Those with asthma will be particularly impacted by new standards that will cut smog forming emissions by 75% in 2025 model year vehicles compared to 2014 model year and expand the number of zero emission or plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road to 1.4 million (accounting for one in seven new cars sold in the state in 2025).  As a result of cleaner air, we expect to see a significant reduction in asthma attacks and lost school and work days due to asthma.

We hope you will join us in thanking CARB for this decision to ensure California continues to proactively address its significant clean air challenge.

Thank you for your participation in the CAFA Network conference call yesterday. Here is a brief re-cap:

Coalition Updates

• Thank you to Jessica Tovar for providing an update about the extensive work of the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma.
• Our next two presentations will be: Mao Moua from Merced-Mariposa Asthma Coalition (February 28^th) and Thea Jones from Fresno County Asthma Coalition (March 27^th)

World Asthma Day Funding Opportunity

• A total of $12,000 is available. Award sizes will depend on the number of applications as well as budgetary needs associated with each proposal.
• As a reminder, applications are due March 1^st.

CAFA Annual Meeting

• Please save the date of May 23^rd for the next CAFA Annual Meeting to be held in Sacramento.
• Please share your ideas for sessions with us!

Policy Updates

• Advanced Clean Car Regulations will be voted on by the California Air Resources Board this week.  The deadline to submit comments is 5:00 PM TODAY!  Comments can be submitted online at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm/bclist.php.  Click on “Lev2012” to reach the online form.  Attached is a sample letter you can use if needed.  If you have any questions, contact brandon@rampasthma.org.
• CAFA’s housing focus is being coordinated through the California Healthy Housing Coalition.  We anticipate working on two bills this year.
  • One to increase enforcement authority related to pest infestations.  Currently, that authority is limited to Health Officers who are housed in county government.  Due to budget cuts, some cities no longer contract with counties for the services of health officers leaving those cities without the ability to enforce infestations.  The goal of the bill is to allow cities to use local enforcement agencies when county health officers are not available.
  • The second bill will be focused on requiring landlords to use integrated pest management (IPM) to address pest issues rather than using pesticides.  IPM focuses on addressing the conditions conducive to pests, such as harborage, sources of food and water, and entry points.  By addressing the root cause of pest problems, the issue can be solved long-term and minimize exposure of tenants to pesticides.
• The legislative year has just begun and RAMP will monitor developments around outdoor air quality, schools, and housing.  The deadline to introduce bills is in February, so we’ll have a better idea then what the landscape looks like.
  • One potential opportunity we’ve identified is the state’s interest in putting a school facilities bond on the 2012 ballot.  We will continue to monitor and inform CAFA members as the opportunity becomes clearer.
  • Should any of you come across state policy that relates to asthma, feel free to share it and nominate it for CAFA support by contacting brandon@rampasthma.org.

19 Janurary 2012

Events

Webinar: Asthma Friendly Indoor Air Quality in Schools: Still Possible in a Budget Crisis; 1/25/2012; 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST

The Virtual School Walkthrough 2.0: Effectively Responding to Common IAQ Issues and Concerns: 1/26/2012, 1–2:30 p.m. EST

Webinar: Connecting Health and Housing Programs: Collaborative Efforts to Improve Asthma Outcomes; 2/1/2012; 2:00 PM, EST

Studies and Reports

New Report Finds Benefits of EPA Rules Outweigh Costs and Would Provide Significant Health and Environmental Benefits to Low Income and Minority Individuals

The School Inner-City Asthma Study: Design, Methods, and Lessons Learned

Health Effects of Outdoor Air Pollution: Approach to Counseling Patients Using the Air Quality Health Index

The Response of Children with Asthma to Ambient Particulate Is Modified by Tobacco Smoke Exposure

Long-term Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Lung Cancer in a Large Cohort of People Who Have Never Smoked

<< Back to Digest List

Now is the time to let board members know how important these regulations are to those with asthma and the broader public health community.  Here is what you can do:

• Submit a letter of support (using this template)
• Encourage your colleagues to send in their own letters of support
• Testify at the hearing on January 26^th

Below is detailed information on how to comment.  We hope you’ll voice your support for clean air!

