Dive Brief:

• Process Cleaning for Healthy Schools is a national, nonprofit green cleaning program that Missouri's Columbia Public Schools said it adopted in 2009 to safeguard student health and to protect the environment. 
• The motivation behind the switch from cleaning agents with high chemical content came from the fact that many chemicals are carcinogens, and that simple, eco-friendly products can be more cost-efficient.
• The Missouri district has banned the use of ammonia and bleach, and now uses just eight cleaning products, saving a total of $125,000 within the first three years of the program.

Dive Insight:

For some districts the cost benefit from making a switch to greener products might be tempting. In fact, more and more states suggest or require green products for use in schools.

In terms of student health, the worst offenders in cleaning chemicals are ammonia, butoxyethanolm, chlorine, and DEGBE, District Administration reports, which can cause respiratory distress and liver and kidney damage.