The Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) will now certify cleaners and cleaning systems for low chemical emissions, it has been announced.
The Greenguard Certification Program for cleaners and cleaning systems provides facility executives with information regarding the effect cleaning products have on indoor air quality. The program specifically focuses on chemical emissions for cleaning products, including general cleaners, glass cleaners, toilet cleaners, floor cleaners, hard surface cleaners, institutional cleaning systems, aerosol products and carpet cleaners.
The program is based on a new standard that identifies a comprehensive target list of volatile organic compounds, lowers the limits of their emissions, and measures short- and long-term exposure levels. Chemical “off-gassing” of the products is measured during recommended use and application, and then compared to the standard, according to the Greenguard Web site.
“While our existing certification programs for interior furnishings and construction materials are rigorous and scientifically based, they primarily focus on measuring chemical and/or particle emissions from products and comparing their levels to existing guidelines and standards,” says Carl Smith, CEO of GEI. “The new cleaning standard is the first that requires a review of measured chemical emissions across a broader range of risk based exposure levels and integrates them into a single standard.”
