuring Safer Alternatives

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

Are They Actually Safer?

The report found that while linoleum, synthetic rubber, and

polyolefin also pose some environmental hazards, they are

more preferable than vinyl flooring across their lifecycle.

Of the four materials evaluated, they found that linoleum was the most preferable material from an

environmental health and lifecycle perspective.

USGBC: Alternatives to Vinyl Flooring are Safer for

Human Health & Environment“The 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 resilient

flooring... sheet vinyl and VCT are worse than the alternative materials studied for most environmental impacts”

"When we add end-of-life with accidental landfill fires and backyard burning, the additional risk of dioxin emissions puts PVC consistently among the worst materials for

human health impacts..."

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

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 AcetatePET = Polyethylene Terephthalate

� Plastics with highly hazardous additives

PEX = Polyethylene (PE) Cross-linked (X)PVC = Polyvinyl ChlorideTPO = Thermoplastic Polyolefin

AVOID

Linoleum vs. Vinyl: Cost Savings

What’s Being Done in NY?

What Can You Do?

New York State Green Procurement:Executive Order 4

NYS Executive Order 4: Greening NYS government procurement.

2010: NYS adopted a guidance policy encouraging NYS agencies to consider avoiding 85 chemical of concern in products purchased by NY state.

PVC chemicals on the list: dioxin, phthalates, vinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride.

OGS developed PVC-free carpeting specifications to implement list.

NYC Green Procurement Vinyl and Dioxin

Local Law 118 and 120 of 2005:

“By January 1, 2008, the director shall promulgate rules to reduce the city’s purchase or lease of materials whose combustion may lead to the

formation of dioxin or dioxin-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 creating detailed shopping lists to guide agency users to non-toxic and PVC-free products—advancing the goals of Local Law 120….City efforts to reduce

the use of dioxin-creating products will continue.”

NYC Deputy Mayor Cass Holloway (April 2012)

Start an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing and

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

Purchasing PolicyDisclosure – Require suppliers to disclose which products contain

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 Fact-sheets / webpage:

www.chej.org/greenpurchasing

1) Toxic Chemicals in Products and Building Materials Commonly Purchased by NY Schools and Government AgenciesOpportunities for Purchasers to Prevent Pollution by Specifying and Promoting Safer Products

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 Products

Best 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 or Parent?

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 CoordinatorCenter for Health, Environment & Justice

(CHEJ)mike@chej.org 212.964.3680

http://www.chej.org/