To submit written comments for the CARB hearing:

• Go to this link: http://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm/bclist.php
• Click on one of the following: “zev2012” (Zero Emission Vehicle), “cfo2012” (Clean Fuels Outlet), or “leviiighg2012” (LEV III – GHG). (Please choose only one; if your comments are general, just choose “zev2012”.) For more information about the rules, go here: http://www.calcleancars.org/learnMore-CCP.html
• Fill in all contact information (first name, last name, email address)
• In the “Subject” line and in the “Message” box, enter whatever you wish; you can also include attachments (Word document, PDF, etc.)
• Click on “Send Comment”

[Deadline for submitting comments is: Wednesday, January 25, 12noon]

To attend and testify at the CARB hearing:

• Go to this link: http://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm/bclist.php
• Click on one of the following: “zev2012”, “cfo2012”, or “leviiighg2012” (Please choose only one; if your comments are general, just choose “zev2012”. Keep in mind that there will be one witness list at the Board hearing covering all of the rules.)
• Fill in all contact information (first name, last name, email address)
• Important: In the “Subject” line and in the “Message” box, enter “Speak Only” in both places
• Check the box next to “I plan to attend and request to speak at the Board hearing.”
• Click on the desired position on the agenda item (Recommendation: “In Support”)
• Click on “Send Comment”

• The National Asthma Control Program, the federal government’s most comprehensive approach to asthma that promotes a variety of approaches and supports efforts across agencies, at the state-level and in local communities.  The program received $25 million in funding.
• Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Across the U.S. (REACH), a national, multilevel and multi-disciplinary program that serves as the cornerstone of the federal government’s efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health, including asthma (RAMP currently receives support from the program). REACH received as much as $54 million to support a wide range of community-based and culturally-relevant interventions tailored to the needs of each geographically specific racial/ethnic community.
• The Prevention and Public Health Fund, which will have at least $1 billion toward vital public health programs.

Of course, not all public health programs were so fortunate, and while the funding has been allocated we still need to ensure that the funds are administered properly. We will continue to track these issues and will keep you posted.

Thank you so much for all of your continued support.

The Environmental Health Collaborative’s (EHC) project, “Land Use Planning to Reduce Asthma in National City,” focused on addressing poor land use planning. They developed a collaborative approach amongst residents and city officials to implement the pollution reduction element of National City’s new Westside Specific Plan and secure the relocation of 3-5 auto body shops from the vicinity of a neighborhood elementary school. Accomplishments included.

1. Approval of the ranking formula and protecting language for the amoritization goals to relocate offending businesses. Despite challenges, on September 27, 2011 the City Council approved funding to conduct the ranking of businesses for relocation. Data will be collected between October and December and the ranking is expected to be published in January 2012.
2. EHC’s recommendation that a Public Advisory Council be formed to guide the implementation of the OTSP was approved by the city.
3. In January, ten EHC community leaders began conducting code compliance monitoring to support the process of negotiating terms for business relocations. They have recorded 150 violations to date.
4. On June 7, 2011, the City Council approved the first General Plan in California with a comprehensive Health and Environmental Justice Element. The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research has expressed strong interest in requiring General Plans throughout California to include a similar element modeled after EHC’s plan.
5. EHC’s Land Use Team drafted:  A Healthy Place to Live: A People’s Guide to Community Planning. The interactive video guide is modeled on EHC’s Barrio Logan and National City experiences and will be distributed nationally and incorporated into their Leadership Training program.

Chicago Asthma Consortium

The goal of the Chicago Asthma Consortium’s project, “Crossing the Information Divide: What Do Inner City Communities of Color Want to Know About Health and How Do They Prefer to Learn It?” was to formally develop a brief, low-literacy survey in English and Spanish that identifies which asthma-relevant health information is of interest to community members, how they currently access information, how decisions are made with regard to the quality and relevance of health information, and which avenues might be most effective in delivering asthma health information to community members in the future. The following objectives were accomplished:

1. Generated and narrowed a survey pool of questions through a literature review, taking into account community perspectives and reading/literacy levels. The survey was also translated into Spanish.
2. Conducted 15 Cognitive Interviews (in English and Spanish) to identify words, phrases, or survey questions that were confusing and/or did not yield intended responses. The survey tool was modified based upon results.
3. Trained community members to conduct a pilot test of the survey tool in three target communities.
4. Entered and analyzed pilot survey data.
5. Finalized survey tool using suggestions from the surveyors as well as data analysis.

Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland

The goal of Children’s Hospital & Research Center’s project, “C³PLAT: An innovative systems change approach to build capacity among California’s new generation of pediatricians to become environmental health advocates, was “to train the next generation’s pediatricians to be more sympathetic, better informed, and better equipped to understand and address their patients’ environmental risk factors, and be better able to advocate for pro-health policies for their patients and the public.” This curriculum fits into the “library” of new and revised curricula being developed over time by the California Collaborative in Community Pediatrics and Legislative Advocacy Training (C³PLAT), which reaches 760 residents per year in California. Their accomplishments include:

1. Designed a 1 week environmental health curriculum for pediatric residents that includes background reading, three hour overview training, a toolkit, and a series of environmental tours of socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
2. Piloted the curriculum with 25 pediatric residents at CHRCO. This has been done with overwhelming positive feedback and a new understanding for pediatric practice especially as it relates to asthma, obesity and mental health issues in the context of the social inequities of health.
3. Disseminated materials by sharing the curriculum on a private social networking site designed for their collaborative, presenting a tutorial on how to become “medical champions” on environmental health, and consulting with five pediatric training programs in Northern and Southern California to create similar curricula.
4. Trained pediatric residents to advocate politically on behalf of their patients regarding environmental health topics.
5. Designed a pre and post test evaluation to determine general knowledge gained and to see the way the pediatric residents’ practices and attitudes on environmental health have changed.

BHHSC will enhance their Boston Healthy Family Childcare Initiative by working on systems and policy change to promote eco-healthy family child care provider (FCP) facilities. The goals of the project are for FCP leadership institutions to gain knowledge about the importance of healthy indoor environments in family childcare facilities; for the MA Department of Early Education and Care regulatory policies for FCPs to be reflective of best practices in environmental health; and to create new catalysts that encourage FCPs to reduce environmental triggers in their facilities.

Breathe California of the Bay Area

The Community Risk Reduction Project will target high-pollution areas in San Jose, California to recruit, train, engage, and coordinate community residents. They will work with African American and Latino communities to ensure that their Community Risk Reduction Plans (CRRPs) will address cumulative health impacts and that the plans are implemented as designed. Project activities will be aimed at coalition development, leadership training and policy advocacy to achieve their overall goal of reducing health disparities from asthma in their African American and Latino communities.

Healthy Homes Collaborative

Their Implementing Integrated Pest Management in Privately Owned Multi-family Rental Housing; a multi-prong approach project will work to change the policy that currently cites landlords and essentially orders them to spray poisonous pesticides repeatedly. They will build upon data they have collected and analyzed to make the business case and promulgate policy at the local level. Utilizing peer educators from various trade associations, they will work with landlords and property management companies to gain support for the benefits of integrated pest management.

Dear asthma allies,

As we told you last week, we have arrived at a key moment in our work to protect federal support for asthma and we continue to need your help. In lieu of our normal Digest updates (which will resume in January), we hope you’ll take a moment to tell your elected officials to protect lung heath and reduce health disparities across the country.

This week Congress has been trying to finalize a large appropriations bill for this budget year. Unfortunately, several important federal programs for asthma, reducing health disparities, and public health are threatened. But it’s not too late – we can still protect these important efforts.

Your representatives in Congress need to hear from you now. Please take a moment to share your support for three important programs: the National Asthma Control Program, Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Across the U.S., and the Prevention & Public Health Fund.

Background on these important programs

• The National Asthma Control Program is the federal government’s most comprehensive approach to asthma that promotes a variety of approaches and supports efforts across agencies, at the state-level and in local communities. It should be fully funded and not consolidated with any other program.

• Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Across the U.S. (REACH) is a national, multilevel and multi-disciplinary program that serves as the cornerstone of federal government’s efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health, including asthma (RAMP receives support from the program). REACH represents a wide range of community-based and culturally-relevant interventions tailored to the needs of each geographically specific racial/ethnic community. Given that the health status of people of color is increasingly going to shape the health status of the country as a whole, we cannot afford to dismantle the community infrastructure that has resulted in landmark achievements.

