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White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, MO, USA

GreenGuard Environmental Institute Creates Tough Standard to Protect Children from Harmful Chemicals

The air quality of a childcare center can have a direct impact on children's health and their ability to learn. That's why an environmental institute has recently developed a tougher standard for manufacturers of building materials, furniture, finishes and cleaning products used in school and daycare settings.

A rigorous scientific standard that more effectively protects school children from exposure to high levels of potentially harmful chemicals has been developed by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) and is available for viewing at www.greenguard.org. The GREENGUARD Standard for Children & Schools sets criteria for manufacturers of building materials, furnishings, finishes and cleaning products to develop low-emitting products and materials for use in school buildings and daycare facilities.

Until now, none of the available product standards and protocols that ensure low emission levels of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) took into account children's special needs. These VOCs can trigger serious illnesses in children, including asthma. The new standard takes into consideration the sensitive nature of school and child care populations and the unique building characteristics and maintenance conditions and presents the most rigorous product emissions criteria to date. Room size, ventilation rate requirements, and the amount of furnishings and building materials used per room in child care centers are very different from those found in conventional offices. The GEI created the new standard as an extension of the established GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification Program, which certifies low emitting products for a variety of industries.

Aside from the building-specific distinctions between office environments and child care settings, the more sensitive nature of children warrants an even more stringent approach to chemical exposure levels. Children are at greater risk to develop health problems due to poor indoor air quality because they are more susceptible to pollutants than are adults. Children are still growing and breathe proportionately more air than adults. This means indoor pollutants can cause more severe health effects in children.
"We've found that many of the health-related risks to children occur in newly constructed or refurbished schools because of high emitting construction materials and furnishings, and our initial focus will be on this area of concern," said Carl Smith, CEO of the GEI. "Poor indoor air quality adversely affects learning and productivity in the classroom, and consequently, academic performance. Unfortunately, many schools and child care centers are overwhelmed when it comes to creating and maintaining good indoor environments for our children."

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, children in the U.S. miss over 6 million school days a year due to asthma alone. Additional health problems that may result from poor indoor air quality in schools and child care centers include headaches, drowsiness, breathing problems, fatigue, coughing, rashes, and eye, nose and throat irritation.

GREENGUARD Certification for Children & Schools provides school administrators, facility professionals, early childhood directors, owners, parents and teachers with an easy-to-use, invaluable resource for finding low-emitting products and materials for use in daycare facilities and schools. Products, which become certified under GREENGUARD for Children & Schools, will be listed in the online GREENGUARD Product Guide. The GEI has also provided a Resource Page with information on the importance of good indoor air quality, frequently asked questions, and helpful Internet links.

GEI is an independent, non-profit organization that oversees the GREENGUARD Certification Program. As an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer, the GEI establishes acceptable standards for indoor products and testing protocols. The Institute's goal is to improve public health and quality of life by helping manufacturers build better and safer products. The GREENGUARD Certification Program is the only industry independent certification program for low emitting products. Access to the GREENGUARD Product Guide™, at www.greenguard.org, is provided at no charge.

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