One in five Californians spends his or her day in school, increasing the stakes for addressing asthma in the school setting. Custodians have high rates of work-related asthma, while 15% of the state's children have been diagnosed with the disease.
Cleaning products are used in schools and other workplaces. They can cause asthma or make it worse and release unsafe chemicals into the air. The Work-Related Asthma Prevention Program (WRAPP) developed the Cleaning for Asthma-Safe Schools project to assist California schools in adopting safer cleaning methods that help protect workers and students from asthma. WRAPP is housed in the Occupational Health Branch.
Purchasing Safer Cleaning Products: Green Seal ā look for GS-37, GS-52, and GS-53 Green Seal certified cleaning products
Purchasing Safer Cleaning Products: UL ECOLOGO ā look for UL 2759 certified hardsurface cleaners
Disinfectants and Work-Related Asthma: Information for Employers (PDF)ā fact sheet, February 2017
Disinfectants and Work-Related Asthma: Information for Workers (PDF) | Spanish (PDF) | Chinese (PDF) | Korean (PDF) | Tagalog (PDF) | Vietnamese (PDF) ā fact sheets, February 2017
Cleaning with Microfiber Makes Classrooms Asthma-Safer For All (PDF) - one pager, March 2017
Fragrances and Work-Related Asthma: Information for Employers (PDF) | Spanish (PDF) | Chinese (PDF) ā fact sheets, June 2017
Fragrances and Work-Related Asthma: Information for Workers (PDF) | Spanish (PDF) | Chinese (PDF) ā fact sheets, June 2017
Workplace Fragrance-Free Policy (Word) ā fact sheet, May 2015
Work-Related Asthma: What You Should Know (PDF) | Spanish (PDF) | Chinese (PDF) | Korean (PDF) | Tagalog (PDF) | Vietnamese (PDF) ā fact sheets, June 2014
Cleaning Products and Work-Related Asthma: Information for Workers (PDF) | Spanish (PDF) | Chinese (PDF) | Tagalog (PDF) | Vietnamese (PDF) ā fact sheets, June 2017
Cleaning Products and Work-Related Asthma (PDF) ā fact sheet, February 2015
Removing Graffiti Safely (PDF) ā booklet, revised 2004
Healthy Cleaning and Asthma-Safer Schools ā A How-to Guide (PDF, 2.5MB) guidelines, October 2014
Safer Products and Practices for Disinfecting and Sanitizing Surfaces (PDF) ā San Francisco Department of the Environment report, April 2014
Cleaning for Healthy SchoolsāInfection Control Handbook (PDF, 1.2MB) ā National Cleaning for Healthy Schools and Infection Control Workgroup handbook, November 2010
Greener School Cleaning Supplies = Fresh Air + Healthier Kids (PDF) ā Environmental Working Group Cleaning in Schools report, November 2009
Video: Healthy Cleaning and Asthma-Safer Schools ā October 2014
Green Cleaning Webinar ā webinar sponsored by Labor Occupational Health Program's School Action for Safety and Health (SASH) program, July 2013
Fragrances and work-related asthmaāCalifornia surveillance data, 1993ā2012 ā journal article abstract, 2017
Work-Related Asthma ā 22 States, 2012 ā MMWR report, 2015
Work-Related Asthma in the Educational Services Industry: California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Jersey, 1993ā2000 ā journal article abstract, 2007
Cleaning Products and Work-Related Asthma ā journal article abstract, 2003
Certification Standards Help Employers and Cleaners Buy Safer Cleaning Products (PDF) ā OHB announcement, July 2014
Multilingual Worker Fact Sheets on Cleaning Products (PDF) ā OHB newsletter, March 2013
Buying Safer Cleaning Products (PDF) ā OHB newsletter, February 2012
Cleaning Products Can Cause Asthma (PDF) ā OHB newsletter, November 2011
California School District Cleans UpāWith CLASS ā Environmental Working Group enviroblog, April 2010
Cleaning for Asthma-Safe Schools (PDF) ā Coalition for Adequate School Housing newsletter, January 2010
Newly Revised Green Sealā¢ Standard for Cleaning Products ā OHB announcement, September 2009 (PDF)