• The Prevention & Public Health Fund, established by the Affordable Care Act, gives us a chance to turn our sick care system into a health care system. Preventing disease and injury is the most effective, common-sense way to improve health in the United States. Too often, however, we focus on treating disease and injury after they occur instead of preventing them – providing sick care instead of health care. The Fund will help turn this trend around.

What you can do to protect asthma and public health

We need you to make a quick phone call or send an email to your Congressional Representatives. You can find your Senators here and your House Representatives here. Below are some suggested talking points:

• My name is [NAME] and I am [CALLING FROM/A VOLUNTEER WITH] _______[INSERT YOUR ORGANIZATION HERE].
• I am [CALLING/WRITING] because I want my [Representative/Senator[to fight for asthma and public health. Specifically:

• The National Asthma Control Program will help address the rising problem of asthma in our communities. The program should be fully funded and maintained as a stand alone program.
• Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Across the U.S., a program of the Centers for Disease Control, is one of our best efforts to shrink disparities in health. Given that the health status of people of color is increasingly going to shape the health status of the country as a whole, we cannot afford to dismantle the very community infrastructure that has resulted in landmark achievements.
• Protect the Prevention and Public Health Fund, and use it only for its original purpose of preventing deaths and disease, including those caused by tobacco use.

• Thank you for your time.

Finally, we would appreciate it if you would please forward any feedback you receive back to RAMP’s Associate Director, Joel Ervice, joel@rampasthma.org.

Thank you very much for your help,

Anne Lamb, MPH

Director

Important decisions get made all the time in the state capital, yet following how an idea becomes a law can be confusing.  It is easy to get lost in the jargon of legislative activity:

• What does it mean when a bill is put on “suspense”?
• How many times does a bill get voted on?
• What’s the difference between a bill sponsor and a bill author?

In reality, the legislative process is fairly straightforward and much easier to follow with a basic understanding of the underlying structure.  This interactive webinar shed light on how a bill makes its way through the California legislature.

Led by RAMP’s Policy Associate, Brandon Kitagawa, participants of this webinar learned:

• How an idea gets turned into a law
• The structure of the state legislature
• Key advocacy opportunities during the legislative process

To view a recording of the webinar click here.

• A variety of media strategies that asthma coalitions and programs can tailor to fit a variety of needs to get the media to cover critical issues
• How to take advantage of social media to increase the power of messages
• Methods to outreach and educated policymakers – key stakeholders in creating healthier communities.

Susan Frank is known statewide for her expertise in public policy development, coalition management, and nonprofit lobbying/advocacy. Her current project work includes coordinating a large network of environmental and public interest groups from 7 western states and 4 Canadian provinces participating in the Western Climate Initiative process, and providing air quality policy advice to a large California transportation agency as well as to a number of regional and statewide environmental organizations and coalitions.

To see and listen to a recording of the webinar, click here.

Asthma is a major problem for school-aged children.  One in every six children in California has been diagnosed with asthma.  It is a leading cause of school absences due to chronic disease, costing children their education and schools resources in lost attendance-based funding.  All too often, students and school staff are confronted with unhealthy air quality on campus that can trigger or exacerbate their asthma.  Alarmingly, a California Air Resources Board study found significant indoor air quality issues in the state’s portable and traditional classrooms caused by a variety of sources, including: malfunctioning or under maintained ventilation systems; air pollutants from nearby freeways and railyards; asthma triggers like dust, mold, and pests; and chemical fumes and residues from cleaning products, pesticides, furnishings, and building materials.  Importantly, studies have demonstrated that improved indoor air quality in school facilities has a positive impact on student achievement and staff well-being.  Clearly, leadership in addressing school health problems is needed.

The fiscal challenges facing today’s schools makes creating healthier school environments even more pressing as school districts attempt to use resources as efficiently as possible to increase academic achievement.  This endeavor starts by recognizing that every child and school employee has the right to a safe, clean school environment and that unhealthy environments are not conducive to learning and teaching.  Schools around the country have successfully taken steps to help students and staff with asthma be more successful.  For example, districts have switched to certified green cleaning products, prohibited bus and vehicle idling on or near school grounds, implemented integrated pest management practices, and creatively retained school nurses by billing health plans for some nursing services. Especially in today’s fiscal environment, creating healthy schools requires strong leadership with commitment, flexibility, and resourcefulness from a variety of school stakeholders.  Most importantly, education and health advocates can demonstrate their leadership by working together to create State policies that encourage the creation of healthy schools so that students can achieve and teachers can teach without being distracted or debilitated by health conditions like asthma.

Below are a variety of approaches (though not exhaustive) that the state could enact to create a healthy school environment.  Many of these coincide with the school-related goals in California’s State Strategic Plan on Asthma, which was released by the California Department of Public Health in the spring of 2008.

Ensure resources for school facility maintenance and repair

The first line of defense in preserving a healthy school is proper maintenance and repair.  Without adequate funding, even schools with the best policies and most skilled staff will fall short of their health goals.  When resources are cut from maintenance budgets, there are fewer facilities and custodial staff on hand to maintain and repair school infrastructure. Fewer custodial staff, for example, means that classrooms are more likely to accumulate dust and water intrusions are more likely to lead to mold — both known asthma triggers.

The State can:

• Return the minimum funding school districts must set aside for facilities and maintenance from 1% to 3% of a district’s general fund budget.
• Maintain or increase state funding for the Deferred Maintenance and Facilities Hardship Programs.
• Reduce the volatility of school funding so that local leaders do not have to choose between retaining teachers and maintaining a healthy school when budgets are reduced.

Require schools to implement Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) maintenance and prevention practices

The best policies for creating asthma-friendly schools are proactive and prevent unhealthy conditions from taking root.  One of the most comprehensive models is the U.S. EPA’s Tools for Schools program, which provides guidance for schools to identify, correct, and prevent IAQ problems, including simple, low cost options.  The California Teachers Association’s Healthy Air, Healthy Kids program has similar resources.

The State can:

• Mandate, incentivize, and/or facilitate the adoption of comprehensive school-specific IAQ management plans, as Minnesota has modeled.  For example, the state could require an IAQ component in a school/district’s five year maintenance plan.
• Require targeted approaches such as the use of asthma-friendly products (Environmentally Preferable Products) for cleaning and teaching and the implementation of integrated pest management.
• Establish and enforce IAQ standards that ensure healthy indoor air environments in schools.  Currently, such protections for students and staff do not exist.
• Provide schools with resources and assessment tools, such as the Facilities Inspection Toolkit (F.I.T) to adequately monitor school health conditions.

Address the issue of dampness and mold

Mold is an all too common asthma trigger caused by the very preventable build-up of moisture on surfaces.  No safe levels or types of mold have been established, so rapidly addressing water and mold problems is extremely important.  In addition to ensuring mold and water issues are covered in IAQ maintenance plans (see above), additional safeguards could significantly reduce mold exposure at schools.

The State can:

• Provide training and resources for maintenance staff to learn how to properly deal with water and mold problems effectively.
• Help schools navigate a mold remediation process by establishing minimum standards and licensing for mold inspectors and remediators as states such as Texas have done.  Currently, California only provides guidance on hiring mold inspectors.
• Establish and enforce mold standards for schools.  Currently, there are not any mold standards in California.  However, the California Department of Public Health’s recently released new findings on the health impacts of dampness and mold suggest a need to establish health protective standards is schools.  A straightforward solution is modeled in San Francisco’s housing code where the simple presence of mold requires remediation.

Promote the healthy renovation and construction of school facilities

Much can be accomplished in indoor air quality through proper design and materials in school construction, modernization, and renovation.  All too often the building materials used for many of our schools have been found to contribute to unhealthy indoor environments.

The State can:

• Require or incentivize that all new schools use the best available green building, design, and maintenance practices that maximize IAQ for all new construction and renovation during and after construction.  Making healthy school design features eligible for state school construction and modernization funds, an accomplishment from Senate Bill 128 (passed in 2011), is a great step forward.
• Increase the allocation of school construction and modernization bond money to the High Performing Schools Program.

Reduce exposure to unhealthy Outdoor Air Quality (OAQ)

While a great deal of attention and energy should rightfully be spent on improving schools’ indoor environments, the impact of outdoor environments should also be considered.  Children are particularly susceptible to pollutants like diesel particulate and smog, which can cause serious respiratory issues and aggravate asthma.

The State can:

• Actively enforce vehicle idling laws (particularly those pertaining to school buses) as well as help schools develop processes for filing complaints.
• Require schools to notify staff and students of poor air quality days and restrict outdoor activities. Several local asthma coalitions have implemented an Air Quality Flag Program with their local school districts as an innovative notification system. In partnership with the local air district, this program has been expanded to provide schools with real time updates on air quality throughout the day in the Central Valley.
• Establish clear buffer zones between schools and pollution sources, such as, freeways, high traffic corridors, railyards, polluted land or agricultural land with active pesticide use.  The CA Air Resources Board’s land use guidebook and the US EPA’s school siting guidelines serve as excellent resources.
• Maintain or increase funding to clean bus fleets through the purchase of new, cleaner vehicles or retrofitting existing buses in order to meet new state and federal emissions standards.

Support asthma and chronic disease management plans

Finally, while much can be done to make school environments healthier, more needs to happen to support and protect those students that come to school with a variety of chronic conditions such as asthma.

The State can:

• Increase funding for school nurses in California’s schools to ensure care is available, even during challenging economic times.
• Create and disseminate a model comprehensive school health plan that includes an asthma component and/or a district-wide asthma action plan that schools/districts can put in place even without the ideal levels of medical staff.
• Provide support for teacher and staff training, school asthma plans, and parent education to ensure children with asthma get the care and attention they need, especially where school nurses are missing.
• Encourage the use of curriculum that incorporates asthma awareness and understanding.   The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has developed a curriculum for elementary school.

The 2012 grant solicitation is now open and will close on February 29, 2012. Applicants must be incorporated non-profits or tribal organizations working to educate, empower and enable their communities to understand and address local environmental and public health issues. EPA will host two pre-application teleconference calls on February 1 and February 15 to help applicants understand the requirements.

Environmental justice means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race or income, in the environmental decision-making process. Since 1994, the environmental justice small grants program has provided more than $23 million in funding to community-based nonprofit organizations and local governments working to address environmental justice issues in more than 1,200 communities. The grants represent EPA’s commitment to expand the conversation on environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across the nation.

More information on the Environmental Justice Small Grants program and a list of previous grantees click here.  For Environment Justice Small Grants 2012 Request for Proposals and schedule of pre-application teleconference calls information, click here.

17 November 2011

Event

Webinar: EPA’s Indoor airPLUS Label — Adding More Value to New Homes; 11/18/2011, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EST

Webinar: The Built Environment — Health Policy in Concrete; 11/29/11, 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM PDT

The Virtual School Walkthrough Webinar: Identifying and Solving Common IAQ Problems; 12/9/11, 1–2:30 PM EST.

Resources

Asthma & Environmental Education for Health Professionals

Work-Related Asthma Prevention Program (WRAPP)

Studies and Reports

Smart Growth is Healthy Growth for California

The Impacts of Short-Term Changes in Air Quality on Emergency Room and Hospital Use in California’s San Joaquin Valley

The Controlling Asthma in American Cities Project: It Takes a Community

ASTHO Releases 2011 Report on Policy Barriers in Implementing Asthma Programs

<< Back to Digest List

• Utilizing Healthy Homes guidelines for asthmatic clients;
• Implementing environmental home assessments tailored for clinical settings; and

• Identifying environmental hazards that affect asthmatic patients.

The slides for this presentation are now available.  Click here to access them. For more information, contact Todd Ziegler at 215-731-7148 or tziegler@nncc.us.

• Cleaning Products and Work-Related Asthma (PDF)
• Cleaning for Healthier Schools – Infection Control Handbook (PDF)
• Webinar: How to Pilot a Green Cleaning Program in Your School District
• Cleaning for Asthma Safe Schools Project
• The Green Cleaning Toolkit – Green Schools Initiative
• Purchasing Safer Cleaning Products – look for GS-37, GS-52, and GS-53 Green Seal certified products.
• EcoLogo – look for CCD-146 EcoLogo certified hardsurface cleaners
• Cleaning for Health Fact Sheets – Informed Green Solutions

The CDPH’s Occupational Health Branch, which runs WRAPP, is dedicated to improving worker health and safety through prevention activities.  They gather information on job hazards, work with others to test new approaches to prevent worker injury and illness, and assist with making changes at the workplace.  For more information, visit their website: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohb.